Hello and welcome, Reader!

This is the last Letter of Change I’m sending you this year.

Christmas is close. The year is slowing down.
And before the noise of “new beginnings” takes over, I’d like to pause here with you, quietly, and ask a different question:

What if this year didn’t need to be fixed, improved, or redeemed?

An Anti–New Year’s Resolution Letter

Every December, we’re gently (and sometimes not so gently) encouraged to make resolutions.
To promise ourselves a better version.
To decide, in advance, who we will be on January 1.

But here’s the honest truth most of us already know:

Almost all resolutions are abandoned...Not because we’re weak, lazy, or undisciplined,
but because we are human.

We live inside changing circumstances.
We carry visible and invisible responsibilities.
We respond to losses, surprises, limitations, seasons of fatigue, seasons of joy.

We are not robots executing a plan.
We are living beings, adapting in real time.

So this is your permission slip — if you need one 😉 —
to not make New Year’s resolutions this year.

Phew!

What Matters More Than Resolutions?

What matters more is presence.

Noticing what is, instead of constantly chasing what should be.
Acknowledging what you’ve lived through, even if it wasn’t the year you imagined.
Letting yourself be honest about what worked, what didn’t, and what quietly carried you anyway.

Gratitude doesn’t mean pretending everything was easy or beautiful.​
It means recognizing what was there — support, lessons, strength, love, effort; in imperfect forms, they count too.

You are allowed to:​
• learn from your failures,
• celebrate small and large wins equally,
• rest without earning it,
• begin again without a dramatic reset.

Growth doesn’t require a declaration.
It happens step by step.
Week by week.
Day by day.

A Gentle Closing of the Cycle 💫

If this year taught you anything, maybe it was this:

• You survived things you never planned for.
• You adapted more than you ever thought possible.
• Sometimes bravely, sometimes quietly, but always moving forward.

That is already enough.

Before rushing into the next chapter, allow yourself to sit here for a moment.
To breathe.
To feel gratitude. For a perfect year, or for a real one.

A Small Christmas Prompt 🤍

As the year closes, ask yourself gently:

There’s no right answer.
Only your own truth.

A Big Thank You 💖🙏

This is the 30th Letter of Change.
And I want to say thank you: for reading, for subscribing, for reflecting with me, for being part of this quiet conversation throughout the year.

Your presence here matters more than you know.

The next Letter will arrive on January 7, as we stand between endings and beginnings.

With gratitude, warmth, and Christmas wishes,

Elena

A Quiet Companion for the New Year 🌲

📒 If you’d like something gentle to walk with you into the next year or to gift to someone you love, my new guided journal A Year of Gentle Transformation is now available.

It’s not a planner.
Not a goal-setting system.
But a companion for reflection, presence, and slow, seasonal growth.

Available as:

or

No rush. No pressure.
Just an invitation.

💌 Not subscribed yet?

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