“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
As this year comes to a close, I’ve been sitting with one simple but powerful idea: two things can be true at the same time.
This year has been very hard.
And this year has been very good.
Both can live in the same sentence, and they are certainly living in my story right now.
It feels like we’re all living in a deeply global and tumultuous world while navigating our own very personal journeys, more than ever before (at least for my generation). The world feels heavy right now. Some days I feel paralyzed even as my heart longs for progress. I’m learning that when I hold both truths at once, I can move forward. I can feel both hope and despair. I can stay engaged without shutting down.
Personally, this year was one of transition, loss, uncertainty, and exhaustion. Maybe it was the same for you. Maybe this was a year that asked more of you than you felt equipped to give. A year where some mornings felt heavy before your feet even hit the floor.
But my year was also one of growth, clarity, and even some pretty big wins. I had a tremendous amount of fun too. It reminded me of the resilience within me and the deep well of energy that still lives in my heart.
We often fall into the trap of believing we have to choose a single narrative. Either things went well or they didn't. We triumphed, or it was all a struggle. But that kind of binary thinking flattens the truth and robs us of insight.
When I picked my kids up from elementary school, years ago, I always asked the same question: “What was the rose of your day, and what was the thorn?” My hope was to help them see that life is all the things, the highs and the lows, often in the same day.
When we allow both truths to exist, something shifts. We stop minimizing our pain, and we stop overlooking our progress. We acknowledge the hard without letting it define (or paralyze) us. We can recognize the good without pretending it came easily.
This perspective matters because how we frame this past year shapes how we step into the next one.
So as we look toward 2026, let’s hold both truths. Let’s widen our perspective and remember that the year ahead will likely be a mix of moments. How we ride the wave that ultimately determines our growth, our impact, and our sense of meaning.
Have a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year! Here's to a great 2026!
TWO TIPS FOR YEAR-END REFLECTION
1. DO A TWO-COLUMN TRUTH AUDIT
Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side, write What Was Hard. On the other, write What Was Good. Do not edit, rank, or try and fix anything. Just work on capturing the year. This simple exercise trains your brain to hold both truths at once and reminds you that your year, and essentially your story, is more complex than a single headline.
2. MEASURE THE GAINS, NOTE JUST THE GAPS
Most of us are experts at noticing what’s missing, what didn’t happen, or how far we still have to go. Before you plan the year ahead, pause and ask: How am I different today than I was a year ago? Recognizing your progress (skills gained, resilience built, clarity earned) builds confidence and momentum. You don’t need to exaggerate the wins; you just need to stop ignoring them.
Traci Schubert Barrett is a Nashville-based keynote speaker and founding executive of HGTV, where she helped grow a fledgling idea into a billion-dollar brand. After two decades in media, she walked away to ask a bigger question: what if there’s more than success? That question became her award-winning book, What If There’s More?: Finding Significance Beyond Success, and her Healthy Ambition™ framework, which helps leaders and entrepreneurs achieve high performance without burnout. She is co-founder and President of Navigate the Journey.
