Tina Tower [00:00:00]:
Hello, my friend. Welcome to her Empire Builder show and the last episode for 2025. Thank you so much to everybody who has tuned in this year as we have brought you so many episodes, so many different guests, so many different things. I hope you have loved it. I do this show for you. So thank you for tuning in and getting all of that beautiful value. If you want to say hi, come over to my Instagram tinatower and say hel so I can say Merry Christmas to you because it is the most wonderful time of the year. I am so here for the Christmas season.

Main Episode

Tina Tower [00:00:39]:
It is my favorite, favorite time. After this episode, we will be taking a month off the podcast and then we'll return with new episodes in 2026. But to finish out strong today, I have an episode with you to help you close the year with intention. How we can wrap it up and kind of let it be enough so that we can go into the holiday season feeling proud, feeling happy, feeling good. So the end of the year, what I find is it can actually bring a lot of pressure instead of peace. And that is not what we're going for. We're going for entering into the holiday season feeling fantastic and we want to finish strong. We.

Tina Tower [00:01:26]:
We want to hit those goals. We're always under the pressure. Like, squeeze in one more thing. I know that in different businesses that I have had, have had different times coming into the Christmas season where it's like you're trying fanatically to finish off everything that you wanted to finish. But I want you to know it's all still going to be there waiting for you next year. It's not going anywhere. So what if instead, we closed with intention? What if we did it on purpose and we actually allowed ourselves to feel good about it?

Tina Tower [00:02:00]:
This is a bit of a different kind of episode. It's not about doing more. It's about feeling more and feeling more proud and being present and letting it be enough. This is our gentle reminder today. You don't have anything to prove. You have done enough. You are enough. You've done great.

Tina Tower [00:02:18]:
I'm sure you have done the best that you can. And that is what we can ask for now. One of the things that I want to encourage you to do in this season is to reflect. Don't just review. So what I mean by that is end of year planning doesn't just mean numbers and goals. It means asking things like, how did I grow this year as a person? What did I let go of? What were my greatest hits? So all of this, we actually cover. I Have a aligned life reset course. That is the course that I do myself every single year.

Tina Tower [00:02:56]:
If you want access to that, I have linked it for you in the show notes or on Instagram, you can just DM me the word reset because it has all of the questions to ask yourself to both reflect and review on the year that has been. We also want to like, we really want to encourage that journaling. So sending yourself a good journal entry or like I often do, is a video entry just for myself where I will talk about all of the things that I have evolved in the way my beliefs have shifted, the things that I used to hold true. I no longer do what I am most proud of, the times that made me really happy. What things I am not proud of that I want to make sure that I don't repeat. You can do that in video, you can do it in voice note. You take yourself on a walk and just let yourself word vomit to give yourself that moment to reflect on everything that you have done. Because I do find that as entrepreneurs we are often in the stage where we're always onto the next, like next, next, next, more, more, more.

Tina Tower [00:03:59]:
How can we do better? How can we up level all the time? And what I have found is you actually go further when you recognize how far you've come. Because when you recognize all of those little things that you have done throughout 2025 that were all things that you'd planned to do, that you made the goal to do, and then you went and did them, taking note of that, like taking stock of that, what that gives yourself is that little bit of confidence. So that when you go to do things, do big things in 2026, you know that you're the type of person that does the things, that keeps the promises to yourself. And if you never stop and acknowledge that, it's harder to build that confidence muscle. And so the more that you can follow through on the promises that you make yourself, the more you're able to do the things that you said you were going to do, no matter the mood, no matter the circumstance, because you're keeping those promises to yourself. And that's going to serve you so many times throughout your business. It's not just about accomplishments when you're doing this reflection though. It's also about alignment, really taking stock of what were the things you said yes to that felt really aligned.

