Making 2025 Your Best Year Yet
Making 2025 Your Best Year Yet: From “Should Do” to “Must Do” with Peak Energy and Growth
As we prepare to close the chapter on 2024, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and reset. While many people start the new year with traditional resolutions, research shows that most fail within weeks. This is because they lack clarity, emotional connection, and a focus on the right foundation: energy, mindset, and physiology.
Instead of rigid goals, let’s focus on growth, nurturing a “must-do” mindset, prioritizing peak energy, and aligning your daily habits with a vision for a meaningful life. Together, these shifts can set the stage for making 2025 your best year yet.
Reflecting on 2024: Lessons Learned
Before we jump into new goals and aspirations, let’s take a moment to pause, breathe, and reflect. This is your chance to honor your journey—acknowledging both the highs and the lows that shaped your year. Reflection isn’t just about looking back; it’s about learning, growing, and setting a solid foundation for the year to come.
Here are some key areas to guide your reflection:
Celebrate Your Wins:
What Brought you joy or a sense of accomplishment? What moments are you most proud of?
Learn from Challenges:
Where did you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unfulfilled
Identify Patterns:
Were there recurring obstacles or habits holding you back?
Reflection isn’t about judgment—it’s about clarity and self-compassion. By understanding the lessons of 2024, you can move into 2025 with intention and confidence.
The Power of “Must Do” vs. “Should Do”
Most people use the words “I should” or “I hope” or something similar when making their resolutions for the next year.
- “I should exercise more.”
- “I want to eat healthier.”
- “I hope to spend more time with my family.”
But “should”, “want”, and “hope” lack commitment. They have weak intentions.
When something becomes a “must”, it becomes non-negotiable.
- “I must prioritize my health because it’s the foundation of everything I do.”
- “I must create time for my family because these moments are irreplaceable.”
- “I must take control of my finances because my future depends on it.”
The Must-Do Mindset in Action:
- Write down three non-negotiable musts for 2025.
- Be crystal clear on why they matter.
- Set deadlines, Identify resources and support you need, and create an actionable plan you can follow.
- Commit to revisiting your musts weekly to stay aligned.
When something is a must, you’ll find a way. When it’s just a should, you’ll find an excuse.
Peak Energy: The Foundation for Everything
One of the biggest obstacles to achieving meaningful change isn’t time—it’s energy. When your energy is low, even simple tasks feel overwhelming. When your energy is high, you can tackle challenges with clarity and confidence.
What Does Peak Energy Look Like?
- Physical Energy: Nourishing your body with good sleep, movement, and nutrition.
- Mental Energy: Reducing mental clutter, limiting distractions, and focusing on one task at a time.
- Emotional Energy: Practicing gratitude, surrounding yourself with positive people, and managing stress effectively.
Daily Energy-Boosting Habits:
- Move Daily: Even 10 minutes of exercise releases endorphins and boosts energy.
- Fuel Properly: Eat nourishing foods that sustain energy instead of spikes and crashes.
- Hydrate: Dehydration drains your focus and energy.
- Rest Well: Prioritize quality sleep and regular breaks.
- Breathe Deeply: Intentional breathing reduces stress and restores clarity.
When you protect and optimize your energy, you create the capacity to participate fully in every area of your life.
Your Physiology Shapes Your State
Your physiology—how you hold your body, breathe, and move—directly impacts your emotional and mental state.
Quick Physiology Resets:
- Posture Check: Stand or sit tall with your shoulders back and head up.
- Power Poses: Hold a confident pose for 2 minutes to reduce stress hormones. (check out this Harvard Study)
- Deep Breathing: Try box breathing (inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4) to calm your nervous system.
- Move More: Physical activity, even small stretches or a quick walk, can reset your state in minutes.
When your body feels energized and balanced, your mind follows suit.
Define Your Growth Path for 2025
Instead of chasing arbitrary goals, focus on becoming the kind of person who lives intentionally and fully.
Life-Defining Moments:
- Identify experiences that would make 2025 unforgettable.
- Examples: Traveling somewhere meaningful, completing a marathon, volunteering for a cause, or having deep conversations with loved ones.
Build Keystone Habits:
- Small habits have a domino effect on your life.
- Examples: Journaling for 5 minutes each morning, laying out your clothes the night before, starting your day with a glass of water, or dedicating 10 minutes to quiet reflection.
Step Outside Your Comfort Zone:
- Growth lives just beyond your comfort zone. You don’t have to be afraid to step outside of it.
- Try something bold every three months: a cooking class, a new hobby, or renting an RV for a road trip.
Why Traditional Resolutions Fail
Resolutions often fail because they lack a meaningful purpose, clear direction, or realistic steps. Without these elements, even the best intentions can lead to frustration. By adopting a purposeful mindset, aligning your efforts with your energy, and building sustainable habits, you can create lasting change. Here’s how to approach resolutions differently.
- No Emotional Connection: Goals without a “why” rarely stick.
- Lack of Clarity: Vague goals lack direction.
- Unrealistic Expectations: Too-big changes all at once often lead to burnout.
When you shift to a must-do mindset, prioritize peak energy, and optimize your physiology, you build habits and systems that set you up for success.
Make 2025 About Growth, Not Goals
Rather than chasing external achievements, center your year on meaningful growth. Embrace principles that prioritize your well-being: identify your non-negotiables, protect your energy, and harness your physiology to support your mindset. By focusing on progress and daily improvement, you can make 2025 a year of true transformation.
- Start with Your Musts: Define your non-negotiables.
- Protect Your Energy: Treat your energy like a valuable resource.
- Master Your Physiology: Use your body to influence your state of mind.
- Pursue Growth: Make every day about becoming a little better, not just ticking boxes.
- Celebrate Progress: Recognize every step forward, no matter how small.
Final Thought: Design a Life You Love
2025 isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about becoming more you. When you prioritize growth, protect your energy, and commit to your musts, you’ll create a life you’re proud of—one day, one habit, one decision at a time.
This year, make every day count.