Will you thrive in ‘25?

Happy New Year, all. Well, we made it. We got through it. ’24 is in the books. So how do you feel? You survived, right?

I know just surviving may have been the main thing on your mind for most of 2024. Too many of our years are just that. Survival.

For the most part, I made it. I survived. But is that enough for the year ahead? Will I spend another year trying to keep my head above water? I think there are much greater things ahead for me than survival.

What about you? How much of the last year(s) have you spent in survival mode? More importantly, what will it take for you to thrive in ’25? What even does it mean to thrive, anyway?

You’re in luck. I checked the MW:

1. to grow vigorously : flourish 

2. to gain in wealth or possessions : prosper  

3. to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.

How long has it been since you experienced vigorous growth and flourished? My guess is, if it has been awhile, then something is holding you back. Maybe something to stop, maybe something to start. 

That’s a question worth asking yourself.

I like the sound of definition #2 above. But that may or may not happen, and chances are it’ll have little to do with my overall well-being.

I want you to focus on definition #3: 

-to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.

Now that’s something we can sink our teeth into—progress. To thrive we need to see and experience progress. But how do we do that in 2025?

I’m afraid most of us spend a lot of time worrying and complaining about our circumstances. It’s consuming. Actually, it’s debilitating. If there’s one thing for sure, I can’t change my present or past circumstances. Not right now, anyway. 

I can, however, change my view of them. I can also change my expectations and next steps. So can you. Question is, will we? 

The good news is we can make progress despite our present circumstances. That’s not done by pretending, ignoring or covering up things, nor by simply having mind over matter. 

It’s by having mind in the matter. Taking a hard look at where we are and how we got here. Then doing something about it.

Another piece of good news in that definition of thriving is we can make progress because of our circumstances. 

We can learn from them. Your mistakes can either be failures, relapses or complete screw ups—or they can be data points. Experiences that make us smarter, simply because we had them. Then learned from them.

They can serve to move us toward something different, something better, and a place preferred. Retrospect ought to be a useful tool.

So what will you tackle or turn loose of in order to thrive in ’25? True progress in any area typically comes through trying and coming up short, falling and getting back up. 

These things you can do, and so I’m asking, “Will you thrive in ’25?”

Tim

PS—Often the key to trying new things or putting down old ones, is simply a matter of encouragement. Someone to help you stay on track with new ideas and solutions. Asking for help can be hard, but it’s crucial.  

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