intentional living – Ruthann M. Wilson

Finishing Strong: Year-End Reflection Practices for Resilience and Renewal

We have arrived at the year’s final threshold, a month that invites us to look back at what has been and forward to what could be.

Each December, I revisit the practice of Finishing Strong. I return to it personally and share the practice as a way of inviting others into reflection. At its heart, it is a practice of reflection and renewal, evaluating progress, celebrating resilience, completing what needs closure, and opening space for what is new. It is intended to help bring the year to a close with intention and set the stage for the year ahead.

This year has carried deep challenges, personally and professionally. I said goodbye to close loved ones and to a company that shaped nearly a decade of my life. There were times when I felt off balance and not very strong in the midst of these changes. As I return to this annual practice, I find myself wondering how strength might look and feel as the year comes to a close.

If your year has carried loss or sudden change, my heart goes out to you. May you honor what you feel and give yourself grace and space to move through it. Perhaps you too are arriving at this threshold carrying what has been hard. If so, give yourself the time you need to honor your feelings with compassion.

We all meet thresholds differently. Change, whether chosen or unexpected, always asks us to release something familiar and step into the unknown. The unknown can feel exciting or frightening, depending on how we meet it.

I invite you to begin this practice wherever you are. Strength isn’t measured by how hard we push, but by how intentionally we align with what matters most.

Four Invitations for Finishing Strong

Evaluate progress toward your goals
Pause to acknowledge what you’ve accomplished and where you’ve grown. Progress is not always linear. This year, consider how your goals have shifted, evolved, or deepened. Some goals may have reached completion; others may have transformed into something new. Evaluation is less about milestones and metrics and more about recognizing the rhythm of growth.

Celebrate what you have accomplished to date
Celebration honors resilience as much as achievement. Pause to notice the quiet strengths, the small wins, and the ways you showed up consistently.

Complete what needs to be completed
Endings carry wisdom. Ask yourself: what calls for closure? What tasks, commitments, or patterns are ready to be released? Completion is not only about finishing; it is about honoring the cycle of letting go, so space can open for renewal.

Make room for something new
Beginnings are thresholds. As you prepare to step into the next cycle, pause to release what no longer serves, so that space opens for what is true for you. Making room is not about adding more; it’s about accessing and releasing things you no longer need or use, things you no longer feel connected to, and things that keep you stuck in the past.

Reflection Prompts for Your Own Practice

Pause and honor: Where have you grown this year, even if progress looked different than expected?
Celebrate resilience: What small wins or quiet strengths deserve recognition?
Seek closure: What tasks, commitments, or patterns are ready to be released before the year ends?
Name a new intention: What practice, project, or way of being feels true to carry into the new year?

Finishing strong is not about perfection; it’s about alignment with what is true for you. As you close this year, may you honor what has been, release what no longer serves, and carry forward only what steadies your steps into the year ahead.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

You’re welcome to follow the blog to receive notifications of new posts, subscribe to the mailing list to receive new posts and updates directly to your inbox, or connect with me on social media, whatever feels most supportive.

All the best,
Ruthann

Monthly Reflection: Begin with the end in mind

We are all given the gift of twenty-four hours each day to spend as we choose. It is a gift that we treasure through the choices that we make. In the busyness of life, it’s easy to operate on autopilot and forget that we have the power to choose how we spend our time.

Time is one of your most valuable resources and it is inextricably linked to your life. The way you spend your time is the way you spend your life. The key to making the most of your time is to stay focused on what truly matters. It is an intentional process of reflecting on how you are spending your time relative to your values and goals.

As we begin a new month, I invite you to set aside 15 minutes to begin with the end in mind. Ask yourself the following questions with the end of the month in mind.

💥What have I accomplished?

💥Who have I spent time with?

💥How do I feel?

💥What do I need to start, stop, or do more of so that I can feel (whatever you identified)?

Create a daily structure that will enable you to bring what you have envisioned to life. Evaluate your progress on a weekly basis. Be patient with yourself and trust the process.

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

Consciously Create Your Day: Intentional Choices to Shape How You Feel Each Day

What you do on a daily basis matters. Days become weeks, weeks become years, and years become a lifetime.

We are given the gift of twenty-four hours each day to spend as we choose. It is a gift that we treasure through the choices that we make. In the busyness of life it’s easy to operate on autopilot and forget that we create our lives one day at a time.

This week, I invite you to set aside 15 minutes in the morning to begin each day with the end in mind. Ask yourself the following questions:

How do I want to feel at the end of the day? Write down three feelings you would like to have at the end of the day.
What do I need to ‘start’, ‘stop’, or ‘do more of’ so that I can feel (whatever you identified)?

Set aside 15 minutes in the evening to check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Is there a gap between how you want to feel and how you are actually feeling? What will you ‘start’, ‘stop’, or ‘do more of’ the following day.

At the end of the week, evaluate your progress. Be patient with yourself and trust the process.

Need additional support? “Bring it All Together on a Daily Basis” (Chapter 6, Be True to You) is designed to help you consciously create your day.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace