Every year for the last 3 years, I host a yearly Year-End Review and New Year Planning inside my writing community.
People always say they love how comprehensive, easy to follow, and impactful these sessions have been.
And that’s what I’m sharing today before the clock strikes 12 and we eat our noche buena.
I.I The Good (Highs)
I start this ritual on a high note by looking back at my Top 10 Highs in the year.
TRANSCEND is my Word of the Year for 2025, and it has truly helped me overcome the limitations that I’ve put upon myself and I feel like this version of me right now is one of my best ones so far.
WORK & PURPOSE
1. I’ve become a publisher
I’ve been so inspired by Alen Sultanic’s post about jumping levels in the game. I felt stuck last 2024 so for 2025, I vowed to myself that I would. And I did.
I launched my Substack, The Glimmer Code ✦ and SaaS Email Code on LinkedIn.
A few months later, my Substack was named as one of the 7 Top Newsletters to Follow for B2B Marketers in SouthEast Asia, alongside The Woke Salaryman!
Publishing my newsletter is one of the top reasons why I chose My Word of the Year to be Transcend. Getting a few subscribers to support my paid newsletter is a bonus.
2. Got invited to important industry events
My Lifecycle Marketer title on LinkedIn and my decision to just show up consistently and somehow limit my topics to emails have borne fruit.
I worked on the State of Onboarding 2025 with Mailmodo.
I helped with the launch concepts, the website copy and idea, and in promoting everything.
I hosted my first ever global workshop with Mailmodo and I got founders working on their onboarding emails using my ChatGPT prompts!
Towards the end of the year, I also became a Networking Leader for GURU Conference 2025. It’s just the world’s biggest email marketing conference and Nicole Kidman was the keynote speaker! So yes, it’s kind of a BIG deal for me. Even if I had to wake up at 2am – 3.30 am to do it. Worth it!
I’ve met lovely friends along the way!
3. Shown myself I can focus and stick to my main thingz
As a multipotentialite, it takes me a lot of willpower to really focus on one thing. Or stick to a thing long enough so it works. But I always keep finding proof to show myself that what I focus on grows.
This year, it was being in The Top 100 Filipinos on LinkedIn list…
And the Top1 on LinkedIn Categories I care about: SaaS, Creator Economy, and Content Marketing & Copywriting.
I’ve also consistently published here on Substack and LinkedIn. Proud to say I didn’t quit my newsletters in the first year. lol.
4. Broke into a new niche & new high-potential clients
I only add a few clients into my portfolio in the past 2 years as I feel like I already have enough work.
But this year, I got into eCommerce and have my first commission. Got a really high-potential SaaS where I get to be a legit Lifecycle Marketer and can even cross to Product/Growth sometimes. And guess what, CaaSocio have a new client in the B2B Creator space and I really feel it’s super aligned to what I wanted to do and how our agency can truly help.
FAMILY, FRIENDS, & COMMUNITIES
5. Family travels and hangouts
My small family and I went to Japan and a lot of mini travels within the country this year. And moving forward, we’re making it as our family mission to have these trips.
6. New friendships
I made new friends at my kid’s school. It’s mom, dad, and granny friends and we’re a fun bunch. We have coffee and eat outs together. I wanted ot do this so our kids have a sense of community and warmth as they grow up. Just like how my mom shaped my environment for me.
7. Subtle impact on people, still
I went to TribeX this year and I’ve seen freelancer friends and colleagues who would tell me how my content, ideas, and teachings have impacted them in an awesome way.
Though I didn’t release a course this year as I feel like I needed to revamp it to match my refined beliefs and values, I’m ecstatic to see people still getting insights from what I share in written words.
MONEY & STABILITY
7. Financial gains
Reviewing the graphs for the year, I’m beaming to see my Wave app graph climbing up as I didn’t see that coming. It’s the fruit of God’s favor, my assertiveness in charging as I see fit, and solving huge problems one after the other.
I worked on a client’s deliverability and I went back to email marketing. Embracing my expertise and my continuous upskilling has allowed me to confidently and comfortably say my price. And I plan to do more next year.
