2025 Reflections: Were You “Good” This Year? Or Just Positively Delusional?
I’m not talking about surface-level positivity—the kind that slaps a smiley emoji on everything and calls it a day. No, this is about confronting whether your optimism has been a genuine fuel for growth or if it’s veered into something more insidious: toxic positivity. You know, that mindset where you chant “good vibes only” so loudly that it drowns out the alarm bells of your own shortcomings. As we reflect on the past 12 months and gear up for the next, it’s crucial to draw the line between healthy hope and delusional denial. Because no amount of positive thinking can rewrite the story your decisions have already penned.
The Trap of Toxic Positivity: A Year-End Wake-Up Call
Think back on your year. Did you hit those gym goals you set last January? Or did you tell yourself, “It’s okay, I’m beautiful just as I am,” while skipping workouts and ignoring the creeping dissatisfaction with your energy levels? Positivity is powerful—it can motivate us through tough times and help us see the silver lining. But when it becomes a shield against accountability, it turns toxic.
Here’s the hard truth: Reality doesn’t bend to your affirmations. If you’ve neglected your body, no mantra will make you truly happy with how you feel in your skin. The same goes for your career—if you coasted through meetings without pushing your limits, that promotion isn’t manifesting just because you “visualized” it. Relationships? If you’ve been short-tempered or unreliable with loved ones, plastering “love wins” over the cracks won’t fix the fractures. Finances spiraling because of impulse buys? Positive vibes won’t balance your bank account. And those personal standards you lowered to “go with the flow”? Cutting corners might feel easy in the moment, but it erodes your self-respect over time.
I call this the “positivity paradox.” We live in an era of endless self-help gurus preaching that happiness is just a mindset shift away. But as 2025 dawns, let’s call bullshit on that. True fulfillment isn’t born from ignoring problems; it’s forged in the fire of action. If your year-end review reveals a gap between your positive outlook and your actual results, it’s not a failure—it’s an opportunity. But only if you’re willing to face it head-on.
Signs You (and I) Fell into the Toxic Positivity Pit in 2025
Grab your phone or a notebook. No sugarcoating. Ask yourself these questions about the year that’s about to end:
- Health & Energy Did you actually fuel and move your body like someone who wants to shoot all day without crashing, or did you tell yourself “I’ll do it later when I feel better” while living on coffee and excuses?
- Photography & Creative Output Did you shoot, edit, post, and ship work consistently—or did you hoard terabytes of unedited RAW files while telling yourself “I’m waiting for inspiration”. Did you finally print that series, launch that project, or did Instagram likes become your only feedback loop?
- Skill Development Did you invest real hours into mastering light, color, composition, business, storytelling—or did you buy another lens/course/preset pack and call it “progress”?
- Career & Ambitions (Photography or Otherwise) Did you raise your standards, build a portfolio that actually excites you, and treat this like the craft and business it is—or did you stay comfortable, undercharge, and blame “the algorithm”?
- Relationships & Network Did you show up for your peers, collaborate, mentor, get mentored, meet for coffee, give honest feedback—or did you ghost, lurk, and complain that “no one supports real art anymore”?
- Finances Did you track income/expenses, raise prices when your value increased, and treat photography like a profession—or did you keep telling yourself “money will come when the work is perfect”?
- Personal Integrity & Standards Did you keep the promises you made to yourself (shoot personal work every month, post every week, hit send on that scary email), or did you quietly lower the bar and pretend it didn’t matter?
If more than two of these hit hard, congratulations—you spent parts of 2025 high on toxic positivity.
Stepping into 2025: From Positive Intent to Purposeful Action
So, were you “good” this year? If not, that’s okay—2025 is in the rearview. The real question is: What will you do differently in 2026? True happiness and fulfillment aren’t passive; they’re the rewards of deliberate effort. Commit to the actions that align your life with your pride. Set goals that scare you a little, track progress honestly, and surround yourself with people who challenge your excuses, not enable them.
Quit listening to the voices—external or internal—that peddle effortless bliss. That includes the endless scroll of curated perfection on social media. Instead, embrace a balanced optimism: one that inspires but doesn’t blind. As we toast to the new year in a few weeks, let’s make it one of radical responsibility. Face your realities, take the reins, and build a life worth celebrating—not just posting about.
So… Was I a Good Boy in 2025?
No. Not even close. Creatively, I left way too much on the table. But I will rant about that in another blog post.