At the start of a new year, I always notice a shift. It's subtle, but it's there. A little lightness. A sense that I can pause, take stock, and step into something new. Even though it's just one calendar year turning into the next, it still feels like permission to begin again. To set new intentions. To let the past be the past. I don't overthink it. I just pay attention to that sense of possibility.

As I look back on the year behind me, it wasn't especially easy. There were moments that felt heavy, uncertain, and stretching in ways I didn't expect. Yet, when I slow down and really look, I can also see where pleasure lived right alongside that expansion. Travel, learning, connection, small moments that mattered more than I realized at the time. It reminds me how misleading it can be to label a year as good or bad when most years are a mix of both.

My word for this year is bloom, and it feels honest for where I am right now. Instead of evaluating the past year through success or failure, I'm choosing to look at it through the lenses of pleasure and expansion. Noticing what felt nourishing. Noticing what stretched me. On this Wise Walk, we'll slow down and reflect on where those two experiences showed up, and what they might be opening up as we move into the year ahead.

• As you reflect on the past year, what was the overall feeling you experienced, if you had to name just one feeling?
• Did the year feel joyful, satisfying, like you were in your groove, or did it feel heavier or harder than you expected?
• Can you write down that overall feeling without judging it, changing it, or trying to rationalize your way into a different one?
• As you look back on the year, where did you experience pleasure, whether through moments, activities, trips, connections, or things you gifted yourself?
• Where did you feel waves of pleasure, satisfaction, joy, appreciation, or gratitude, and can you document those experiences in detail?
• As you reflect on your list of pleasurable moments, are there any expansion experiences that stand out, meaning challenges or uncomfortable situations that prompted you to grow or evolve?
• Which of those expansion experiences felt hard, uncomfortable, or even necessary at the time, and how did they ultimately build competence or strength?
• As you review your lists, can you look back through your calendar or memory to see if there is anything you missed that deserves acknowledgment or appreciation?
• Can you recognize that whatever you moved through, whether pleasurable or challenging, you found a way forward, and can you offer yourself credit for that?

I look forward to continuing this journey of noticing pleasure and expansion with you as the year unfolds.

As always, I'd love to hear what stood out for you from today's episode, so feel free to reach out and share.

Then tune in next Thursday for another Wise Walk. Until then, happy, happy New Year.

In this episode:

• [06:58] When I started this reflection exercise, I listed some pleasurable moments for me over the last year.
• [07:17] I had some awesome trips including a trip to Ireland, seeing a Wrexham football match, exploring Nantucket, New York, Long Beach, and my cross-country road trip.
• [08:14] I feel so much pleasure and gratitude for these trips.
• [09:02] Selling my home was a double experience of pleasure and expansion. My certifications were also very fulfilling. I also met multiple cool people and had all kinds of adventures.
• [10:29] When I reflected on how heavy last year felt, I was discounting the abundance of pleasurable experiences I had.
• [11:45] The growth and expansion has been such a blessing, and I feel even more grounded now.
• [12:13] We dive into the expansion experiences of last year including the loss of a loved one and emotional heaviness.
• [14:13] As you look at the contrast of pleasure and expansion in your life, have you noticed things that you forgot about or things that need acknowledgment?
• [15:01] Now that we're in the new year and you've found your word to set your guiding intention, take time to do this pleasure and expansion exercise at the close of each week or month. By year-end, you'll have the list to easily reference when you wrap up and reflect on the year.
• [16:14] 2025 was hard for me, but I feel gratitude for all of the pleasurable moments I had. I'm going to hold these memories near my heart and embrace them.

Memorable Quotes:

• • "Expansion doesn't usually feel good while it's happening. It makes sense only when you look back." - Mary Tess
  • "When you stop judging the year and just notice how it felt, something softens." - Mary Tess
  • "In any given year, we're going to have pleasure and we're going to have expansion. Both deserve reflection and acknowledgment." - Mary Tess
  • "When we have those hard moments, something shifts in us. We realize this doesn't feel right, and we're ready to expand in a new direction." - Mary Tess

Links and Resources:

• Mary Tess Rooney
• Email
• Heart Value

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