It’s been a while since I have publicly created a list of New Year’s Goals. Honestly, even now, I feel a little fear and trepidation putting this out here for others to see.

I also feel a little fear because in 2020 when I went to elaborate lengths to create a vision board, three months later, every single idea on that poster became obsolete with the shutting down of the world due to a global pandemic. In 2021, after setting out a complex list of thematic goals, my dad died six weeks later turning my whole world upside down for more than the better part of that year.

Which is to say, we all know that in his heart, a man plans his ways, but it is the Lord who establishes his steps. I acknowledge that all of these hopes, dreams, goals, and plans for 2025 could be sidelined in an instant. However, I don’t want to cower to fears, irrational or otherwise, so I am going forward with putting some anchors into my year in this way.

2024 was a huge year of transition and 2025, while stable in a geographic sense, is a year of continued smaller transitions as we inch closer to the open door/empty nest phase, a year that I’ll need to lean on disciplines, and a year where Ryan will likely spend more than 100 days away from home participating in Army training. No better time to invest myself in learning about life.

I have been a Gretchen Rubin fan for over a decade and have been a serial completer of her annual New Year’s goal setting community project. This year, there are 25 goals for the year 2025. Additionally, I have practiced choosing a theme or “one little word” for the year, sometimes breaking it down even further into monthly thematic words.

It’s kind of a fun way to keep your heart and mind in sync and to be on the lookout for how the word shows up in your life over the course of the next 365 days.

Image Credit: Instagram @case.kenny

Without much more over-thinking it and over-explanation, my word for the year is LEARN and below are the 24* goals I have set out for myself to practice being a learner in 2025.

*One shy of 25 because we always leave a little white space to add one more as we live the year.

These are highly personal and may not make sense to other people, but I have spent considerable time thinking about these goals, the inputs and outputs, and how I hope to keep myself accountable. The little bullet points below are more actionable breakdowns for my own benefit.

In no particular order, here we go:

There you have it. If you have a word for 2025 or any crazy, fun, or big goals you’d like to share, comment below. I’d love to cheer you on.