Decisions by Design | Edition 21

A Case For Completion. 

EDITION | 21

So many of my conversations this month sound similar.

People are eager to take stock.
Look back over the year.
Quietly asking themselves whether they did enough.
Whether they followed through.
Whether they measured up.

Most of us were taught to reflect on the year through the lens of our resolutions.

What we said we would do.
What we didn’t.
Where we fell short.

The truth is, the modern-day notion of New Year’s resolutions has, to some extent, migrated from its original intention. 

In the process, we’ve learned to evaluate ourselves against a rigid plan, rather than recognize how we actually responded to the year that unfolded.

New Year’s Resolutions | A Brief History.

• c. 2000 BCE | Ancient Babylon
  New Year rituals took place during a spring festival called Akitu. People made promises to the gods to repay debts and return borrowed items. Focused acts of completion and restoration.
• 46 BCE | Ancient Rome
  When Julius Caesar reformed the calendar and established January 1 as the start of the year, the month was named after Janus, the god of thresholds. Janus is depicted with two faces, one looking to the past and one looking to the future. Romans marked the new year by taking stock of past decisions and consciously choosing how to cross into what came next.
• Medieval Period | Early Christianity
  The new year became a time for confession and repentance. Reflection remained, but the focus shifted toward self-scrutiny and moral judgment.
• 18th–20th Centuries | Modern Era
  With the rise of individualism and productivity culture, resolutions evolved into personal self-improvement goals. Lose weight. Work harder. Fix whatever feels broken.

New Year rituals were never originally meant to predict the future.

They were meant to acknowledge what had passed.
Examine what was unfinished.
Restore right relationship.
Clear the way forward.

In other words, they were meant to focus on completion.

Why Completion Matters.

Completion is not just satisfying. It is stabilizing.

From a neurological and psychological perspective, unfinished tasks keep the brain in a state of low-grade activation. Research shows that when something is incomplete, the mind continues to track it in the background, creating mental tension and consuming cognitive bandwidth.

When something is completed, the brain receives a clear signal. Dopamine is released, reinforcing motivation and follow-through. Just as importantly, the task is released from working memory. The nervous system no longer needs to monitor it.

Completion tells the system: this has been responded to. Nothing more is required.

Taking a Pause to Acknowledge Completion.

So often, we don’t take this pause before turning our attention to something new. And yet, this liminal space is rich with information.

It holds insight about what the year asked of you, and how you met it.

So, I encourage each of you to contemplate this season of thresholds:

• Celebrate each completion as evidence of how you responded to what showed up.
• Pause long enough to let the wisdom of the experience integrate.
• Appreciate yourself and the people who made it possible.

Then reflect on what remains unfinished, and what you are ready to let go of to make space for in the new year.

Until next time,
With clarity and care,
Courtney