Measuring Your Year Differently: A Year-End Energy Audit

Measuring Your Year Differently: A Year-End Energy Audit

“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” — Eckhart Tolle

As we approach the end of the year, many people ask the familiar question:

“What have you accomplished this year?”

And yes—there’s value in that reflection. The end of the year naturally invites us to look back at what happened: the highs and the lows, the successes and the disappointments, the moments that stretched us, and the ones that supported us.

But today I’d like to offer a different way to measure your year—one that’s often more honest, more grounding, and especially supportive if you’re sensitive, empathic, or naturally hard on yourself.

Instead of focusing only on what you did…

Let’s also look at who you became.

The question behind the question

When someone asks, “What did you accomplish?” there’s often an unspoken layer underneath it:

• “Was I productive enough?”

• “Did I keep up?”

• “Did I prove myself?”

• “Am I behind?”

If you notice that kind of pressure rising as you reflect, pause for a moment and bring your attention to your body. Many people feel it immediately: a tight chest, a busy mind, and breath is fast and shallow.

That’s not a sign you’re failing at reflection.

It’s a sign your nervous system is reading this moment as a test.

And that’s exactly why an inner-focused approach can be so powerful.

A gentler set of year-end questions

Here are the questions I return to—because they don’t turn your life into a scorecard.

How do I feel about myself as this year comes to a close?

How have I grown or changed on the inside?

Do I feel more connected to myself—my truth, my life—than I did this time last year?

This shifts the focus from what you’ve done to who you’re becoming.

And from an energy perspective, that matters.

Our world places enormous value on doing, achieving, producing, and proving. But energetically, true alignment happens when we pay attention to our inner world—our beliefs, emotions, nervous system, and overall energy.

When those are supported and aligned, the outer world tends to reorganize itself far more naturally.

The Year-End Energy Audit (10 minutes)

If you’d like a simple practice that doesn’t require a perfect journal or an hour of quiet time, try this:

Step 1: Notice what’s true (without judgment)

Take one slow breath and ask:

• What am I feeling right now as I think about this year?

• Where do I feel that in my body?

If you’re not feeling as grounded, fulfilled, or at peace as you hoped, it doesn’t mean you failed. More often, it simply means your energy has been focused on the wrong things.

And that can change—with awareness, compassion, and the right support.

Step 2: Name your inner growth (the unseen wins)

Write down 3–5 “quiet wins” that won’t show up on a to-do list, such as:

• “I stopped abandoning myself in conversations.”

• “I softened my inner critic—just a little.”

• “I rested before I hit empty.”

• “I asked for help instead of pushing through.”

• “I let ‘good enough’ be enough.”

These shifts are often the foundation of everything that comes next.

Step 3: Track your energy, not just your output

Ask:

• What drained me this year (and why did I keep tolerating it)?

• What replenished me (and why did I postpone it)?

• Where did I force myself—when my body was asking for something else?

Tiny environmental shifts often lead to a greater sense of inner ease—so even noticing what spaces supported you (or didn’t) is part of the audit.

Step 4: Choose what you’re carrying forward

Pick one inner quality you want to bring into the new year, such as:

• calm

• self-trust

• steadiness

• better boundaries

• softness with yourself

• a slower pace that still creates results

Write it as a simple intention:

“In the new year, I’m choosing more ____.”

Step 5: Release one heavy thing

This matters more than people realize. Many of us carry the same weight year after year.

Choose one to release:

• comparison

• perfectionism

• proving

• people-pleasing

• over-committing

• tolerating what doesn’t feel good

Then write one sentence:

“I’m ready to release ____.”

You don’t have to know every step yet. You’re simply telling your energy the truth.

A personal note from me

For me, this year has been filled with both highs and challenges.

What I’m most grateful for is the deeper understanding I’ve gained of myself. That inner work has brought a greater sense of calm, freedom, and clarity—and it’s allowed me to transform long-standing challenges in ways I hadn’t been able to before. It’s also helped me support my clients at a deeper, more meaningful level.

I’m ending the year with a quieter mind and a deeper sense of inner peace—and that feels like a powerful foundation to build from.

Three questions to sit with this week

If you only take one thing from this post, let it be this:

• As this year comes to a close, how do I truly feel within myself?

• In what ways have I grown, softened, or become more aligned—even if it doesn’t show up on a to-do list?

• What do I want to carry forward into the new year energetically… and what am I ready to release?

There are no right or wrong answers.

Just notice what comes up—with honesty and compassion.

Invitation

If you’d like a steady, gentle touchpoint as you move into the new year, I share simple, practical energy support in my Weekly Unstoppable Energy Tips.

You can join here: https://lindabinns.com/tips-home

More Resources

• Weekly Unstoppable Energy Tips: https://lindabinns.com/tips-home

• Harmony Inside & Out Community (free): https://lindabinns.app.clientclub.net/communities/groups/harmony-inside-and-out

• Complimentary 30-Minute Breakthrough Session: https://calendly.com/linda-85/complimentary-breakthrough-coaching-session

• Books: https://lindabinns.com/books

Closing line:

I guide you to clarity—so you can release what’s heavy, align with who you truly are, and create results that feel honest and sustainable.