My Five Themes for 2025

Whether you do resolutions, goals, plans, or none of those, you may find these ideas inspiring as we head into a new year

Photo by Sharosh Rajasekher on Unsplash

As years go, 2024 was a lot. A contentious presidential election, wars, hurricanes, shootings. Remember when there was an attempted assassination of the Republican presidential candidate, the Democratic candidate dropped out of the race, and then there was another assassination attempt? That all happened within the space of the summer and was only six months ago.

And 2025 promises to be another wild ride. We are only 9 days into it and we’ve already had a truck attack in New Orleans, wild fires in LA and we are discussing whether or not the U.S. might try to take Greenland by force. I think it’s fair to say we are in for a lot of crazy news cycles.

So I’ve spent some time these past few weeks thinking about what kind of energy I want to bring to 2025. How can I keep my nervous system calm, stay focused on the things that are important to me, and be a force for good in the world?

I came up with five things I’m going to actively try to do in 2025. These aren’t resolutions. They aren’t even a plan. They are themes. Ideas that, if I can keep them front of mind, at least some of the time, should help me stay grounded through the year.

1. Ask for help. My coach once asked me if I was “helpable.” I nearly snorted with laughter. Is there anything more difficult than letting people help you? Helping is far easier than being helped. But, and here comes the irony, it often takes being helped for us to be most helpful. So I’m going to find ways to be helpable this year.

2. Put positivity into the universe. Social media algos reward negativity. I’m going to try to counter that as much as I can. I’ll try to refrain from being negative on the internet. But more than that I’m going to be active in saying “thank you” more often, giving compliments, and sharing good news. I’ll be focused on putting uplifting and inspiring energy into the world.

3. Be generous. Not just with money or even time, but also in my heart and mind. I’m going to try and give the benefit of the doubt, assume positive intent, and focus on the good in everyone I encounter. Fostering a spirit of generosity always helps me feel happier and calmer.

4. Let go. We have no control over what is going to happen. Any control we think we have – by working hard, eating healthy, making “good” decisions – is just an illusion. This year I want to actively remind myself not to confuse what I do with specific outcomes – either for me and my family or for the world.

5. Build community. I recently heard a pundit on MSNBC say “Never worry alone” and that seemed like such good advice for this year. More importantly, being in community with other people – both in real life and virtually – fosters positivity and generosity. Focusing on building community is about creating a virtuous cycle that brings all these themes together.

Do you do themes, resolutions, a life plan or something else? Share with me in a comment, below.