Setting My 2025 Goals

the year I begin, and begin again...

On New Year’s Eve, I had my tarot cards read. At a table in an apartment filled with chatter and wine and celebration—somewhere off the L train in New York City. A friend of a friend, who started practicing tarot as a way to ignite transformation, shuffled the deck and invited me to place my fingertips on it.

A few days earlier, as I contemplated what this new beginning might look like for me, I’d read an article by someone I admire. In it, she shared how she curates her goals and manifestations with intention and care. It inspired me to articulate what I envision for 2025. Many of the goals and ideas I mapped out found their way into this moment.

The friend of a friend asked me to share—mind to hands to cards—everything I hoped for in the year ahead: my intentions, my desires, my ambitions. So, I did. And the cards aligned—revealing themes of fulfillment and forward momentum, exactly as I'd worked to articulate.

That idea stayed with me: the energy I put into something has the potential to come right back. This year, I want my mindset to be introspective and open, trusting that things will unfold as they’re meant to, so long as I put in the energy and the work.

How To Manifest Everything You Ever Wanted by Take Your Time with Dianna Cohen

Dianna Cohen, founder of Crown Affair and a multifaceted leader, thinker, creative, writer, and business owner, is someone I deeply admire. Her willingness to share her exact method for manifestation feels like a generous gift, especially given how successfully she’s achieved her aspirations. Even though sharing goals feels vulnerable—and conventional wisdom often advises against revealing what you’re actively striving for—there’s a part of me that believes in the power of declaring intentions. For me, it’s about creating a sense of accountability and commitment to myself. So, following her exact steps, which are linked above with explanations, with a few of my own additions, here I am manifesting everything I ever wanted for 2025. *Insert drumroll…*

Step 1: The Text-Based Mood Board

• Read at least 4 books every month.

• Write and journal every day, publishing at least one Substack article each week.

• Take inventory of my wardrobe. Focus on what I truly need vs want when it comes to buying new clothes. The plan is to buy no new clothes. My intent is also to do the shopping in-person. Exceptions to the no-buying list: secondhand clothing, shoes, and accessories.

• Seek connection—say yes to any and all invites, relationships, and opportunities that have the possibility of evoking joy.

• Stealing it from Dianna word for word: “Proactively connect with people I admire. Listen, ask questions.” Adding: step boldly into chances to grow and expand my skills.

• Using the phrase ‘abundance of’ for everything: luck, love, goodness, peace, success…

• Ground myself in the present with rituals that remind me: “I am here, I am here, I am here.” Light a candle, listen to a song, or hold something meaningful.

• Support my body through the foods that bring joy and the movement that makes me feel strong, letting the season guide what feels right.

• Exercise creativity outside of work beyond the usual—paint, make jewelry, write poetry. Even if it’s bad, it’s still good for the soul.

• Spend less time online, cultivating offline activities to do instead—bake, go for a walk, craft, journal, read, go to the movies and the museum, write a letter, make a phone call, do a puzzle, play a game… and spend time online purposefully, digesting content that sparks inspiration.

• Prioritize moments of self care and reflection—slow mornings, candlelit evenings, pen-in-hand moments, or in-person chats.

• When ‘interesting’ is possible, make it happen, especially when it comes to getting dressed each day.

Step 2: The Vibe-Based Vision Board

Shimmering is the word that first came to mind. To describe the vibe for this year. And after shimmering, came things in three, flowers, light, fullness, books, cities, sights, love, chatting, exclamation marks, orange, balance, holding hands, horizons.

Say it aloud: shimmering. Slowly. Pronounce each syllable. It’s a soft word but also all the feelings and images it conjures is exactly what I want 2025 to be brimming with. The way the light refracts off the ocean when the light hits just right. The feeling of disbelief in your stomach when someone touches you with love. The uncontrollable laughter that arises out of nowhere. The possibilities of youth. Dinner parties with dim lights. Book characters who feel so real. Being understood without saying anything aloud. All things that shimmer.

Step 3: The Literal Vision Board

This recalls points from my text-based mood board but starting with the image in the upper left corner is an ode to moving my body with purpose. Baking and love are next. Dancing, and love again. Purple for tranquility and flowers for my home. Styling my clothing in new and familiar ways. Seeking connection. Hair care >>>. Reading and getting creative with how to document what I’m reading and wearing. Going to the museum more (I have yet to go to the Guggenheim!). Writing and sending handwritten letters and lists, and love again.

My Extra Step: Journal Prompts

Repetition is one of the most powerful learning tools (at least for me), so with that in mind, here are some additional journal prompts I’m working on answering to help me dig into what I want the next year of my life to be and internalize it too:

• What are my top three priorities for 2025?

• What is one habit I want to create this year? What personal qualities do I want to develop?

• How can I be more present and mindful in my daily routine?

• What will success look like for me in 2025?

• Make a list of keywords that describe the kind of life I want to live.

• What brings me joy, clarity, and energy?

And Lastly, Ins

I’m forgoing outs and focusing on my ins…

Maybe it’s the cards, or maybe it’s the commitment to action, but I’m hopeful that 2025 will shimmer with possibility—and I hope yours does too.

Now welcoming: the year I begin, and begin again.

xoxo,

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