The lessons I have learned in 2025.
Every culture celebrates the End of the Year in different ways. Brazilians party on the beach (bikini optional!), and in Denmark, people smash plates against their neighbor’s doors to wish them good luck for the year ahead. In Greece, people hang onions outside their homes to promote growth throughout the new year.
The End of the Year is a good time to reflect on the things that went well, the opportunities we missed, and the things we didn’t cross off our bucket lists. We can take a moment to assess whether we are satisfied with our relationships, our internal state of mind, and our professional endeavors.
Spending time on self-reflection gives us a break from the many goals and achievements we chase throughout the year. We cannot find clarity and gain wisdom unless we pause and reflect on our experiences.
Every year, we create beautiful memories and new opportunities to explore and grow, but it also brings forth hardships that challenge our resilience and threaten our sanity.
If I had a dollar for every wrong decision and turn I made, I would be blissfully relaxing in my hammock in Fiji, summoning up my creativity by sipping on a tropical cocktail. 😊🍹
Here are the lessons I have learned in 2025, sometimes the hard way, because the universe doesn’t provide you with a manual on how to navigate life.
Don’t make assumptions.
One of my assumptions was that nobody would be interested in my blog. I didn’t believe that my passion and wisdom would inspire anyone. My biggest wish was to embolden readers to embark on their own journey of self-discovery, but self-doubts crept in.
Luckily, I have wonderful friends who debunked my assumptions, encouraging me to keep writing.
Making assumptions can damage relationships, cause missed opportunities, and hamper your potential.
Making assumptions is fueled by our insecurities, unrealistic expectations, and self-doubts.
One of the most self-sabotaging things we can do is to assume what people think about us or what we can achieve.
If there is one assumption I want you to make is that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to be!
Don’t measure yourself by other people’s criteria.
Most of us have standards on how things should play out in our personal, professional, and romantic lives. It’s okay to have standards that align with our values, but the danger lies in measuring ourselves against other people’s standards. When we try to mold ourselves to others' criteria, we lose touch with our authenticity. If you are not good enough for someone, walk away, unless you want to keep bending to the point of losing yourself. The only person you need to compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday!
I’m the most intriguing character in my own story.
I used to be heartbroken when people lost interest in me. It would chip at my self-worth. When I discovered that I’m the most intriguing character in my book of life, I invested more time in myself rather than figuring out why I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. Please don’t waste your time on people who don’t value your friendship and never show up when you need them the most.
The beauty of being the main character in your own story is that you can pivot into a new direction anytime, reinvent yourself, and create the life you imagine.
Taking the wrong turn will widen your horizon.
We are so worried about making the wrong choices that we become paralyzed by the decision-making process. I get bad anxiety when I must make an important decision; it can take me hours, sometimes days, to decide. I overanalyze and ruminate on it until I’m mentally exhausted. Why are we so afraid to take the wrong turn? Possibly, because we are worried about a negative outcome or living with regret. What we don’t realize is that every turn, even one that’s not favorable, is a chance to learn, grow, and gain clarity. Taking the wrong turn can sometimes be the best thing that can happen to you! Around every corner, there is something new to discover.
Does manifesting really work?
I have a graveyard of books in my house; books that I have never finished reading or that are buried underneath other books waiting to be discovered years later. Among those books are manifesting books. Once upon a time, due to life testing my resilience, I became obsessed with the concept of manifesting.
It sounded so simple: follow the instructions religiously, and your dreams will manifest into reality.
As you can imagine, none of my dreams came true.
I realized that manifesting is more about your state of mind, how much effort you put into it, and how patient you are. If you don’t believe you are worthy of what you desire, you will not put the effort into moving in the right direction. You will start self-sabotaging before you even get close to what you want. Be patient with the process; if it’s meant to be, it will happen!
Don’t chase happiness.
Happiness is not something we can chase, create through positive thinking, or attain through accomplishments and material possessions.
Happiness is a byproduct of how we view the world, how we deal with challenges, and whether we blame external circumstances or hold ourselves accountable for the things that go wrong.
Desire is a double-edged sword.
Why do we feel so guilty expressing our desires?
We lock them up like a beast that needs to be contained.
Desires are not inherently evil or selfish; they reflect your inner spirit, the essence of what you need to feel fulfilled and live authentically.
Desires can be a driving force to new and exciting endeavors; they are the fuel for motivation, inspiration, and creativity.
Unfortunately, desires can have negative consequences; if we ignore them, they can show up in harmful ways, such as addiction, anger, and relationship problems.
Listening to our intuition (not easy living in a rational world) will provide us with clarity if our desires are important to self-fulfillment and creating a meaningful life.
Focus on the WHY and the HOW.
Life without new endeavors is like a movie without a plot. I thrive on goals, exploration, and self-growth, but I’m notorious for abandoning my goals quickly. If this sounds familiar to you, welcome to the club 😉
What has helped me gain more clarity regarding my goals is the WHY and HOW.
Why is this endeavor important to me?
How does it align with my values?
How will my life improve after I have accomplished my goal?
If you don’t anchor your goals to strong values and intentions, your chance of failing is so much higher.
Do not attach yourself to your thoughts.
Think of your thoughts as a grumpy spectator who sits on the sideline, constantly making negative comments about the game.
If you were to sit next to this grumpy person, would you pay attention? Probably not, so why do you pay attention to your negative thoughts? Our negative thoughts reflect our experiences, our insecurities, and fear. They are not real!
Don’t become attached to your thoughts; let them pass like a wind gust over a mountain range.
Self-limiting beliefs can be your biggest obstacle.
We can only accomplish as much as we believe we can.
Self-limiting beliefs are the obstacle that’s keeping you from being successful, reaching your goals, making new friends, starting new endeavors, finding the love of your life, traveling by yourself…..well, you get the point.
Ask yourself, “What is it I always wanted to try but haven’t because of my self-limiting beliefs?”
Are these beliefs real or created by low confidence, lack of self-worth, or fear?
What I wish for you this year is to fully embrace the unknown, let go of your need to control the narrative, open your mind to new possibilities, explore new chapters, do things that make you feel uncomfortable, let go of old beliefs that don’t serve you anymore, and follow your passion, desires, and dreams.
Have a healthy, joyful, fun, adventurous, and happy New Year 😊❤️🌻