Tina Tower [00:05:11]:
What were the things you said yes to that did not that you need to say no to in the future? What were the things you said no to that you regret that you Wish you said yes. Like, really taking stock on all of that. Because sometimes the biggest wins don't actually show up on the spreadsheet. Sometimes they show up on, like, peaceful mornings on, you know, the time that you now take for yourself to wake up without an alarm or for me. I know one of the biggest reflections for me in 2025 was we got a sauna. We got a auna actually in November 2024. But this year, like, it's been. It's been the year of sa being able to, you know, we haven't gotten sick all year.

Tina Tower [00:05:52]:
We've got so much time to just lay and reflect and think and make better decisions, which has really allowed me to take that helicopter view of life, to kind of rise up and go, is everything aligned? Like, what do I want to change? How are we operating here? And reflect on conversations so they don't play in my head again and again, like, close things off, which for me, I've been doing a lot of coaching in 2025, so it's been really good to be able to have that reflection, space and time. But that's an example of one of the things that I think taking that time to reflect shows you. What are the habits that you have developed throughout the year that you really want to keep? What are the habits that you've developed that you really want to let go of? Another way to do this is pause before you plan. What often happens is you'll be working, working, working. And then you'll start seeing everyone at this season planning for 2026, you'll start to see people that have downloaded my planner. Have I talked about planner yet? I haven't. Okay, so I have a free CANVA template annual planner for you. I've linked it in the show notes, but also you can DM me the word planner to get that for free.

Tina Tower [00:06:58]:
You start to see them popping up everywhere. People will be like, here's my planner for next year. And you start to feel this pressure of, oh, my gosh, I haven't planned yet. Should I plan? I'm just going to rush into plan. What I want to tell you is pause before you plan, before you jump straight into mapping out the new year with new goals and launches and offers and timelines and all the fabulous things, which, quite frankly, is one of my favorite things to do. I love a new plan. I love the smell of a new plan plan in the morning. It is very, very exciting.

Tina Tower [00:07:25]:
But wisdom comes from the pause, not rushing in to the next thing. So before you ask, what do I want to do next? Ask what do I need to honor and integrate first? So do that reflection on 2025 before you go into planning 2026 so that you're not repeating the same mistakes, so that you can learn from things, so that you can dial down the things you no longer want to do and create space for the things that you do want more time and space for. So let yourself land before you leap. Because reflection is the fuel for clarity. That is the thing that is going to give you clarity, that is going to give you alignment, that is going to bring you happiness. Because I know the happiest times in my life and I think happiness comes from being aligned with the vision for your life and your days, matching the reality. When those two things come together, that is where that alignment comes from. That is where that happiness comes from.

Tina Tower [00:08:30]:
For that, it takes a lot of time and reflection and a lot of planning so that you can have that reality match the vision that you had. Number three is rest is productive and necessary. Now I used to, to never do this. I would just run from one thing to the next thing to the next thing. And now it is absolutely vital for how I look forward, it's vital for how I look back. And it's this whole notion of slowing down, to speed up so that I can look at all of the different things and really know what worked, what didn't work and take that rest before, before I go in and plan the next adventure. And so I would say that getting your planner out and mapping out everything for next year, sometimes that should be done at the end of 2025. But if you have been sprinting all year, if you have been under the pump, if you have been working your little tushy off, then sometimes it's best actually to pause the planning until the new year.

Tina Tower [00:09:34]:
Like if you're going to give yourself a two week break over the holiday period, I would actually wait, take that two weeks, let your nervous system simmer down, let yourself reset, give yourself some reflection time, get out the journal, lay on the beach, do all the things that you know are going to enrich your soul and then from that place you're going to make a much more aligned plan for the future. Don't just do it like you're sprinting, doing your normal work on a Tuesday and then Wednesday you're going to put together your annual plan and then Thursday you're going into the next thing. Like no, that is going to create you a plan that either you won't stick to or that's Actually not aligned with like your core, your soul. So you want to have it as aligned as possible. Getting that rest in rest is definitely not lazy. It is a radical act of self leadership. It is the best thing that you can do to make sure that the life you're living is all aligned with each other and your business does need you restored. I know I used to work through the Christmas break every year because I loved that it was so quiet.

