DECEMBER 2025 Newsletter - OUTLOOK: The Key to Looking Out is Looking In

“It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.” - Betty White

How would you describe your outlook on life? Hopeful? Cautious? Fluid? Static? Taking the time to understand our outlooks can help us better understand how we react to the various people, situations, and challenges we face in our lives. Our outlooks can have powerful impacts on the decisions we make. Do we take advantage of an opportunity that comes our way or do we let it pass? How much do we believe in our own inner strengths and our abilities to find support?

Cambridge Dictionary defines OUTLOOK as "a person's way of understanding and thinking about something." When we have a hopeful outlook, we are able to feel motivated to learn and improve. When we are open-minded, we feel capable of turning possibilities into realities. While simply changing our outlooks will not erase all of the barriers we face in life, it can help guide us to certain actions and energize us to persevere and obtain the support we need.

3 TOOLS TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY OUTLOOK

Have a hope-centered mindset.Hope reminds us of our inner strengths and ability to enact change. As the world shifts around us, our hope can also wax and wane, but remember that hope is not a finite resource. We can always find hope in ourselves and in our surrounding environments and communities.
Cultivate inner peace. Our days can be filled with chaos and it is easy to feel as if we have no control over our own lives. However, by taking the time, even if it's only five minutes, to find our inner calm, we can feel more prepared to tackle the challenges we face.
Embrace possibility thinking. By engaging with possibilities, we can allow ourselves to recognize what we want to happen in our lives. Once we recognize what we want, we can then understand the steps we have to take to make those wishes come true.

Check out the complete December 2025 Newsletter focused on Outlook here.

OutlookKristi HornerDecember 24, 2025Inner Calm, Inner Peace, Opportunity, Possibility, Hope, Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice: A Time for Caregivers to Pause, Reflect, and Begin Again

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.” — Rumi

For unpaid family caregivers, the winter solstice often feels less like a calendar event and more like a mirror. It is the longest night of the year—a season that echoes the exhaustion, isolation, and emotional weight that caregiving can bring. Rather than asking us to push through or “stay positive,” the solstice offers something caregivers rarely receive: permission to pause (especially at this hectic time of year). It invites us to acknowledge the darkness honestly, without judgment, and to honor all we have done to simply keep showing up.

OutlookKristi HornerDecember 23, 2025Winter Solstice

DECEMBER 2024 Newsletter: We Can Determine Our Outlook

"Those who see the cosmic perspective as a depressing outlook, they really need to reassess how they think about the world. Because when I look up in the universe, I know I'm small but I'm also big. I'm big because I'm connected to the universe, and the universe is connected to me." ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

How do you feel when you look up at the night sky? Do you feel small and unimportant? Or do you feel big and connected? As seen here, our outlooks not only affect how we view the situations, people, and places around us, but also how we view ourselves.

Cambridge Dictionary defines OUTLOOK as "a person's way of understanding and thinking about something." On its own, an "outlook" is not inherently positive, negative, or neutral. Rather, we shape our outlooks based on our backgrounds and experiences and on the information and people around us.

By recognizing how we determine and adjust our outlooks, we can influence how we take on the challenges and obstacles that will inevitably come our way. This past month, we explored how we can find HOPE and INNER CALM in difficult times, embrace POSSIBILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES, and FACE THE DARKNESS OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE. Now, as we enter the new year, we will continue shaping our outlooks in a way that allows us to grow and learn.

3 TOOLS TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY OUTLOOK

Have a hope-centered mindset. Hope reminds us of our inner strengths and ability to enact change. As the world shifts around us, our hope can also wax and wane, but remember that hope is not a finite resource. We can always find hope in ourselves and in our surrounding environments and communities.
Cultivate inner peace. Our days can be filled with chaos and it is easy to feel as if we have no control over our own lives. However, by taking the time, even if it's only five minutes, to find our inner calm, we can feel more prepared to tackle the challenges we face.
Embrace possibility thinking. By engaging with possibilities, we can allow ourselves to recognize what we want to happen in our lives. Once we recognize what we want, we can then understand the steps we have to take to make those wishes come true.

Check out our entire December newsletter focused on Outlook here.

OutlookKristi HornerJanuary 2, 2025Hope, Inner Calm, Opportunity, Possibility, Winter Solstice

The Light Within Shines through the Darkest Night

“Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle

Congratulations! If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you have survived the longest, darkest night of the year (Saturday, December 21) – the Winter Solstice!

For many people, winter can be a long, dark, and difficult time of year. For some, darkness symbolizes the unknown or fear. Yet, it intersects with a time of year – the Holidays – that the world tells us should be filled with peace, love, and joy. How do we face darkness in our own lives when the rest of the world seems to be shining brightly?

What if, instead of searching for light outside ourselves, we look for the light that exists within – our strengths and hope?

OutlookKristi HornerDecember 26, 2024Winter Solstice, Dark vs Light