My husband also told me our investments got healthy (+)!
HEALTH & ENERGY
8. Wellness that is obvious
My friends who I haven’t met for a while told me how I look good and how I’ve seemed to maintain my body. And I guess all the work I’ve put into since November last year has paid off.
I also feel better and stronger in my body. I could walk 12k and still carry my kid up the stairs when we went to Japan. I’ve carried our luggage in the subway like it was nothing. My old self could never.
9. Studying the human body
This year, I took studying fitness and the human body seriously.
I read How to Fast Like a Girl, binge watch TikTok wellness videos, and I cross reference them with biohacking, German New Medicine, and The Bible.
Yes, The Bible is the bible.
There are so many teachings in there that modern science claim to establish, but really when you just study the bible and try to understand everything, it’s God’s wisdom after all. We’re all just discovering it. lol.
SPIRITUAL LIFE & ALIGNMENT
10. Conviction & stronger faith
This year, I felt this urge to really align everything I do to His Truth and His Ways. It was suddenly super important for me that I please Him even if I feel embarrassed to say it. I started working on my tithes, found myself explaining what I learn to my kid and my husband who are now initiating prayer time and church time.
All the new responsibilities I took in like being the Parent Representative for my kid’s grade is rooted in what I feel like God wants me to do and my “mission” here on earth.
I.II The Good (Habits)
Happy to report I’ve formed new habits this year:
I acted upon my faith
- Overcome a really tough problem within our family early this year, and that has been the catalyst that we needed — we had more travels, more love for each other, and more patience and more drive to dream bigger!
- Can talk about my faith intentionally
- Aligning my business with my newly deepened values (my ACVC is so full of self before)
- I take on new projects and responsibilities, depending on what I learn from the bible
- I took on new, hard projects because I started trusting that He will give me strength and wisdom to do them well (this is probably the gamechanger this year!)
Next level: Study the bible seriously and memorize my favorite verses. Align everything I do with his word.
Nerded out on fitness & wellness
- Posted a bikini pic on IG for the first time. Confidence skyrocketed. I looked better in my old clothes because I became leaner!
- Took my fasting a notch higher (can fast 12 hours with absolute ease)
- Started being mindful of what foods I consume and how I eat them (protein first, carbs last, etc)
- Started the curly hair method
- Lymphatic drainages, massages, and morning bounces
- Minimized my skin care and decided to focus more on food, sleep, and minimizing stress
- I enjoyed dressing up like I used to again. Thanks to our Japan trip!
- Our 2nd executive checkup was more detailed and I love the tests included in our plan, especially the breast ultrasound. My gallstone was gone, breast not lumpy anymore. Thanks to castor oil massages at night.
Next level: More internal and food intake choices and more home cooking. Make meal plans for balanced diet and really intentionally design my closet this year. More intensive workouts!
Make friends and be their village
- Had new friends at school and we started hanging out a lot and we look out for each others’ kids
- I said YES when my kid’s teacher ask me to be a parent representative. The job’s basically the same as my day job — communicate important things so stress levels stay low. lol
- I met up with friends I care about this year. Less meetups with freelancer friends, but continued to nurture my FB writing community
- I basically took home kids when their parents ask me too. lol JJ would be happy when I take his friends home because that means playtime. Our home continues to be a home for my kid’s classmates and the neighbor kids.
Next level: Take gift-giving and checking in seriously! Always been on my list. Start saving up for the game room because I plan to become THE COOL HOUSE with the COOL MOM so they’ll want to hang out in our house where they’re safe.
B2B Influencer, I guess?!
- My content friends say they love how I consistent i am with my newsletters and content (though I hardly feel it, but this is feedback)
- I can do long-form writing regularly. Thanks AI.
- I created ChatGPTs
- I sold paid newsletter but without effort. 🙁 But sold a few stuff on December and got decent sales.
- I cashed in on my ChatGPT idea and it made to the Buffer blog, turned it into a webinar, and wrote about it on Substack. I need fewer ideas to bank on, more distribution and PR.
