Entering 2025 With a Shift in Perspective

I have always loved the new year- setting up my brand-new planner and determining my yearly resolutions has always been a favorite activity during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Until now.

I have a new mindset after talking with my wise and wonderful client, Linda, about it.

“Ugh- I don’t like the word resolution! It has such a negative connotation.”

Startled, I replied, “Well what about goals?”

“Nope. That’s not any better.”

As a retired therapist, she has an insightful alternative perspective.

“Instead of New Year’s resolutions, think of it as more of a transition. Set intentions for yourself. Be gentle.”

I admit, I’ve been faithfully setting my resolutions and goals every January 1st for as long as I can remember. I’d carefully write the (usually long) list in the back of my planner and then rarely look at it until the next new year rolled around. For the most part, these resolutions were not achieved so I’d end up just copying them into the new planner and so the pattern continued. This past October I read somewhere that it’s helpful to set goals (or intentions) for shorter periods of time- like quarterly instead of yearly. This way you are more likely to keep these intentions at the top of your mind and therefore achieve them. So I tried it for the 4th quarter of 2024. I made lists of personal and business goals (intentions). And I’m proud to report that I’ve actually been able to accomplish most of what I set out to do! By keeping both the timeframe and my list shorter I could really focus on each one and be sure I was taking small steps toward achieving them.

As I was listening to a recent business coaching podcast, the host was talking about New Year’s resolutions. Her idea is to work toward becoming your favorite version of yourself instead of the “best version.” Reminding us to have a growth mindset about the vision we have for ourselves and think of it as a work in progress. This seems like a gentler approach that aligns nicely with Linda’s intentions.

So as I enter 2025 I plan to combine these ideas and set intentions to work toward becoming my favorite version of myself. These intentions will be set quarterly, not for the whole year. I’m looking forward to making slow and steady progress and seeing this new favorite version of myself! Will you join me??