2025: The Year of Audacious Pursuits
* My word of the year *
The new year energy abounds over here, which is both exciting and refreshing! My Type-A energy alongside a goal-oriented personality with the love of a new pen and a fresh notebook, thrives in the excitement of a new year. Whether it’s January 1, July 1, back-to-school season, or a new month, I am ready to step into what the days ahead will bring!
I enjoyed recapping the year that was 2024. It was a big year professionally with the change in jobs, and of course personally to be back close to our immediate families, but I’m excited for 2025 to be a little bit more personal and well-rounded.
A word of the year hasn’t ever really stood out to me as the way to go with my new year aspirations and mindset. I’m not against it, I’ve just never found the right word that encompassed all the goals and progress I wanted to make.
I did, however, parlay into word-of-the-year territory in 2020. I was coming off another year of burning the candle at both ends. Being super involved at work and working through a busy holiday season in my Etsy shop (I used to sell custom wood-burned ornaments), I ended 2019 exhausted and overwhelmed, so I decided that 2020 was going to be my year of “no.” No signing up for extra projects at work, no committing to other small business ideas, truly allowing myself to sit in the slowness and the boredom of not doing much. Little did I know that December, that the world would choose “no” as everyone’s word of the year as we entered the pandemic.
All of this to say, I’ve tried a word of the year once before, while it worked out as I’d hoped, it wasn’t because of my own efforts and commitment, so I’m ready to give it a try in 2025 with: AUDACIOUS.
Merriam-Webster gives us four definitions, but I’m choosing to focus on these two:
intrepidly daring — an audacious mountain climber
marked by originality and verve — audacious experiments
All of the goal gurus out there say you need to make SMART efforts to really attract and attain what you’re working toward. While words and intentions are great for inspiration and getting into the right headspace, I knew I needed to take that word up a notch by setting five “goals” or focus areas for how that will work in my year.
Audacious Professional
I often joke with friends and colleagues about “where do people get the audacity,” and this year, I’m bringing it. I’m not going to be afraid to request a LinkedIn connection, to ask for the meeting, to pursue conversations with folks who I believe will be beneficial to the work that I’m doing, to take a class in skills that I want to enhance. I’m tired of being ruled by a patriarchal fear that my email is too girly or has too many exclamation points, that I misunderstood something in a meeting when I have the notes to prove it, or that someone’s going to think less of the work that I’m putting in. I know what I bring to the table, I know my intentions and I know that I try hard every day to be the best colleague and worker I can be. So, here’s to not letting fear control me, and instead step firmly and *audaciously* into the professional I know I am.
Audacious Outfits
Not many people know this, but I love fashion. I love getting dressed in the morning, I love shopping, I love looking at Instagram and Pinterest for colorful and fun outfit inspiration. Towards the tail end of fall last year, I did a minimalism challenge surrounding my closet. I cut back my jackets, my pants, my tops and my shoes to 30-something total and planned my outfits for two months around them. In truth, it was supposed to be three months, but I gave up early because I found no joy in picking out my clothes or deciding what to wear. While it did take the question out of “what will I wear today,” it also took any excitement about getting dressed and going to work. So, this year, I’ve decided to de-influence that behavior and focus on making and wearing outfits that bring me joy. My job requires me to wear jackets, trousers, and blouses, but I can make it fun with interesting prints, bright colors, and silhouettes I wouldn’t normally pursue. Every month, I’m challenging myself to try different things, go along with an outfit challenge from social media, or make something up myself to use more of my pieces that I love so much and to wear them in interesting ways.
Audacious Spending
I am very excited to be entering 2025 debt-free. That was a big goal for my husband and I last year, and to finally be on the other side of student loans, mortgages and more is a relief. Because I know we won’t be debt-free for much longer, as we look ahead to purchasing a house, I want to use this time to really be thoughtful about spending, saving, and getting paid money. This looks like thinking more economical about where and how I’m spending my money — we don’t have Amazon Prime and I’ve enjoyed shopping thrift stores in the past few years — as well as the types of items I’m buying and for what purpose. Is the frozen coffee from Dunkin really to wake me up, or because I need something to push me out of a slump? Do I really need a new coat, or can I mend this one that I love so much? Do we need to be on the beach for the vacation, or can we be a couple rows back to save some money? These seem like silly questions and things to consider (especially when considering the privilege of being able to go on vacation anyways), but all is fair when trying to think critically about spending when you have some truly audacious purchases coming in the next few years.
Audacious Hobbies
I LOVE a hobby. If I could make a living just by pursuing my hobbies, I would. From sewing, reading, knitting, walking on the treadmill, woodburning, wanting to try kayaking, writing, dancing, baking, traveling, I would spend my whole day pursuing any of these number of things. One of my biggest problems that I’d like to face this year is how much time I spend on my phone. I really enjoy Instagram and reading Substack newsletters because of the inspiration they provide, but man can it be a time-suck when I could be doing literally anything else. My goal this year is to cut down my time on my phone (and honestly watching television), and put that toward more writing, knitting a vest, finally sewing a suit that’s been on my to-do list the past year, and more. I want 2025 to be the year where I choose to pursue the things that give me joy, but also provide an end product. Scrolling through my phone has no end-product other than wasted time, so I want to be very conscious and audacious in using my time more wisely.
Audacious Movement
Working in an office, living in a small house, traveling for work … it all leads to a sedentary lifestyle. If I’m working from home (especially in the winter), I barely break past 3,000 steps in a day. I feel my best when I’m taking active measure to walk every day. Whether it be on the treadmill at home, a long walk in the sunshine with my dog, or just stomping around my hotel room while watching Real Housewives. I’ve tried convincing myself that I need be doing specific workout regimens or to try my Zumba DVDs again, but I get the most joy and fulfillment from walking — so that’s what I’m focusing on. Making a really pointed effort to walk regularly via lunchtime walks around campus, nighttime walks on the treadmill while reading, walking around a town in between meetings, or taking time at dinner to walk around a mall to get a few more steps in. I don’t want to be obsessive about it, but I know that I feel my best when I’m getting up and moving around. As I enter my mid-thirties, I want to prioritize the things that will provide lasting benefits for my health.
Maybe it seems silly that I’m writing 1,500 words on how a single statement is going to impact my year ahead, but I’m excited to see what this new approach will bring to my mental health, my viewpoint on my career, and just overall my approach to life. I look forward to bringing you along, if you’re up to it and I’d love to hear from you if you’ve chosen a word-of-the-year, or if you have highlighted some goals or resolutions to pursue. As always, I’m cheering you on!
All my best,
Skylar