As the year comes to an end, I want to take the opportunity to reflect on 2025. I want to look ahead, filled with gratitude, into the new year. I wouldn’t lie, I love the month of December because it gives me the chance to reflect on the entire year with a slower pace and get excited about the new year. This year has been quite different and full of surprises.

I welcomed 2025 back earlier this year with so much uncertainty and a bit of fear, yet I was grateful. I remember 2024 went by quite fast, and I would say 2025 has been relatively quick as well. Especially this year, it made me realise so much, but kept me busy for all the good reasons.

1- Embrace Change With an Open Heart

In 2025, I made a critical career decision, even though I had been working independently for almost 6 years. I think it took me longer to make it. I am happy that I finally trusted my instinct to take that step. In fact, it helped me realise that change is inevitable and that everything eventually comes to an end.

Regardless, I am grateful for all of it. Starting new experiences can feel scary at first, but it is part of the process, and that’s totally okay. I realised that change can bring so many great and better opportunities, and I experienced many new ones beyond what fear had led me to believe or limit myself to. This year showed me what trusting my instincts means and taking that leap of faith can be transformative. I got to remember to enjoy endings as much as new beginnings, and I would advise you to do the same.

2- Let Go Again and Again

I think this is one of the biggest and most humbling lessons I learned this year. I thought I had let go of past experiences and people, but I realised I hadn’t. This year, I got the chance to learn it the hard way, and I feel much better about it now. It made me realise, to be honest, that I seriously needed to move forward. Also, to accept things for what they are, without romanticising those experiences and people. In fact, whatever idea I had of people and experiences is limited to what I told myself. In reality, they are far from what I made myself believe. It is a lie I kept feeding myself until I literally believed it.

In addition, it was a reminder that the controlling part of me still exists. I am aware that that part has less power now. Nonetheless, it was still difficult for me to accept certain realities. Again, it is totally okay, and I needed time to take things for what they are. It is OK that I still struggle to let go and move on from certain parts of the past. Some things take time, and I needed to let go as many times as possible.

3- Some Doors Were Closed For a Reason

Giving second chances, thinking things would get better, can most of the time end up causing more hurt than the first time. I reopened a door I had closed years ago, and later realised I hadn’t really locked it. Deep down, I remained hopeful, waiting for it to reopen. A door that, in the first place, only left me hurt. It caused so much damage that it took me years to heal from (My therapist can confirm this!).

Deep down, I wanted to prove something to myself and ignored that there was nothing to prove in the first place. Don’t let others tell you otherwise, my friend! What didn’t work the first time, with all the mess that came with it, won’t magically work the second time.

I read somewhere that you will keep getting the same lesson in life until you learn it, and I couldn’t agree more. I had to go through it again to learn, but from a different standpoint, with a different experience and personality. My therapist told me, specifically on this point, that the past is the past for a reason, and things must be left there. We should look forward, not backward. The fact that some things or people are familiar does not mean they are right for us. You deserve new experiences, new people, and a new perspective, and my therapist’s words made me truly stop and think. So, if you have a door from the past that is not fully closed, remember to close it and even lock it.

4- What is Meant for You Will Never Miss You

It is more of a reminder than a lesson, but I kept reminding myself of this throughout 2025. In everything in life, you name it, be it relationships, career, opportunities, anything. Everything that I gained and experienced, alhamdulillah, was meant for me, and what I lost, alhamdulillah, was never mine in the first place. Keeping this in mind always helps and makes everything easier.

For example, you get rejected for an opportunity you prayed so much for. Or a trip you’ve been waiting for gets canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. Those were never yours in the first place, and no good was there for you in them. So, don’t dwell much on opportunities and people you may have lost. They were never meant to be yours in the first place. Better things and more deserving ones are coming your way.

5- Choose People Who Choose You

Before this year ends, one thing feels non-negotiable; I no longer make space for uncertainty where clarity should exist. Choosing people who choose you isn’t about ego or pride; it’s about refusing to live in hesitation, half-commitment, or emotional ambiguity. 2025 has shown me that what often appears as patience, understanding, or loyalty is sometimes just the bare minimum. This applies to both relationships and friendships.

I realised that the longer I accepted this, the less I would receive of what I truly deserve. Over time, I recognised this unfairness, and it felt as if I was betraying myself. In the past few years, I worked on myself so much that I wouldn’t return to a starting point now, after all this work. I think I reached a point where my patience with people’s uncertainty is even shorter than it was before.

Moving forward means accepting consistency, effort, and intention as the baseline, not the reward. Remembering how hard I worked on myself to heal and move forward, and to accept less of what I truly deserve just because it is familiar, is no longer an option.

In Conclusion,

The year 2025 revealed the areas where I needed to improve, allowing me to grow both personally and professionally. It confronted me with truths I had ignored or attempted to change, but I ultimately learned to accept them and move forward. Although this year kept me busy, I am grateful for every single thing and person I crossed paths with. I hope you resonated with this article, and I look forward to hearing about the lessons you learned from your own experience.

See you in future blogs, and wishing you a new year full of success, happiness, and kindness.