What If You Accomplished More Than You Think?

December can often be the busiest month of the year thanks to holidays, parties, and closing out the year on a high note. But it can also be a time when we feel discouraged because we didn’t accomplish everything we set out to do in January.

One year ago, I signed up for an “abundance challenge,” not fully knowing what I hoped to gain from it — only that something in me wanted clarity, direction, and maybe even a little joy. I didn’t know it at the time, but those early-year reflections became the first clues to a year that went better than I’ve been giving myself credit for.

When I looked back at my journal last week, I found something surprising during a time when I thought I was “accomplishing nothing”: I was laying the foundation for who I’ve become today.

1. I was asking big questions — even when I didn’t have answers.

In January, I wrote: “I’m still struggling with seeing my future self. I still don’t know who she is.”

At the time, I saw this as a weakness — a sign that something was wrong, or that I “should have known” my direction by now.

But reading it today, I see something very different.

I see someone willing to ask hard questions…listening for clarity instead of forcing it…and someone who doesn’t let the hard days win.

That is growth.

2. I was practicing patience without realizing it.

My future self “told” me: “Be patient… the direction will be given when the time is right.”

At the time, I didn’t feel patient. I didn’t feel calm. But looking back, I realize I spent the entire year doing exactly that — waiting, learning, experimenting, showing up, trying again.

Clarity didn’t arrive on my timeline, but it did arrive.

3. I was already doing mindset work — long before I ever talked about mindset publicly.

One entry said: “My mindset has been stuck in hurt and anger… I need to move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.”

At the time, it felt like struggle. Now I see it as transformation — the very same mindset work that now shapes my coaching, my writing, and the direction I’m taking in 2026.

Sometimes the work feels messy because transformation usually starts beneath the surface.

4. I was learning abundance even when I felt scarcity.

Early in the year, I wrote about revenue worries, financial uncertainty, and fear. But right next to that, I wrote: “We don’t know how rich we are. We can wake up every day with our dreams.”

I didn’t realize it then, but that sentence describes the entire theme of my year: I had more abundance in my life — in relationships, purpose, experiences, learning, and resilience — than I was allowing myself to see.

The abundance was there. I just hadn’t measured it correctly.

 5. I was shifting my identity — the deepest growth of all.

One of the most powerful moments from the challenge was this line: “I am Doris Dunn. I am Doris. I am.”

It seems simple, but it wasn’t. This was the moment I began shifting from doing to being — the identity work that every leader eventually must face.

It was the start of realizing that the next chapter of my business isn’t about doing more.

It’s about becoming more of who I already am.

So, what if this year wasn’t a failure at all?

What if the real transformation wasn’t in what I produced… but in who I became?

What if this year was the groundwork — the internal alignment, the mindset shift, the identity strengthening — that will make 2026 the year everything clicks?

And what if the same is true for you?

Maybe you didn’t accomplish every goal. Maybe you feel behind or distracted or disappointed.

But if you look back carefully, you may discover:

• You asked better questions.

• You shifted your thinking.

• You expanded your awareness.

• You challenged old beliefs.

• You grew in ways you couldn’t measure at the time.

• You became someone more capable, grounded, or resilient.

That counts.

In fact, that’s often the work that matters most.

Before you write off 2025 as “not enough,” take a moment to revisit something from January — a journal entry, a goal sheet, a conversation, even a thought you wrote on a sticky note.

Look for the earliest signs of the person you are today.

You might just discover…

You accomplished far more than you think.

---

Enjoyed this week’s blog? Get leadership insights, personal stories, and weekly inspiration delivered straight to your inbox. 👉 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter here.

If you’re ready for clarity in your business or career, email me at doris@dunnwise.com, reach out via DM, or visit dunnwise.com to learn more about coaching, speaking, and training.

And if you love learning on the go, check out the Leaderish Podcast for more conversations on leadership.