Hey, it’s Rafic.

Welcome back to Peak Performance Insider.

This was a big year.

Not in the “everything exploded overnight” way.
More in the “a lot of foundations quietly shifted under my feet” way.

I closed chapters.
I proposed.
I realized it wasn’t the right time to go all-in on the business.
I got multiple job offers without really trying.
I chose between growing my career and building my business.

I made a declaration to myself:

I need something that gives me stability and space to refine my craft.

So I started a new role.
I earned my ICF credential.
I got married.
I got a little closer to finding my audience.
I refined, measured, reflected, tested, pushed forward.

I led a hard team through stressful times.
I ran my first half marathon.
I restarted Muay Thai.

It was a lot.
And honestly?
I still feel like I’m just scratching the surface.

I’m sharing this because you might be in a similar season too — where a lot happened, but you’re still making sense of what it all adds up to.

This is what I love about reflection.
It’s not about giving yourself a score.
It’s about finally seeing the through-line in the chaos.

📌 Today’s Agenda

✅ Why reflection matters more than resolutions
✅ What worked this year (and how to spot it in your own life)
✅ What didn’t — and what it’s trying to teach you
✅ A simple 5-question year-end reflection you can do this week

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🔗 Best Links - My Favorite Finds

🧠 Personal Growth & Mindset
🔹 The 2 Telephone Protocol That Will 10x Your Focus and Transform Your Life | One loaded phone. One “Spartan” phone. Robin Sharma shares a simple but powerful way to protect your focus by separating distraction from deep work. Your environment is either working for you or against you.

👥 Leadership & Influence
🔹 Great Leaders Don’t Act Like Bosses | A practical look at the behaviors that separate true leaders from managers who just give orders. Helpful if you’ve been thinking about the kind of leader you want to be next year.

📈 Productivity & Habits
🔹 Start Your Day With a Brain Dump | A simple morning ritual: get everything out of your head and onto paper. It’s one of the easiest ways to clear mental clutter and start the day with focus.

💪 Health & Wellness
🔹 How Sauna Use Can Impact Brain Health and Longevity | Regular sauna use might do more than help you relax – it may also support brain health, longevity, and recovery. A great listen if you’re thinking about long-term health, not just short-term performance.

✍️  Deep Dive: The Year in Review

When I look back at my most exhausting, stretching, and meaningful moments this year, the real story isn’t just what I did.

It’s how I changed while I did it.

Proposing.
Switching paths.
Starting a new role.
Earning my ICF credential.
Getting married.
Leading a team under pressure.
Pushing my body through a half marathon and back into Muay Thai.

On paper, those are milestones.
In reality, they were mirrors.

Some showed me where I’m aligned.
Some showed me where I’m overextending.
Some showed me patterns I don’t want to repeat.

A few things that worked this year for me:

• Choosing stability while I keep building the business, instead of forcing “all or nothing.”

• Investing in my craft (ICF, coaching, writing) even when the results weren’t instant.

• Moving my body consistently — running, Muay Thai — as a way to reset my mind, not just “work out.”

And a few things that didn’t:

• Trying to do everything at a “10” all at once — coach, partner, leader, athlete, builder.

• Carrying invisible pressure to “make it all work” faster than was realistic.

• Overcomplicating the path forward instead of just taking the next simple step.

That’s why reflection matters.

Most people jump straight into:

“Next year I’ll be more disciplined / consistent / productive.”

But if you don’t slow down to understand what actually happened this year, you just repackage the same patterns with new goals.

Reflection isn’t about:
❌ Beating yourself up for what didn’t happen
❌ Pretending everything was great

It’s about:
✅ Seeing the truth with a bit more kindness
✅ Extracting lessons from the year you just lived
✅ Letting those lessons inform what comes next

Think of it as a debrief with yourself:

What worked?
What didn’t?
What needs to change in how you live, not just what you aim for?

🧭 Try This Week: 5 Questions to Close Your Year With Intention

You don’t need a retreat to reflect.
You just need 15–20 minutes, a pen, and some honesty.

If you can, do this somewhere quiet — no phone, no notifications. Just you and a notebook.

1️⃣ What worked?
What actually went well this year — big or small?

• Where did you show up for yourself?

• What habits, decisions, or relationships supported you?

2️⃣ What didn’t?
Where did things feel heavy, draining, or misaligned?

• What kept repeating that you don’t want to repeat again?

• What did you tolerate for too long?

3️⃣ How did you grow?
You’re not the same person you were in January.

• What strengths did you develop?

• What hard thing did you handle better than you would have a year ago?

4️⃣ What (or who) are you grateful for?
Be specific.

• Who showed up for you when you needed it?

• Which small moments kept you going?

5️⃣ What’s next?
If the truest version of you was leading next year…

• What would you keep?

• What would you stop?

• What would you start — even if it scares you a bit?

You don’t need perfect answers.
You just need to start telling yourself the truth on paper.

🎁 Gift of Coaching: 60% Off for Subscribers

If this reflection is bringing things up — patterns you don’t want to repeat, goals you still care about, changes you know you need to make — you don’t have to figure it all out alone.

As a thank-you for being part of this community, I’m opening a Gift of Coaching offer:

Newsletter subscribers get 60% off all coaching packages from now through December 15th.

This isn’t about fixing you.
It’s about creating a space where you can:

• Slow down and tell the truth

• Get clear on what you actually want next

• Design a plan that matches your real life, not an idealized version of it

This is the work I do with clients.

We slow down.
We get honest.
We build structure around the life you actually want — not the one you’re “supposed” to live.

Coaching isn’t about making you someone else.
It’s about helping you show up as more of who you already are — with clarity, systems, and support.

If you want 2026 to feel more intentional, grounded, and aligned — not just busier — I’d be honoured to support you.

📧 Reply to this email or write to [email protected] with “Gift of Coaching” in the subject line, and I’ll share all the details.

🎯 That's a Wrap

You don’t need to reinvent yourself next year.

You just need to listen to what this year has been trying to tell you — and respond with a bit more intention.

So this week, give yourself 20 minutes.
Answer the five questions.
Be honest, be kind, and don’t rush the process.

You’re not starting from zero.
You’re starting from everything you’ve become.

Next week, we’ll talk about why rest is a prerequisite for growth — especially if you’re already tired heading into the holidays.

If you feel like sharing, hit reply and tell me:

What’s one thing that worked for you this year — that you want more of next year?

See you next Monday,

— Rafic Osseiran

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