Making the Most of 2025

ins and outs, goals, intentions, core values, and using substack as a journal

Jan 07, 2025

Happy New Year, everyone!

There’s something undeniably magical about January. As someone who adores the feeling of a fresh start (yes, even Mondays), January feels like that sense of renewal multiplied by ten. Sure, time is a construct, and you don’t have to begin anew just because the calendar or people online say so, but there’s something thrilling about the idea of rebranding yourself, setting goals, and preparing for a fulfilling year.

I just returned from four days in the Dolomites, and it was the perfect way to ease into 2025. After seeing snow for the first time in five years, spending hours in saunas, and being surrounded by loved ones, I feel refreshed and ready to get into “auto-mode” with a year of intense studying ahead.

me freezing my a** off in the most breathtaking snowy landscape

I missed this Sunday’s post because I tried to stay away from social media, but I’m making up for it by writing a little post, straight from my journal, about how I prepared for the new year.

Reviewing 2024

I didn’t do a dedicated post about 2024, because trying to fit everything into a single newsletter wouldn’t do the year justice. It was filled with highs and lows, as any year tends to be. There were moments that became some of my favorite memories, and I finally started to find a deeper sense of self, but there were also many hardships along the way.

In January 2024, I experienced a violent bout of vertigo that lasted on and off for about two months, triggered by stress and anxiety. It was a really tough time, and I felt hopeless, which is rare for me. I couldn’t do anything; just lying in bed felt like the most I could manage. It’s wild to look back on that now, a year later, and realize it feels like a blip in the grand scheme of things.

But there were a lot of good moments too! I got my communications degree, traveled internationally twice (once with my mom and once with one of my best friends), and started this newsletter, to name a few. Many things went right, and I believe a big part of that was the self-reflection and planning I’ve been doing. I don’t love looking back, but doing it really helps me be grateful, and realize how many things are minuscule in comparison to how gigantic they felt at the time.

Core values > Resolutions

When I was younger, my New Year’s ritual was all about inspiration boards and lists of goals, and it still is to some extent. But back then, I was trying to “rebrand” myself by manifesting things like having a better wardrobe, going on an incredible vacation, or achieving my dream body. It’s still cool to want those things, but now, as cheesy as it sounds, my focus has shifted to finding peace, figuring out what I love and hate, and all that. As I’ve moved through my twenties, I’ve realized it’s not about “what” I want to be, but who I want to be.

For the past three years, I’ve focused on values instead, and this has truly changed the game. Here’s your homework: take a moment to reflect and identify five core values that you want to embody in 2025. If you’re not sure where to start, you can find lists of values online! Feel free to browse anywhere, and really think about it.

Here are mine for 2025:

Balance: Finding harmony in all areas of life (studying, movement, relationships, and more). Allowing myself to enjoy pleasures while also staying committed to my responsibilities.
Self-reliance: I want to trust myself more and believe in my ability to go where I want to go in life. I want to listen to my intuition, stop relying on others for validation, and make my own decisions.
Adaptability: It’s important for me to stay open to all possibilities this year. I’ve been headstrong my whole life, sometimes even too proud, and I don’t always allow myself to change my mind and be flexible.
Community: Nurturing the connections in my life that often fade into the background when I’m feeling down. I want to invest time in making my loved ones feel truly supported.
Playfulness: I can be pretty serious for someone in her early twenties, and this year, I want to have more fun! I want to embrace creativity, find joy in the little things, and make everything a little more playful.

I’d love to hear the values you choose for yourself this year, if you do. Feel free to share! What matters most is that they resonate with who you are and who you want to become.

Ins and Outs

The fun part! Here’s the list from my phone.

Intentions + Goals

N.B. Intentions and goals may seem similar, but they serve different purposes! Goals are specific, concrete, measurable outcomes. Intensions are more about mindset, approach, and principles.

INTENTIONS

Don’t rush tomorrow. Stop wishing for days to come sooner.
Less doom scrolling, more intentionality. This goes without saying, but it’s the hardest one.
Write actionable to-do lists. Stop writing long to-do lists that I won’t complete or avoid. Focus on priority tasks and get them done.
Speak my mind more. I tend to keep my mouth shut to avoid upsetting anyone, and I’ve learned it really doesn’t get me anywhere.
Switch up routines. Remember that I can do anything, and I literally have free will.
Appreciate my strengths. I’m so sick of belittling myself for no reason whatsoever, so we’re changing it up this year (you should, too).
Work on my avoidant attachment style. This is something I should’ve kept to myself, but oh well.

GOALS

Maintain a high average at University (obviously)
Read 50 books (5 more than my usual, because there are so many books, and so little time)
Get to 2000 subscribers on Substack (dreaming big, but why not?)
Run 10km (I love running, but I always drop it after a couple months, so I’ll work on being consistent)
Get a job, or an internship (send out my resume to as many people as possible, set up a good LinkedIn, all the boring stuff)
Journaling min. 5 times a week

I’ll figure out more as the year goes on, I’m sure.

Before I go, I want to remind you that it’s totally okay to change nothing with the new year or not know what your goals are! You don’t need to feel lesser than others just because you don’t want to make huge improvements in the new year. As much as it’s good to set goals for yourself, you don’t need to overdo it. Everyone is on a different path, and everyone needs different things to feel good. Nevertheless, I hope 2025 brings a lot of opportunities, surprises, and abundance your way.

This Sunday’s post is for paid subscribers, and as always, you get to choose what we’ll talk about.

My favorite pop culture moments from 2024 – A fun, light-hearted recap post with all the news and moments that altered my brain chemistry in the past year.
The ultimate guide to journaling – I’ll be doing this sooner or later—a long post with tips on what you need, what to write about, prompts, and more.
A deep dive into the portrayal of unlikeable women in media (film, books) – Exploring why it’s so popular, why it’s one of my favorite genres, and giving you some tailored recommendations.

To read the next newsletter, you can either claim your free post if you haven’t yet, or become a paid subscriber for just 5$ a month and get full access to the publication. I sometimes give away paid subscriptions for free in the chat, so you might want to look out for that.

Feel free to let me know if you think there should be any tweaks, if you have other ideas, if you’re passionate about me doing one of these, or anything else.

I love you, and I’ll see you next time! x