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This year I used my own Your Year to Shine workbook to reflect on where I am in life, what I need more and less of, and what my goals will be for the year. How cool is that?! I also used the intention page of the workbook to brainstorm and come up with my word for the year. It was gratifying and exciting to use a tool I created.

I have so much to think and write about for a new year. This year I’m going to try breaking this giant new year goals post into two: one post about the year overview and my word for the year, and then a post about my goals.

 

What’s ahead in 2025

To feel like I can wrap my arms around a year, I look at the big things happening in the coming year, in the same way I name big things in my monthly goals posts.

First, I look at my “the years are short spreadsheet” and marvel at the ages the kids will be, and look at any notes I already captured about the upcoming year. Starting in April, the kids will be 12, 5, and 10 for the year (wow!). I’m 41 and Chris is 47, turning 48 in September.

On April 1 we’ll celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary. In May, the kids will finish 6th grade, 4th grade, and preschool 4s. In May we’ll finish paying for preschool/childcare after nearly 12 years! The new school year will start in late July and the kids will be in 7th grade (junior high!!), 5th grade, and kindergarten (!!).

I always like to look at the trips we have planned and consider the travel we want to do alongside other happenings this year. In February, Erica and I will go on our annual Girl Next Door podcast retreat in the mountains. In March my family will repeat our HomeExchange trip from last year and go to San Juan Capistrano again. Chris will attend a conference in San Francisco at the end of the March. Sometime this spring Chris will go on his annual trip with guy friends, location TBD.  My book club goes to Sedona in August for our annual retreat.

We don’t have any fall travel planned but a trip I’d like to consider is to visit my aunts who live in Atlanta and Knoxville. I’d also like to explore taking a fall Girl Next Door podcast retreat with Erica. Sometime this year I’d like to a take a solo trip to Austin to spend time with my sister, niece + nephew, and parents.

Those are the big flags planted in our 2025 year so far. It feels like there’s more space than in 2024, when we had three big road trips planned, and I really like that feeling. Plus, I have a couple of big goals this year that, along with all that parenting and work already demands of me, feels like enough.

 

My word for the year

My word for 2025 is POWER. It’s bolder than any of my previous intentions (choose, connect, flourish, magic, calm + delight, nourish, abundance, and shine) and I am loving it.

I was brainstorming what my intention should be and was percolating general thoughts like protecting my time better (feeling less frayed) while still giving a lot to thing things I am passionate about (my family, close friendships, work projects). I’ve also been thinking about this phrase “stronger and softer,” in regards to approaching the world. I want to be strong in the face of hard things and not turn away. But I also want to be soft towards all the hardship in the world and the hard things people are enduring.

So I kept thinking about those things round and round. And then one day in the shower – where great epiphanies happen – the word “POWER” popped into my head. It’s so much stronger than other words I’ve chosen. But as I thought more about it I saw how it applies to many aspects of my life and the intentions I want to live this year. I love it!

 

Here’s how I’m thinking about POWER in 2025:

+ I have the power to protect my peace and my time. I can decide how to spend my time and what I do with it. I can decide what content to consume. I have the power to say no to commitments that would take away from time with my family and from my work and recharge time.

+ I have the power to succeed at the new things I try. Like teaching a college course for the first time, writing a book proposal, and starting a Girl Scout troop (preview of a couple of my goals!).

+ I have the power to make a difference. Even if small, my actions can have an impact on someone else, my community, and my world.

 

Those are the broad strokes for my year ahead. I’ll be back later this week sharing my goals for the year!

 

I’d love to know, what big things do you have coming up this year? And if you set an intention for the year, what is it for 2025?