Live to Thrive in 2025 – Part 1

The Blueprint for My Best Year Yet

Before we begin, there are a couple of things you need to know about me:

1. I am a hopeless, insufferable, incurable romantic – always have been and always will be.
2. The glass is refillable.  I don’t think it ever matters whether it is half empty or half full, the point is, you can – and do – refill it.  You refill it every day, up to now, you may just not have realized it.
3. There is always something to be grateful for.- Always, even – no, especially – when you don’t see it.
4. There is hope for everyone and no situation is completely hopeless.  Sometimes you just have to make some seriously difficult decisions and take aligned actions outside of your comfort zone.
5. And last but by far not least, if you stick around for long enough, I will brainwash you into believing in yourself.  That is perhaps both my best and my worst quality, because frankly, not everyone is ready to believe in themselves.

These are the mottos I live by, and while I may be shaken at times, I always come back to these.

Now, on to the business of twenty-twenty-thrive also known as 2025 by the general populous.  Since you’re reading this, however, my guess is that you’re not counted among the sheep.  Instead, you choose to walk among those who make their own rules, choose their own path, and those who can not be tied down.

You are counted as one of my kind. .

Welcome, let’s dive in, shall we?

The new year, as a new dawn, always fills me with hope and anticipation.  It doesn’t matter how tired I am, or how much the year has taken out of me, the thought of a new year approaching, fills me with a sense of glee.  It usually starts around mid-November,  An exhilarating sense of possibility rises up from the pit of my stomach and floods my being. 

Few things give me more joy than picking out a new diary, sitting down, and plotting out the year to come. There is something magical about the empty pages.  I’m old school in a lot of ways, so the idea of a digital planner has never appealed to me.  I want to see, touch, and smell the paper – fresh, unblemished, perfectly printed, waiting for me to fill.

As I page through the pages of my old diary however, I always look for the lessons it brought, the theme I assigned to each year a guiding light, shaping my perspective and growth:

20-Plenty (2020) was a year of abundance amid a storm, reminding me to recognize the blessings in my life despite the chaos of the pandemic. It taught me gratitude and resilience in uncertain times.

20-20-Won (2021) was my declaration of victory. Every challenge became an opportunity to rise above, to win over self-doubt, and to embrace the victories—both big and small.

20-20-You (2022) was all about me. It was the year I prioritized myself unapologetically, digging deep to reconnect with my essence and values.

20-20-Free (2023) brought liberation in unexpected ways. It was the year of letting go—of burdens, fears, and anything that no longer served me. Freedom became my mantra, and it gave me wings.

20-20-More (2024)—and boy, did this year deliver! More growth, more challenges, more blessings, and so much more than I ever imagined. While I am grateful for the abundance, I also learned the value of saying, “No more, please.” This year taught me the importance of boundaries and the power of living with intention.

Now, as I prepare for Twenty Twenty Thrive, I’m stepping into this new year with clarity and purpose. It’s not just about surviving or even striving—it’s about thriving in every area of life. With the lessons of the past as my foundation, I’m ready to focus on the five pillars of a thriving life: spiritual, mental, physical, financial, and interpersonal.

2025 is my year to not just live but to flourish, and I’m embracing it wholeheartedly.