The Three Words That Shaped My 2025 and Guide 2026|Blog 106
- muktisantos
- Jan 10
- 6 min read
The three words that shaped my 2025 and guide 2026!
Introduction
There is something powerful about pausing before we rush into a new year.
Before choosing goals. Before setting intentions. Before deciding who we think we need to become next.
Looking back at 2025, I realised it was never shaped by big declarations or perfectly planned intentions. It was shaped quietly, through lived moments, unexpected turns, and lessons that only made sense in hindsight.
Three words followed me through the year. Not loudly. Not all at once. But consistently.
Travel.
Abundance.
Connection.
These words did not push me forward.
They invited me inward.
They asked me to slow down, listen to my body, repair relationships, and redefine what a full life actually looks like. And in doing so, they changed the way I move through my days.
As you read, I invite you to reflect on your own year.
Not from judgement.
Not from pressure.
But from curiosity.
Because before you choose your word for 2026, there is wisdom waiting in the year you are about to leave behind.
The Three Words That Quietly Shaped My 2025
Travel.
Abundance.
Connection.
At the start of 2025, I chose three words to guide me.
Not goals.
Not resolutions.
Just intentions.
At the time, they felt simple.
Almost too simple.
But now, standing at the edge of a new year, I can see that these three words did far more than guide me.
They softened me.
They slowed me.
They asked me to listen instead of push.
And most importantly, they changed how I see my life.
This post reflects on the three words that shaped my 2025 and how they continue to guide me.
Abundance Looks Different When You Stop Chasing It in 2025
I used to believe abundance meant accumulation.
More money.
More certainty.
More proof that I was doing life “right”.
2025 quietly dismantled that idea.
This year showed me that abundance can arrive through subtraction.
Less forcing.
Less overriding my body.
Less saying yes when something feels off.
There were moments that looked like endings on the surface.
A role I thought was the next step.
A version of success that made sense on paper.
But my body knew before my mind did.
This was not aligned.
Walking away was uncomfortable.
Humbling.
And deeply clarifying.
What replaced it surprised me.
Time.
Space.
Room to breathe.
And in that white space, something unexpected happened.
I felt richer.
Not financially.
Energetically.
Abundance showed up as rest.
As healing.
As permission to be instead of performing.
And that changed everything.
Connection Is Something You Practise
I used to think connection was something you either had or didn't.
With family.
With friends.
With yourself.
This year taught me otherwise.
Connection is built through presence.
Through honesty.
Through listening, it would be easier to deflect.
2025 asked me to speak more truthfully.
And to listen more deeply.
Some conversations felt vulnerable.
Moments where I realised I had been physically present but mentally elsewhere.
Even my children mirrored this back to me.
And that moment landed hard.
So, I slowed down.
I listened without fixing.
I apologised without defending.
And instead of creating distance, something softened.
Connection deepened.
I also strengthened the relationship that matters most.
The one with myself.
Learning that I do not need all the answers.
That one step is enough.
That softness is not weakness.
Connection, I've learned, is where healing happens.
It is where misunderstandings dissolve.
It is where we remember we are not meant to do life alone.
Travel Does Not Always Mean Leaving
I used to think travel meant distance.
Planes.
Suitcases.
Time away from responsibility.
2025 reframed that, too.
Travel became about returning.
Returning to myself.
Returning to what matters.
There were meaningful trips.
Time with family.
Moments by the beach.
Yoga Retreat.
Quiet reunions with where I come from.
But the most transformative travel happened much closer to home.
Once a month, I took myself on a date.
Into the city.
Into my body.
Into stillness.
A deep body reset with an alternative massage.
A familiar meal.
A journal or book.
A coffee.
Solo.
I didn't go far.
But my nervous system travelled
My body softened.
My mind unclenched.
Those days mattered just as much as any flight.
Because travel, at its core, reconnects us.
It reminds us that life does not need to be rushed to be meaningful.
That expansion can be quiet.
Looking Back at the Three Words That Shaped My 2025
As 2025 comes to a close, I find myself asking different questions.
Not "What did I achieve?"
But "What did I learn?"
Not "What did I produce?"
But "How did I feel?"
So, I want to ask you something too.
💭 When you look back on your 2025, what words quietly shaped it?
Not the ones you planned.
The ones you lived.
And then this question.
How Can I Use This Today?
Not next year.
Not when things calm down.
Today.
If abundance showed up as rest, where are you still pushing?
If connection asked for honesty, where are you still holding back?
If travel reminds you to return to yourself, where are you rushing past your own needs?
You don't need to overhaul your life to honour what this year taught you.
You just need one conscious moment.
One Small Thing You Can Do in the Next 24 Hours
Here it is. Simple. Slightly uncomfortable. Powerful.
📱 Set a five-minute timer.
No phone scrolling.
No fixing.
No planning.
Ask yourself two questions, then write down the answers.
What did 2025 teach me about myself?
What word do I want to live, not chase, in 2026?
That's it.
Not a vision board.
Not a full plan.
Just honesty.
Because the way you end one year is often how you begin the next.
And sometimes, choosing your word(s) is not about becoming someone new.
It is about finally listening to who you already are.
✨ What word(s) is calling you for 2026?
And more importantly…
How will you use it today?
Before 2025 began, I wrote Blog 81, in which I chose the words Travel, Abundance, and Connection to guide my 2025. At the time, they felt like gentle intentions. Looking back now, I can see how deeply they shaped the way I lived last year. If you'd like to read where it all started, you can find that original post here.
Conclusion
As last year gently closes, I am not rushing to define the next one.
I am letting 2025 speak first.
It taught me that abundance is not always visible.
That connection requires courage.
Travel does not always require distance.
Most of all, it reminded me that life is not meant to be lived at full speed all the time.
If this year stretched you, softened you, or changed you in unexpected ways, know this.
You are not behind.
You are integrating.
So, before you choose a word for 2026, sit with the year that shaped you.
Ask yourself what truly mattered.
What are you ready to carry forward?
And what you are finally willing to put down.
And then, gently, ask yourself the question that changes everything.
How can I use this today?
Not tomorrow.
Not when things feel more certain.
Today.
Because the smallest conscious choice, made now, has a way of opening doors you didn't even know you were standing in front of.
✨ What word will guide you into 2026?
And how will you live it, starting today?
Blog 107 goes live on 25 January 2026. Together, we'll pause, reflect, and gently choose the word or words that feel right for 2026. I'll be sharing my own words and what led me to them, so you're not doing this in isolation but alongside me.
And as I move into this next chapter, I'm starting my Movement from Love 90-day journey. A personal commitment to move my body from care, not pressure. From presence, not performance. If this idea speaks to you, you're welcome to follow along on Instagram. You might find pieces of yourself reflected there, too.
Sometimes the things that resonate most are the ones that arrive softly. If any part of this feels familiar, trust that nudge. It might be exactly where you need to be. 🤍
Live your Life on Purpose!
With much Love,
Mukti 💫
“Love your body. You only have one.” Unknown
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