December has a way of telling the truth.

It invites us to quietly and firmly pay attention to the life we’re actually living, not the one we’re performing, not the one we’re chasing, but the one that has unfolded in real time.

As I step into my 49th year on this planet, I feel that invitation more clearly than ever. December isn’t just the end of a year. It’s the hinge.

The way we end this year is the way we’ll start the next one.

James Baldwin has a line I return to often in liminal spaces: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

December is the month that puts those words into practice. It brings you face to face with your life so you can shape what comes next.

Most people treat January as the starting line.

I don’t.

January is simply the first consequence of how intentional I was in December. If I end the year dragging, burnt out, or funky, then that’s how I’m gonna start January. But, if I end it grounded, grateful, and clear, next year’s gonna be more than alright.

I learned a long time ago that your ending determines your beginning.

December is the one time of year when the world eases up enough for me to hear myself think. Emails slow down. The calendar thins out. Demands loosen their grip.

That little bit of margin is where the real work happens. The quiet work that shapes a whole life.

As I tip over into the second half of my life (God-willing), I feel less interested in resolutions and more interested in alignment.

I don’t need a new personality in January. I need a deeper congruence. A truer expression of who I already am. My values, my calling, my commitments, my sense of what matters most. December gives me space to recalibrate toward that.

Which is what I want to share with you today, so you might possibly, courageously do the same…

First, I honor the thresholds. December is a threshold month. It is a doorway from what has been to what could be. I slow down enough to notice it. I take walks. I give myself breathing room. I pay attention to what my body is telling me. I pay attention to what my heart is whispering. I pay attention to what patterns keep repeating. I don’t rush past that inner data. It’s all pointing toward something.

The second thing I do is look back with honesty, not judgment. I’m not interested in beating myself up for what didn’t happen. I’m interested in understanding why. What were the wins and losses of each month? What were the lessons learned? What choices did I make that worked? Which ones pulled me off-center? What did I give my time to that wasn’t worth it? What gave me life? What drained me? Baldwin was right. Nothing changes until it is faced. December is when I face it.

The third thing I do is name what I wanna carry forward, and what I want to leave behind. This matters more with each passing year. Not everything deserves to come with you into January. Old obligations, old stories, old expectations, they accumulate if you’re not careful. I choose what I want to pursue next year. Then I choose what I will release completely. And, I (re)choose a small set of non-negotiables I will protect.

Next, I decide how I want to feel on January 1st. Busy folks overlook this. But, the emotional posture we bring into January shapes the next twelve months more than any goal sheet. Do I want to feel rested? Clear? Grounded? Connected? Hopeful? Joyous? Free? December becomes the time when I engineer that emotional starting point.

The fifth thing I do is finalize a word or theme to anchor my year. Not as a gimmick, but as a compass. One word becomes the lens through which I make decisions. In 2025, it was Explore. I’m pretty sure I know the what 2026 is calling for. This word becomes the filter I pass opportunities through. It reminds me of who I’m becoming, not just what I’m doing. In this season of life, this has been a guiding light and a saving grace for me.

Finally, I build a simple plan, not a complicated one. I’ve learned the hard way that complication kills momentum. December is where I outline the big arcs. Revenue, travel, key clients, family priorities, personal goals, deep work projects weekly rhythms. I don’t need fifty goals. I need a handful of essential commitments I will fight to keep.

More than anything, December is spiritual work. It’s about asking the deeper questions.

Am I living in alignment with what I say matters? Am I building a life I’ll be proud of at fifty? Am I shaping the next year or letting it shape me?

Endings have a way of echoing.

How you close the year determines how you open the next one. How you finish December becomes how you begin January. And, how you start January sets the tone for the whole year ahead. One day at a time.

So this December, I’m slowing down. I’m listening. I’m clearing space. I’m facing what needs to be faced. And, I’m choosing, intentionally, how I want to begin my 49th year on this spinning ball of dirt we call home.

January won’t catch me scrambling. I hope you’ll join me.

Because the way we end this year is the way we’re gonna start the next one. And, I want to start it awake, aligned and grateful.

How about you?

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Steve Knox | Carmel, CA

\\\ Forward or share this with your circle of amigos. It’s a conversation worth having, and an exercise worth your time. Until next post. Be honest. Be you. Much love.