“The Space Between Intention and Action: Reflecting on 2025 and Reimagining 2026”
by Niall Lehane of Probitas
As the year draws to a close, many of us find ourselves pausing—somewhere between gratitude and restlessness—reflecting on what 2025 has brought and what it hasn’t. It’s a natural rhythm: the quiet inventory of goals set, achieved, or quietly abandoned. We start each year with the best of intentions, but by December, we’re left confronting that delicate gap between what we hoped for and what actually happened.
The end of a year is not just about celebration or disappointment—it’s about reflection and recalibration. It’s about asking why certain goals took flight while others never left the runway. And it’s about preparing to begin again, perhaps a little wiser, a little more aware.
One useful framework for this kind of reflection is the LMI Wheel of Life, a simple yet powerful tool that divides our lives into six key segments: Family and Home, Financial and Career, Mental and Educational, Social and Cultural, Physical and Health, and Spiritual and Ethical. When we take the time to reflect on each area honestly, the wheel becomes a mirror—showing us where we’re balanced and where the ride has become a little bumpy.
Family and Home
This is often the first area to feel the strain of modern life. Long hours, competing demands, and the constant hum of digital distraction can leave our relationships thinner than we’d like. Yet, 2025 may also have brought moments of connection—dinners shared, milestones celebrated, or simply quiet evenings spent together. The question is: did we give enough of ourselves to the people who matter most?
Financial and Career
For many, 2025 was a year of flux. Some industries soared, others struggled, and the pace of change only accelerated. Whether you led a team, ran a business, or worked toward a promotion, this segment often measures not just success but satisfaction. Were you fulfilled? Did your work align with your values? Or did you find yourself chasing results at the expense of meaning?
As we look ahead, it’s worth asking whether 2026 needs to be about more growth—or better balance.
Mental and Educational
Personal growth doesn’t stop at school gates or graduation ceremonies. Lifelong learning—about ourselves, others, and the world—is essential to thriving. Perhaps 2025 was a year of curiosity, where you read more, learned a new skill, or finally took that course you’d been putting off. Or perhaps your mental energy was spent simply keeping up.
Reflection here isn’t about guilt; it’s about recognising whether you’re still stretching yourself. Because when we stop learning, we start coasting.
Social and Cultural
How often did you connect—really connect—with others this year? In an age of hyper-connectivity, genuine community can feel elusive. Maybe you rekindled old friendships, joined a group, or travelled somewhere that reminded you how big (and small) the world is. Social and cultural wellbeing is about belonging, contribution, and perspective.
If your social circle has shrunk or your cultural curiosity has dimmed, 2026 might be the year to rediscover the joy of shared experience.
Physical and Health
Health is often the quiet foundation upon which everything else rests. Perhaps 2025 began with good intentions—gym memberships, step goals, or promises to “eat better.” The reality, for many, is that good habits ebb and flow. The question is not whether we were perfect, but whether we’ve listened to our bodies.
Did we rest when needed, move when able, and nourish ourselves as an act of care rather than correction? 2026 offers another chance to treat health not as a checkbox, but as an investment in every other part of life.
Spiritual and Ethical
This final segment often receives the least attention, yet it holds deep significance. It’s about purpose, meaning, and the quiet alignment between our actions and our values. Did 2025 bring moments of reflection, gratitude, or giving back? Did your decisions reflect who you truly want to be?
This is where integrity lives—not in grand gestures, but in the small daily choices that define our character.
Looking Ahead
As 2025 closes, take a moment—not just to plan, but to pause. The Wheel of Life isn’t about perfection; it’s about awareness. Maybe your wheel this year is uneven, a little off-centre. That’s okay. What matters is what you choose to do with that insight.
So as you step into 2026, ask yourself:
- What am I carrying forward with pride?
- What will I leave behind with gratitude?
- And most importantly—what needs to change?
Because change doesn’t happen in January—it happens in the quiet decisions we make every day.
Here’s to a year not just of intentions, but of alignment.
