You Didn’t Go Through 2025 for Nothing

A grounded reset for overgiving women and business owners in Southern Illinois.

If you’re anything like the women I serve here in Southern Illinois, you didn’t just experience 2025—you survived it.

Businesses shifted. Careers pivoted. Roles changed. Priorities got rearranged (sometimes without your permission). I watched women step into leadership they didn’t ask for, walk away from chapters they outgrew, and carry far more than their fair share—all while still showing up for everyone else.

It felt sudden. Unplanned. Maybe even unfair at times.

But here’s the truth most of us only see in hindsight:
Those changes were likely overdue. Necessary. Long in the making.

That doesn’t mean they weren’t hard. It just means that once you made it through the other side, acceptance came a little easier. And now, as we step into 2026, it’s time to make sure all that effort actually counts.

You didn’t go through all of that for no reason.

Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail (Especially for Women Like You)

Let’s be honest—overgiving women are excellent at setting goals… and equally talented at piling on too many at once.

You want to:

• Grow the business

• Support your family

• Be present

• Stay healthy

• Volunteer

• Improve yourself

• Keep everyone else afloat

All at the same time.
With no margin.
And zero grace.

So this year, instead of “do more,” let’s focus on doing what actually works. Below are a few science-backed strategies that help goals stick—without burning you out.

1. Write It Down. Every Day.

(Yes, really.)

Research shows that writing your goal down 15 times each morning can increase your likelihood of achieving it by up to 78%.

Why? Because repetition trains your brain to prioritize what matters—before the day starts making decisions for you.

For me, this shows up as daily affirmations:

I am kind. I am present. I am an attentive wife and mother.

Simple. Grounding. Intentional.

You don’t need a fancy journal or perfect handwriting. You just need consistency.

2. Schedule It—or It Won’t Happen

Anything worth doing deserves a spot on the calendar.

Studies show that when you have an appointment—especially one involving another person—your follow-through rate jumps to 98%.

This is why I remind my clients:
Always rebook.
If it’s not scheduled, something else will steal that time. Every. Single. Time.

Your health, growth, and well-being aren’t optional extras. They’re maintenance. Put them on the calendar like they matter—because they do.

3. Tell a Friend (and Let Them Hold You to It)

Accountability changes everything.

Sharing your goal with someone you trust—and scheduling regular check-ins—can increase your success rate by 67%.

But here’s the deeper truth I had to face myself:

I will show up for my clients.
I will show up for my family.
I will show up for my friends.

But left to my own devices? I often don’t offer myself that same commitment.

That’s not laziness—that’s conditioning.

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned that our needs come last. That we’re not “worthy” of the time unless someone else is counting on us.

And yet… if a trainer is waiting on me? I show up. I work hard. I give it 85% (on a good day 😉).

Accountability isn’t weakness.
It’s wisdom.

4. Give Yourself Grace (This One’s From Me)

This final tip doesn’t come from a study—it comes from lived experience.

Go into 2026 knowing you will not be perfect.
And that’s not failure—that’s being human.

Your goal doesn’t have to be massive.
It just has to be this:

Be a little better today than you were yesterday.

That is enough.
You are enough.

By now, you may be noticing a theme:
None of these steps are about pushing harder or doing more.

They’re about working with yourself instead of against yourself.

When you write things down, schedule what matters, lean into accountability, and give yourself grace, something important happens—you start showing up more consistently. Not perfectly. But intentionally.

And that’s exactly where the final step comes in.

5. Celebrate Your Wins (Yes, Even the Small Ones)

If you’re an overachiever or a business owner, chances are you’re already focused on the next thing before you’ve even acknowledged what you just accomplished.

Let me be clear: that’s a fast track to burnout.

Every goal—big or small—deserves a pause and a reward. Celebration isn’t indulgent; it’s reinforcing. When you attach a reward to a milestone, your brain actually learns that effort is worth repeating. Motivation sticks when there’s something to look forward to.

Your reward doesn’t have to be extravagant. It might look like:

• A night out with friends

• A solo movie night (no sharing popcorn, no guilt)

• A slow morning with coffee and nowhere to be

For me, this is exactly why Oasis has the Last Weekend of the Month built into our rhythm.

That weekend is my reward for serving clients well all month long. It gives me intentional time away from the spa—space to reset, recharge, and remember who I am outside of the roles I carry.

Not the business owner.
Not the caregiver.
Not the problem-solver.

Just Lilly.

If you want your goals to be sustainable, you have to stop treating rest and celebration as something you’ll “get to later.” Build it in now. It’s not a luxury—it’s part of the system.

Bringing It All Together

If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that growth often shows up disguised as disruption.

You adapted. You carried more than you should have. You kept going—even when you were tired. And now, 2026 isn’t about proving anything to anyone.

It’s about honoring the work you’ve already done.

So as you move forward, remember:

• Write it down so your goals stay visible

• Schedule what matters so it doesn’t get crowded out

• Invite accountability so you don’t have to do it alone

• Offer yourself grace when things aren’t perfect

• And celebrate your wins—because they count

Progress doesn’t have to be loud to be meaningful.
And success doesn’t require self-sacrifice to be valid.

Here’s to a year that feels more aligned, more intentional, and far more sustainable.

Happy New Year, and happy trails, my beautiful friend.