“It can’t go any further.” This weekend works like one croupier This means that new bets or changes will no longer be accepted. What’s on the table stays. What doesn’t exist no longer occurs. But wait, it’s not that big of a deal. It won’t happen this year, but it will happen the next one, which is only a few days away and which we are coming with 365 more possibilities.
If you’re the kind of person who does end-of-year reviews, be careful not to fall into the myth of the “productive year,” which only counts the huge milestones that are noticeable to the rest of us and that we rush to publicize as part of LinkedIn celebrations.
There is a productivity without epic but with deep meaning that has brought us here. That of the daily effort in times of so much change in work and situation, that of the constant adaptability we need to work as a team with less rigid and more changing structures, that of the resilience we continue to express in the face of so much exploration of new environments, which has led us to make many failed attempts over the last 12 months until we got one thing right.
If someone is dissatisfied with their “accomplishments” in 2025, I suggest a kinder look that takes into account the hundreds of micro-decisions that worked this year and that they were not on the list of things to conquer. Also count the hours in which you were encouraged to venture into new territory for the first time (this certainly includes understanding what AI can help us). From frustration with the slow and unpredictable nature of change, from boredom because things aren’t going perfectly, from surprise at unexpected insights – from all of these experiences will emerge our best version of the future.
The quiet success of 2025 is that we continue to adapt in a year that has once again tested us. At a time when most of us workers have been forced to reskill and face the inherent inconveniences of lifelong learning. Does that seem small to you? This effort is worth recognizing and celebrating, even if we still cannot clearly see the fruits of this sowing.
And while the idea of being able to “reboot” in January corresponds to a cognitive bias and a cultural edge that marks the end and beginning of the calendar year, it serves as an excuse for many of us to find new hope and harness the momentum of a new phase. Oh, and while we’re at it: If you’re planning for 2026, Don’t forget to include the break on your “to-do” list.
Just as you will sooner or later run out of money if you constantly withdraw money from your bank account without making up for it with deposits, you will also end up in extreme exhaustion if you constantly use too much energy without planning for enough renewal. Next weekend, already in 2026, a new roulette wheel will spin. Think carefully about your bets, we’ll meet here again.
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