MAHONEY’S MOMENTS

December 2025: The Best of 2025

It’s that time of year when various groups and critics start compiling their “best list” for 2025. Best books from The NY Times, best sport plays from ESPN, best movies, best albums, etc. A friend told me about his grandfather, a small business owner who in addition to balancing his financial books, would add entries to his “idea ledger” at the end of the calendar year. His ledger might include a piece of advice from a competitor, a management technique he tried that failed, or a written piece he read that inspired him. In this way, he would add to his collection of wisdom.

It’s in this spirit that I offer my four “best” from the 2025: a quotation, study, idea, and advice. They come from reading, listening to speakers, conversations with people, etc. I’m going to start doing this more intentionally in the future by creating my own ledger. But you need to start somewhere. I offer these as a beginning and encourage you to disagree, add yours, or create one that would have made the list had I read it. Here goes:

BEST QUOTATION

This is a hard category to choose one because I love quotations that inspire, make me laugh, or think critically. Already, I’m violating my own idea because I’ll offer three.

First up is a quotation offered by psychologist Arthur Brooks: “Your life is the most important management task you will ever undertake.”

Or consider Tom Brady, the GOAT of NFL football who said: “The truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined, and willing to work for it.”

And in a runner up position, a family therapist offered this musing: “If it weren’t for families, I wouldn’t have a job.”

BEST RESEARCH STUDY

These studies come from a variety of sources but during the year I look for pieces that I think offer evidence to points I’m trying to make in speaking or writing. I also try to include those that have suitable “n” size, have academic rigor, or sometimes are just interesting noting the limitations of generalizing these ideas. My winner here is a decidedly non-scientific social experiment conducted by a newspaper in Toronto. Fill 20 wallets with $43.77 each, a photo ID, baby pictures, an ATM card, a love note, etc. and then distribute these lost wallets all over the city. How many will be returned? The answer: 15. Then the experiment was conducted using 17,000 wallets across 40 countries according to researcher Jamil Zaki. Rates were as high as 80% in some countries. Lots of theories about why but maybe we are all better than most people think we are.

BEST IDEA

This could have been in the research column, but OSU researcher and writer Angus Fletcher offers in his newest book, “Primal Intelligence” four ideas that artificial intelligence can’t replicate or take away from humans. I suggest this idea and book at a time when AI is creating havoc and uncertainty in our lives. No one really knows what is coming next. Fletcher argues that from his research four pillars complement AI and are the anti-logic of intelligence. He suggests that these four intelligences allow our brainpower to be smart in ways that AI never will and make us superior. What are they? Intuition. Imagination. Emotion. Common sense.

BEST ADVICE

How could I not include Mel Robbin’s book and podcast read and heard throughout the world as the best advice in 2025? Her title says it all: LET THEM. Her advice is simple. We are all hard-wired for control but in truth the only person you are in control of is you. Stop stressing over people for whom you have no control over. They drain us of our most important resource—our energy. Free yourself from managing these folks. Her second piece of advice is LET ME. Let me is you taking responsibility for what you do next. Hoping others will change keeps us trapped. Your power is choosing what to do.

That’s it. I could include more categories, but I wanted to stop writing before you stop reading. As you reflect on 2025, what did you learn this year to carry forward? Most importantly, have a great 2026! Jim