December brings balance. Key figures met, projects completed, numbers rising or falling. But between Excel and PowerPoint there is a question that few people ask: Did everything that worked this year really work for you?
Because Functioning is not the same as serving. Functioning means achieving results. Service means moving closer to the life you want to live. And it is this distinction, even if it seems philosophical brutally practical.
When enduring is confused with growing
The corporate culture glorifies resistance. “You stick with it or you leave,” they say. They endure the rhythm, the demand, the structure that “delivers results.” You are professional, you are responsible, you know how to persevere.
Until one day you realize: You are holding things in your hand that no longer make sense. A client who pays well but exhausts you. A successful project that doesn’t challenge you. A functioning society that limits you. An effective strategy that no longer serves your purpose.
The problem It’s not that these things don’t work.. The problem is this They work so well that they warrant a stay. And that is often the case the life you want to livethe one for whom you began to undertake, it starts to break.
Key figures that don’t tell the whole truth
There are many ways to measure growth. In billing, in the team, in the structure, in the margins. You can end the year with all of these numbers in green I feel like something can’t be closed.
Because we are used to it activate automaticallyto accept what works because it works. If the numbers are tight, we move on. When the customer pays, we renew. If the format works, we repeat it.
But here’s the catch: What happens when that growth keeps you from the life you want to lead? What’s the point of climbing if it exhausts you? Is something that consumes you really working?
There are years that They are not linear. That they are not concerned with adding more invoices or more customers. These are years of breaking up, making people uncomfortable, and recalculating. And even though it doesn’t appear on the balance sheet, it also grows.
Every year we carry out this analysis with my team: What went well, what could we have done better, what did we learn. We don’t just look at numbers. We look at energy. We look for coherence between what we build and how we want to live. These are key questions to understand the real progressnot just the apparent one.
The only metric that matters in December
Close your eyes and ask yourself this question: Is what you’re doing today getting you closer or further away from the life you want to lead in 2026?
I’m not talking about your billing goals. I’m talking about your real life. The hours you spend with your family. The energy you have left at the end of the day. The freedom to choose projects. The ability to take a three week vacation without everything falling apart. The peace of sleeping without having to think about operational problems.
If your answer is “It drives me away”You have two options: Hang in there because “it works” either Have the courage to recalculate.
Recalculate it doesn’t mean giving up. It’s about understanding that Letting go of what doesn’t work makes room for what does.. That growth doesn’t always mean doing more, Sometimes it means doing things differently. The Not everything that gets results is worth your time..
By 2025: Clarity and Value
This end of the year I propose to you change the typical balance. Stop measuring only what you have achieved. Also measure what you think is useless to you.
Which customers have you served? through inertia? Which processes did you repeat? “It’s always been done that way.”? What decisions did you postpone because they were involved? Drop something that works?
Next year you will need two things: Clarity to define what life you want to live And Courage to build it. Not to impress. Not meeting external expectations. For you.
And these are some questions that can complement your financial statements:
- What have I held on to this year just because it “works” even though it doesn’t get me any closer to my goal?
- What is the difference between my ideal life in 2026 and the one I am building today?
- If I had to let go of one thing in 2025 that is giving me results but not serving me, what would it be?
- Am I measuring my success using the right metrics or just the obvious ones?
At the end of the day, It’s always about taking action.
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