Next level: I still feel scattered. Next, focus on 1 funnel and cash in hard on that.
II.I The Bad (Lows)
- I didn’t sell enough of my digital products or offers this year.
- I didn’t delegate enough.
- I didn’t leverage AI as much as I should’ve (automation workflows).
- My metabolic age is still +1 older than my real age despite the fitness focus and all the wellness routines!
- I still scroll mindlessly instead of sleeping earlier!
- I hold on to clothes/stuff even if I don’t like them just because they were gifts and in the process I do/wear things I really don’t feel that much.
- I didn’t reflect or journal as much I guess. It’s more about going out with friends and writing for clients or the public this year.
- I overtalk now. lol.
- I had basic funnels, but I still feel my focus for my personal project is still broken between local and foreign and I should focus on merging them both. Train the local to want my style now, and get the same or even higher value. Show the foreigners that I can give them value, just like how I started when I sold to local.
- Didn’t consume mini courses and certification I bought.
*At this point, I went to ChatGPT and fed her my highs and lows and let him give me my blindspots. Caution: I do my own self-reflection first. I talk to my husband and my mom about it and they’re my worse critic. Mom’s my best cheerleader and motivator. And also some good freelancer friends!
II.II Tearing down my lows and detecting the bad habits and patters (AI-assisted)
According to AI, my lows:
They don’t describe “many separate problems.”
They describe one core imbalance:
You spent the year outputting value outward while postponing the systems that protect and multiply you.
That’s it.
Everything on your list fits that sentence.
Not closing loops.
- Scrolling = not ending the day cleanly
- Keeping clothes = not ending a chapter cleanly
- Overtalking = not ending thoughts decisively
Your brain stayed “open” all year.
You didn’t give yourself enough protected space to collapse complexity into decisions.
So life stayed slightly noisy.
Money lagged.
Energy leaked.
Clarity felt partial.
III. The Needed Change
Looking at my lows and the goals that I want to achieve next, what are the changes that I should do?
Again, I asked AI’s help on this.
None of these need “fixing.”
They need containment.
- Fewer active goals
- Fewer open loops
- One dominant lane
- One public offer
- One private leverage layer
This is not about doing more next year.
It’s about ending things properly.
You want to stop carrying half-built things in your head, on your drive, in your nervous system.
You want:
- Things that ship
- Things that sell
- Things that end
That’s a mature desire.
All your lows converge on one issue:
Too many open loops, not enough finished arcs.
- Digital products half-sold
- Delegation half-started
- AI workflows half-implemented
- Markets half-separated
- Habits half-closed
You weren’t scattered.
You were mid-transition.
But transitions need a landing.
The One Shift That Fixes 80% of This
Not more discipline.
Not better habits.
Project finality as a design principle.
From now on, your question is not:
“Is this a good idea?”
It’s:
“Can this be finished, sold, and closed in a defined window?”
If not, it waits.
IV. The Strategy To Facilitate This Change
How This Changes Next Year (Quietly but Powerfully)
1. You cap active projects
At any given time:
- 1 primary offer
- 1 supporting system
- 1 learning stream (optional)
Everything else is parked.
This alone would’ve fixed:
- The product sales regret
- The AI leverage delay
- The broken market focus
2. You redefine success as “shipped + monetized”
Not:
- polished
- expanded
- perfected
Just:
- live
- priced
- sold at least once
That’s closure.
3. You let go of guilt-based keeping
This applies to:
- Clothes
- Ideas
- Commitments
- Old pricing
If it doesn’t fit now, it doesn’t stay.
Gifts served their purpose when given.
Ideas served their purpose when they taught you.
You’re allowed to move on.
4. Your body will follow your decisions
When loops close:
- Sleep improves
- Scrolling reduces
- Talking slows
- Energy integrates
The metabolic age thing?
That resolves when your system isn’t perpetually open.
The real win you’re setting up
You’re not trying to “be more productive.”
You’re designing a year where:
effort turns into assets
thinking turns into income
movement turns into landing
That’s the year you’re ready for.
