Setting New Years Resolutions? Read This First.

Prioritize "the small stuff" in 2025

I recently taught a virtual goal-setting workshop. I’m not one of those LET’S MANIFEST!!!! goal-setting girlies. I used to be, though. Oh man, how I used to be that girl. In class, I shared how toxic positivity and manifesting abundance!!!!!! didn’t work for me because manifesting usually lacks an action plan. It’s like that episode of The Office when Michael Scott “declares bankruptcy.”

You can’t just say you’re going to do something; you have to break that big manifestation (or, declaration) down into bite-sized chunks before you can accomplish it. Staring at a collage of your idealized self on a vision board doesn’t work either. Trust me; I’ve tried.

Lots of folks are reflecting on 2024 while thinking of what they want in 2025. Perhaps you’re one of them. If you plan on setting resolutions or goals, I encourage you to set realistic, actionable, and controllable goals. Yes, dream big—absolutely dream big. Be audacious about what you want your life to be. But don’t just think about it or manifest it or vision board it. Do it.

• Want to write more? Take classes. Find a writing buddy. Read your genre.

• Visualizing the love of your life? Attend one social event per month so you can meet new people.

• Manifesting a financial windfall? Write a list of what you do best, then learn how to get paid for your unique skills.

Remember the Little Things

I often get so hyper-focused on accomplishing something that I forget to live my fucking life. I push aside “the little things” like doctor appointments and rest and going for walks, often until it’s too late.

Yes, learning to set tangible goals helped me get where I am today, but none of that would mean anything if I didn’t take care of my health or learn how to manage my home or sit still. Finding the right doctor and therapist, receiving my diagnoses, and taking my meds help me stay sober and healthy, which then helps me accomplish my goals.

When setting goals, remember to prioritize the not-so-little things, too:

• Stick to a budget.

• Get a therapist and a mental health diagnosis. It will change your life.

• Keep your fridge and cabinets stocked with foods you actually like to eat, not the foods your idealized self wants you to eat.

• Commit to an exercise program.

• Read books.

• Keep up with doctors’ appointments and medications.

• Put pleasure on your daily to-do list.

• Spend time with people who appreciate you.

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What are your 2025 goals? Comment below, and I’ll reply with a tangible next step you can take.

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XO,

Tawny