Your 2025 Highlight Reel

You’ve done a lot this year.

But if you’re like most high-performers, your brain is probably more focused on:

• What still isn’t done

• Where you “fell short”

• Everything you should be better at by now

This week in Growth & Mindset, we’re flipping that script.

Instead of letting 2025 blur into “I could’ve done more,” we’re going to build your 2025 Highlight Reel—not as a fake positivity exercise, but as a way to train your brain to notice growth, resilience, and the person you’re becoming.

Why Your Highlight Reel Matters (for Your Mindset)

Your brain is wired to remember threats, problems, and failures more than wins.
That’s great for survival… not so great for confidence.

When you intentionally replay your wins, growth moments, and lessons, you:

• Strengthen a growth mindset (“I can figure things out” vs. “I’m just not good at this”)

• Build evidence that you’re capable and adaptable

• Create clarity about what actually works for you

• Walk into 2026 with direction instead of vague pressure

This is not about pretending everything was perfect.
It’s about saying: “Even in the mess, I grew. Let me actually see it.”

Step 1: Rewind the Tape (January → Now)

Grab a notebook or open a doc. Set a timer for 10–15 minutes.

Walk through your year in rough chunks:

• Winter (Jan–Mar)

• Spring (Apr–Jun)

• Summer (Jul–Sep)

• Fall (Oct–Dec)

For each season, write down:

• 1–3 wins – big or small

• 1 challenge you faced

• 1 way you handled it better than the “old you” would have

Don’t overthink it. This is a brain dump, not a resume.

If it stretched you, required effort, or made you uncomfortable in a good way, it belongs in your highlight reel.

Step 2: Zoom In on Who You Became

Now look at what you wrote and ask:

“If I had to describe the 2025 version of me in 3 words, what would they be?”

Examples:

• Steadier

• Braver

• More disciplined

• More honest

• More compassionate

• More focused

These are your identity upgrades—and identity drives behavior.

Instead of saying, “I want to work out more” or “I should be more organized,” you start from:

• “I’m someone who takes care of my energy.”

• “I’m someone who finishes what I start.”

• “I’m someone who tells myself the truth and adjusts.”

Your highlight reel becomes proof that those statements aren’t wishful thinking. They’re real.

Step 3: Decide What You’re Taking Into 2026

Reflection without intention just becomes nostalgia.

Use your highlight reel to decide:

1. What stays?

   • Which habits, routines, or mindsets actually moved the needle for you?

   • Example: Morning walks, weekly planning, therapy, saying no more often, asking for help.

2. What goes?

   • Which habits drained you, distracted you, or kept you stuck?

   • Example: Doom scrolling, people-pleasing, skipping rest, overcommitting.

3. What needs an upgrade?

   • Which areas aren’t where you want them yet, but you can now see clearly?

   • Example: Boundaries, money habits, sleep, self-talk under stress.

You’re not starting 2026 from scratch.
You’re starting with data and self-awareness.

Journal Prompts for Your 2025 Highlight Reel

Use these as a guided reflection session:

1. If 2025 had a title as a movie about my growth, what would it be? Why?

2. What’s one moment this year where I surprised myself (in a good way)?

3. Where did I show more resilience or courage than I would have a year ago?

4. What’s one “loss” or challenge that secretly gave me a powerful lesson?

5. Who do I want to be in 2026—and what proof from 2025 tells me I’m already becoming that person?

You don’t need perfect answers. You just need honest ones.

This Week’s Tiny Growth Challenge

The 10-Minute Highlight Reel Power-Up

Some time this week:

1. Set a 10-minute timer.

2. Write down 10 moments from 2025 you’re proud of.

   • They can be tiny: “I chose water over soda,” “I had a hard conversation,” “I kept going when I wanted to quit.”

3. Circle your top 3.

4. Under each, write: “This shows I am someone who…” and finish the sentence.

Example:
“This shows I am someone who does hard things even when I’m scared.”
“This shows I am someone who takes my health seriously.”

That’s your mindset work for the week.

Closing Thought

You don’t become a new you on January 1st.

You already built the next version of you in the reps, risks, and choices you made all year long.

This week is about honoring that:

“I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’m also not who I used to be. And that matters.”

Save your 2025 Highlight Reel somewhere you can revisit it.