Now, this is where I break down my goals and action steps privately into Yearly Goals, Quarterly Projects, Monthly Focus, Weekly Grind, and Daily To-Dos.
V. The Word of The Year
The Word of The Year is a single guiding principle that shapes how you make decisions, set goals, and respond to challenges throughout the year.
You practice it.
And when the year gets messy, you return to it and ask:
“What would it look like to live this word right now?”
For me this year, since I felt like I pushed a lot in 2025, but didn’t really harvest enough, I wanted to go back to my 2023 word REAP, but given my values now, it does feel like more like flesh and less like Jesus.
So I chose a word that still reminds me to pick the eternal life over the earthly life and that’s when the word “STEWARD” pulled me in.
Why STEWARD fits (and why it feels different from “discipline” or “focus”)
A steward is not a hustler.
Not a maximalist.
Not a caretaker who forgets themselves.
A steward:
- manages limited resources
- protects value
- decides what gets access
- thinks in seasons, not bursts
- is accountable for outcomes, not just effort
That’s exactly the role you’ve been growing into.
Let’s test STEWARD against your actual lows
Not theoretically. Practically.
1. “I didn’t sell enough of my digital products.”
Steward lens:
You were generating value, but not closing the loop.
A steward doesn’t just create.
They bring things to completion and assign ownership to them.
What was missing wasn’t ambition.
It was finalization authority.
STEWARD grounds this as:
“I finish, ship, and steward my ideas into assets.”
2. “I didn’t delegate or leverage AI enough.”
Steward lens:
This wasn’t laziness or fear.
You were still acting like the worker, not the manager of the system.
A steward asks:
- What must only I do?
- What must never require my attention again?
- What deserves automation because it’s stable?
STEWARD shifts you from:
“I’ll handle it”
to
“This should not depend on me.”
3. Health, sleep, scrolling, metabolic age
Steward lens:
This is the clearest signal.
A steward treats the body as infrastructure, not an afterthought.
Scrolling late isn’t a willpower issue.
It’s a sign you didn’t close the day cleanly.
STEWARD reframes this as:
“I end things properly so my system can rest.”
4. Holding onto clothes, gifts, old stuff
This one is very STEWARD-coded.
A steward:
- releases what no longer fits the mission
- honors past value without hoarding it
- understands that keeping everything is not respect — it’s noise
This wasn’t sentimentality.
It was unfinished endings.
STEWARD gives you permission to say:
“Thank you. You’re complete.”
5. Broken focus between local and foreign markets
This is not confusion.
This is pre-steward behavior: serving too many masters.
A steward doesn’t ask:
“Who needs me?”
They ask:
“What system am I responsible for right now?”
STEWARD grounds you into:
- one integrated voice
- one standard of value
- one bar — applied everywhere
6. Overtalking, less journaling, more external output
This is subtle but important.
You were broadcasting more than consolidating.
A steward pauses to:
- assess
- record
- integrate
- decide
STEWARD requires:
private synthesis before public expression
Not silence.
Just sequencing.
The deeper truth
You didn’t fail at STEWARD this year.
You were practicing it without the language.
That’s why things felt close-but-not-closed.
What STEWARD actually asks of you next (very specific)
Not “do more.”
Not “be stricter.”
STEWARD asks for three commitments:
1. Fewer things, fully carried
If it’s yours, you finish it.
If you can’t finish it, you don’t pick it up yet.
2. Protected attention
Your time is not for whoever arrives loudest.
It’s for what compounds.
3. Clean endings
Days end.
Projects end.
Clothes leave.
Ideas ship or rest.
Nothing lingers indefinitely.
So, does STEWARD ground the changes you needed?
Yes — because the changes you needed were not about speed.
They were about ownership.
STEWARD is the role that says:
“I am responsible for the value in my care — including myself.”
That’s not a productivity word.
That’s a life posture.
The word STEWARD, it makes me want to simplify, protect, decide, and close loops rather than push, prove, or perform.
And that’s how I know I’ve found the right word.
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