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

A Calm Center Is the Foundation of Courage

“Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” — Unknown

In an increasingly uncertain and turbulent world, cultivating inner calm has become essential for staying grounded and connected to what truly matters. Experts across psychology, spirituality, and personal growth emphasize that inner calm begins with turning inward—allowing ourselves to gently acknowledge our fears, vulnerabilities, and emotional divides. As Tara Brach explains, when we courageously make space for our own difficult feelings with kindness and presence, we strengthen our ability to extend compassion to others. This inner tenderness becomes the foundation for greater peace, intention, and connection, helping us navigate anxiety, conflict, and the weight of the world with clarity and resilience.

OutlookKristi HornerDecember 11, 2025Inner Calm, Inner Peace

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

Stay Calm, and Stay in Control

“Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.” – Pema Chödrön

So much of what we talk about at Courage to Caregivers revolves around control – recognizing what we can and can’t control, and having the courage to act on those things we can control to empower our self-growth. With all the chaos that typically surrounds a caregiver’s life, it may seem that we don’t have much control over our ability to find inner peace or inner calm. But as the quote above states, inner peace is indeed under our control.

Inner calm is a choice we make when we decide to regain control of our emotions and limit the stress we feel from external forces. We know that we can’t always control external events or how others behave, but we can control our own reactions to them. By choosing not to let outside influences dictate our emotions, we empower ourselves to maintain our balance and serenity, or peace and calm, even in the most challenging situations.

OutlookKristi HornerDecember 12, 2024Inner Calm, Inner Peace

DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER: Looking Inward to Look Outward

“The person who looks outward dreams, the person who looks inward awakens.” ~ Carl Jung

We often think of our OUTLOOK on life as looking outward or looking at our prospects for the future. What if instead we started by looking WITHIN ourselves? With mindfulness, YOU can cultivate the outlook YOU desire.

Throughout December we looked at the theme of outlook through the lens of 1) having a hope-centered mindset; 2) cultivating inner peace; and 3) embracing possibility thinking.

Your outlook is connected to your resilience. You CAN grow your hope and develop a more positive outlook - you can CHOOSE the mindset you're going to use. Having a growth mindset reminds us that anything is possible ... and that's filled with SO many possibilities!

Your outlook is likely ever-changing or evolving. If you've always wondered if you are an optimist, pessimist, realist or opportunist, here's a link to a fun (quick) quiz that might give you some insight into your outlook!

Check out our entire December newsletter focused on OUTLOOK here!

Kristi HornerDecember 28, 2023Outlook, Opportunity, Possibility, Inner Calm, Inner Peace, Hope

March Newsletter: Mindfulness to Cope With Stress

Mindfulness has many benefits! It's been found to support you in regulating emotions, managing stress and leading to greater overall health and well-being. Our theme of MINDFULNESS in March fits under the composure domain of resilience. Composure - in regards to resilience - is about learning to regulate our emotions. It's also about the "little things" - being mindful in the moment. Sounds easy, right? It's HARD!

Check out our March Newsletter focused on MINDFULNESS here.

The Opposite of Stress

We talk a lot about stress here – more specifically, coping with and managing stress – but this week’s topic is about the opposite of stress. Inner peace is a deliberative state of psychological or spiritual calm that we can feel despite the potential presence of stressors. Inner calm is being free from the emotions that can disrupt our peace and is a result of recognizing what we can and can’t control.

MindfulnessKristi HornerMarch 24, 2022Inner Peace, Inner Calm

Disruptive Calm

For caregivers, there are some days when we long for just a few moments of peace. Everyone needs us right now, everything feels like a crisis (or actually is a crisis), and life seems to be spinning out of control and into chaos.

MindfulnessKristi HornerMarch 25, 2021Inner Calm, Self-Care, Inner Peace, Serenity, Mindfulness