Tina Tower [00:10:40]:
People weren't emailing back, there was nothing happening. And so I was able to do so much in that time. And it took me a while to my mid-30s to realize that actually it's really restorative. And as business owners, even when I take vacations during the middle of the year, even when I semi switch off, I never really, really switch off because there's a business to run and it's my job to run it. And so I'm always checking in with team or checking in with clients and doing the. It's always a paired back version. But I never really switch off until that break over Christmas. That is the time everyone's off, team is off, clients are off, everyone's off.

Tina Tower [00:11:22]:
And it gives you this beautiful, precious time to restore over the break. So I highly, 10 out of 10 recommend taking that time for yourself because your creativity needs space as well. Being able to plan well often comes from those big dreams that you have. And the big dreams only emerge when you're not burnt out. So giving yourself that time, giving yourself that opportunity for your nervous system to be nice and calm and rest is doing something. I used to think like rest was really lazy, but rest is doing something, doing something super productive. It's healing, it's giving yourself that dreaming time, it's giving yourself like refilling your cup so that you're able to make better decisions in there as well. Number four, I want to say, let it be enough.

Tina Tower [00:12:10]:
No matter where you're up to, no matter where you're at. I know I work with hundreds of women and one of the saddest things that I hear often is I feel so behind. I hear it all the time and I'm like, behind what? Like behind who? Who are you racing here? You know, one of the best things about business is we're racing no one but ourselves. All timelines are totally arbitrary. All competition is mute. It is you and you, usually you against your own mind. And so you get to decide, like, how much is enough and how far do you want to go. And I am a massive fan of pushing myself, like there has been many times where I want to see just how far I can go.

Tina Tower [00:12:53]:
I want to see what I'm made of. But then there's also the point that comes where you go, you know what? I did my best. I did my very best that I could. And it is enough for now. I will come and I will rise another day. But for now I have done enough. And that is usually at this time of year. I like to adopt more of that mentality because it is the time where you can be present with your family, where you can be present with yourself, you can get that restorative time.

Tina Tower [00:13:22]:
And maybe you didn't hit every goal depending on how you goal set. I always set wacky, wacky high goals, which means I rarely hit a goal. But I don't find it disheartening. I find it quite encouraging because I find if I set really high goals, I act as if that's going to be my new normal. And then I'll usually like, you know the saying, shoot for the moon and you'll land in the stars. I find that better than actually creating achievable goals. But then I know some people like to follow the smart goal system where you're creating those measurable achievable goals. And so if that is you like, you've just got to recognize your personality type and know you did your best.

Tina Tower [00:14:03]:
And maybe we hit them and maybe we didn't. But we're going to be happy with the ones that we want to keep pursuing, can just pursue again in next year. They're still going to be there. Growth doesn't always look like a straight line. It doesn't always look like a record breaking quarter. I remember the first time I dipped down in a quarter and I was like, I accept nothing but growth. Quarter on quarter, month on month, year on year, growth, growth, growth. Let's go always up.

Tina Tower [00:14:33]:
But it doesn't happen like that. And that is okay because the line to a sustainable growing business is not straight. It goes up and down and up and down and up and down. Usually trends in the upward trajectory, that's what we all want it to do. But you'll have troughs and you'll have peaks and you'll keep going up, all of these. And so calming our farm with that and being okay with that I think is one of the most useful skills we can develop as business owners. Otherwise, I found that when I was new in business, my mood would go with those troughs. Whereas of course the ups are way more fun, way more fun, way more Exciting.

Tina Tower [00:15:13]:
Way more get the enthusiasm and the inspiration going. But you know that when you've ridden the wave enough times that when it does start to dip down, you know another rise is coming and so you don't have to panic too much. So I want you to know that wherever you're up to at the moment, you're not behind. You are wherever you are. And you're going to go up and down and up and down again. Like, we're just partway through the journey. So what we want to do is we want to celebrate. We want to celebrate everything that you achieved this year.

