283. Lessons from a Year That Didn’t Go as Planned

Let me know if this is you. As the year comes towards an end, I’ve been reflecting. I have felt that quiet tug of disappointment when I thought to myself, I didn’t accomplish much this year.

And maybe you felt this way too. Maybe your big goals didn’t happen. The project didn’t launch.

The plans didn’t unfold as planned. I myself also have these doubts too that this year didn’t go as planned or it wasn’t as productive as say two years ago. And yet, deep down, I know this year was not wasted.

I learned. I healed. I became.

So I’m here to remind you the same. You learned. You healed.

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Hello, hello, beautiful souls. Welcome back to the Lucy Liu show. So today I want to talk to you about what it really means to end a year feeling behind, but realizing in fact, you actually grew in all the right ways.

So we live in a world that constantly tells us we have to achieve to be enough that our worth is tied to our productivity, our goals, our outcomes. 

So when the year winds down and you don’t have a long list of accomplishments, it’s really easy to feel like you felt short. But here’s what I learned and I want you to remember too.

Just because the results were not loud, doesn’t mean the growth wasn’t real. Some seasons in life are about planting, not harvesting. And this might have been one of those seasons for you.

It was definitely a season of healing for me. For those who follow me on social media, you would know I had a really bad ankle sprain on New Year’s Eve, ligaments torn in bed, in pain, most of January, it’s October now, as I’m recording this, now my ankle is still not fully healed. So my word of the year changed to healing.

Maybe you didn’t move mountains, but you learn how to rest. Maybe you didn’t build something big, but you learned who you can trust. 

Maybe you didn’t achieve the thing you set out to achieve this year, but you found peace in letting go.

That is still growth. Quiet growth counts too. Think about it.

Every moment you chose peace over panic, you grew. Every time you showed up when it was not easy, you built resilience. Every no you said to protect your energy was an act of confidence.

You made deposits into your resilience bank, into your confidence bank. 

Those invisible moments are the foundation of everything that comes next year or into the future. 

Confidence isn’t built in the spotlight.It’s built in the stillness. It’s in those late reflections. 

It’s in those solo walks, those quiet tears no one saw.

That’s where transformation happens. So if you’re listening or watching and you think to yourself, I didn’t do enough this year, I want to gently remind you, you did more than you think. Let’s reframe this.

Maybe this year wasn’t a slow year after all. Maybe it was a sacred one. This was the year you finally learned the lessons that don’t fit so nicely on a vision board.

You learned how to pause without feeling guilty. 

You learned how to trust the timing of your life. 

You learned how to be kinder to yourself when things don’t go as planned.

You learned that being still can still be powerful. 

And you learned that confidence is not loud. And maybe just maybe this was the year your soul caught up to your goals.

See, none of these you can actually put onto your vision board, but they are still important. 

Before you rush into setting new resolutions for next year, I invite you to take a breath, a deep breath, and take a moment to honor this version of you, the one who kept showing up, even when it was difficult. Give yourself a little pat on the back.

And you know what? 

Maybe you don’t even need to hustle into next year. 

You walk into it peacefully, knowing that who you are becoming is just as important as what you are achieving.

Success isn’t about crossing everything off your list.

It’s about aligning your life with your truth, with your values, and your priorities. 

Ask yourself these questions. 

• What did I learn about myself this year? 
• What moments made me proud, even if no one saw them? 
• Where did I show courage, even in the smallest ways? 

These reflections are still real wins for the year.

And finally, let’s bring it back to gratitude, because gratitude turns what we have into enough and much more. When we can be grateful, even when things didn’t go our way, that’s when we take back our power. Gratitude reminds us that every experience, even the tough ones, is shaping us into the person we’re meant to be.

So as you close out this year, whisper a quiet thank you. 

Thank you to the lessons. Thank you to the detours.

Thank you to the version of you that kept going, even when no one was cheering for you. Because she, that version of you, is the reason you’re still here. Still hopeful, still learning, and still growing.

And that makes you wiser, stronger, and more prepared for everything that’s coming. 

So let’s walk into the new year not with pressure, but with peace. Not with fear, but with faith.

And not with hustle, but with love. 

You did enough this year, and you are enough. 

And next year, it’s going to reflect all the quiet work you’ve already done this year.

Thank you for being here, for listening, for watching, and for allowing me to walk this journey with you. 

If today’s episode spoke to your heart, share it with a friend who needs the reminder they did more than they think. 

Until next time, I’m Lucy Liu, and remember, quiet confidence creates loud results.

And if you need my personal guidance to plan and execute some dream goals of yours, maybe you’ve been putting it off on the back burner, but feel free to book a call with me, link below.