Setting Myself Up For A Successful 2025

With a new year on the horizon I want to make sure 2025 is as good as I can make it.  Since retiring in 2022 each year has been amazing.  Each year seems to get better and better.  I want 2025 to be another great year as well so I’m going to do whatever I can to set myself up and begin the year on the right foot once again.  I’m going into 2025 with a plan.  I’m a planner.  I love to think ahead, do some research, set up goals, make lists (I absolutely LOVE to make lists!), come up with some ideas, really have something to work toward and look forward too.

 

In years past I always had BIG plans – 1 year goals, 5 year goals, 10 year goals and beyond.  I don’t do that so much anymore.  My goals are much shorter and simpler.  I don’t need to have long term goals anymore at this stage of my life.

 

I Want To Be Healthy 

This year I’m really going to focus on my overall health and wellbeing.  I’ve made great strides in improving my health since my heart attacks and hospitalization in 2021.  Retiring the following year from an extremely stressful occupation was the best thing I could’ve done to improve my situation.  I’ve been able to get stronger and actually heal my heart, which initially I was told wasn’t likely to happen, but it did.  It took a while, but I did it!  I want to make sure it stays that way.

In the past three years I’ve made tremendous progress with my emotional well being too.  I’ve done a lot of work to understand myself and how I’m hardwired.  I’ve done the therapy and the exercises to figure out how to cope with stress, my anxiety issues, how to better communicate with others and understand them better.  I’ve even managed to learn ways to better work with my super powers.  I feel like an entirely brand new person – inside and out.

 

I Love Myself 

This may sound strange, but for the first time in my entire life I actually love myself.  I even think I’m pretty.  I no longer look in the mirror and think – ugh.  I earned each wrinkle and gray hair.  Scars and stretch marks are my badges of honor.  My body isn’t perfect.  It was never meant to be. 

I give myself grace.  I forgive myself for everything I ever think I did wrong and I no longer dwell on it or beat myself up about it.  I recognize and accept that I have done some really good work and dare I say, I’m even proud of myself for everything I have accomplished so far.  My self confidence (which I admit was shaken to the core when I had my heart attacks because I felt so vulnerable) is through the roof.  I've got my confidence back!

 

Budgets & Finances 

I don’t consider having to live within a budget or on a low income as a negative and I never really have.  I’ve always considered it a challenge to live extremely well with whatever I had to work with at the time and I still do.  This next year will be no different.  I’ve lived this way my entire life, so why not?  If it isn’t broken, why fix it?  I love challenging myself to get the most bang for my buck and share that knowledge and those accomplishments with others.  That is why I’ve been a blogger for so many years and why I bestow these things upon my friends and loved ones.  I want everyone to have the best quality of life possible regardless of their circumstances.

 

NO Bad Days 

In 2023 I decided to challenge myself to have NO bad days and I made it through the entire year with no bad days.  Last year I challenged myself again and guess what?  Success once again!  This year, same challenge.  If I can do it, anyone can.  So I challenge you to do the same.  It is life-changing, to say the least, when you decide that no day will be a bad one.  I might have a bad moment, but the whole day is never lost.  NO BAD DAYS!  Best decision ever!

 

I’m sure 2025 is going to be filled with challenges.  Things are going to happen and we can't predict the future.  But, in my heart and in my gut I feel it is going to be another really great year.  Don’t you think so?  Let’s make it happen.