Tina Tower [00:15:45]:
I know that, you know, there's not many.

Tina Tower [00:15:49]:
We don't have staff Christmas parties, especially as solopreneurs. There's not many opportunities to stop and celebrate. So you need to celebrate yourself. You are the one that is there when no one is watching. You know how much you've done behind the scenes. You know how much you've sacrificed. You know how hard you've worked when no one's there giving you a round of applause. You've done this and you've done this for yourself.

Tina Tower [00:16:11]:
And I want you to take this moment and I want you to celebrate it. I want you to reflect on all of the things that you've done and give yourself an atter girl. Give yourself a high five. Like, you did it. You did the thing and you're still showing up and you're still becoming. Like, we're all becoming. We are all on our way to what the future is going to hold for us. But I think that not only looking forward, but also looking back and recognizing that will help you become the person that you are on your way to becoming much, much faster and much easier.

Tina Tower [00:16:45]:
So you don't need to finish strong, but you do need to finish honest. Like, finish however you want. If you're in the season where you're like, I'm down for it, like, I got my hustle, I'm finishing strong, then get it. Like, get it. I fully encourage you. Go after it. Don't care what anybody else says. If I'm here telling you, take the restorative moment over Christmas, if you're in the season that I was in where you're like, screw that.

Tina Tower [00:17:07]:
I'm hustling my whole way, I'm going to. While they're sleeping, I'm working, then you get it. Power to you. Go for it. There's a season for it. But if you're also feeling like, you know what, I want to rest, then take it. You do you and this is, this is my main message I'm trying to get apart is you do need to congratulate yourself, you do need to plan well for the future and you do need to just honour wherever it is that you are at number five, close with ritual. So what I like to do is, like I said, I like to do the video of the wrap up.

Tina Tower [00:17:40]:
I do thank you letters to other people that have helped me along the way. I do a thank you letter to myself for helping myself along the way because nobody else is going to give it to you. And the more you can like encourage yourself, the more you will be encouraged to do more in the future. You know, go through and make the photo collage of your favorite memories, like reflect on the 2025 and all of the awesome things that you did. Have some ritual that you close off the year with so that you can like I know at my desk at the end of every year, I will finish everything, I will clear my desktop, I try my hardest to get my inbox to zero. I turn that autoresponder on and then I'll light a candle on that last day and then at the end I switch my computer off, I unplug it from the main electrical socket, blow out the candle, say thank you to the space because it is the space that has done everything for me this year. And then out I walk and I forget about it until I come back in the new year again. So having that, that wrap up is a really, a really nice ritual to be able to have.

Tina Tower [00:18:47]:
But peace is a choice you get to make. You get to choose what energy you're going to go into the holiday season with. I choose peace and I encourage you to go into the season with softness, with pride, with intention, whatever it is. Like the main thing is that you're going in with intention, whatever the intention is for yourself, that that is what you are doing. It's okay to rest, it's okay to log off. I promise you won't miss anything. It'll be there for you when you come back and to really know that you've done enough, you've done really well this year and you're going to do great things in the year to come and they'll be even greater with a solid plan. So take that time to reflect, take that time to plan.

Tina Tower [00:19:31]:
Because how you want to walk into the new year is full, not empty. You want to walk into it with that full cup, with that full battery, whatever analogy you want to be able to use, you don't want to start it feeling empty. You want to go in full heart. Like, I feel like Friday Night Lights. What is it? Clear eyes, Full hearts. Can't lose. Woo. That's the energy that we're coming into there.

Tina Tower [00:19:54]:
So if you want that planner, grab it. If you want to be walked through the process of that aligned life reset, grab my program down the bottom. It'll really help you. Just reflect on all the values that you're holding and make sure that you can have that intentionality and that aligned, whatever that looks like for you. But thank you so much for joining me along the ride of her Empire builder show throughout 2025. Merry Christmas, happy New Year, and I will see you next year.