Thrive in 2025: What’s Your Guiding Word?

The start of a new year is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and set a clear path forward. Instead of making traditional New Year’s resolutions—which often fail due to being vague or overly ambitious—try focusing on setting meaningful intentions.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, points out that “somewhere between 81 and 92 percent of New Year's resolutions fail. Translation: You’re far more likely to revert to old habits than stick to a new one.”

To thrive in the year ahead, the key lies in carving out intentional time to reflect, realign, and reset. Reflection not only uncovers valuable insights but also provides the clarity needed for growth and progress.

As learning professionals, we understand that reflection is a powerful tool—it’s the foundation for meaningful learning. Let’s put it into practice as we prepare for the year ahead.

Find a quiet spot, grab your favorite beverage, and dive in:

1. Conduct a Year in Review

Looking back on the past year’s experiences can help you uncover lessons, celebrate growth, and create momentum for what’s next. Reviewing your calendar can be a great starting point to evaluate how you spent your time and energy. Check on these areas:

Professional Development:

• What accomplishments are you most proud of, and how did they contribute to your growth?

• What challenges stretched you, and what did you learn from them?

• How did your relationships evolve? Were they strengthened or tested?

Well-Being:

• How well did you manage your physical and emotional health?

• What self-care practices helped you recharge? Where could you improve?

Goals and Aspirations:

• Which goals did you achieve? Which remain unfinished, and why?

• Are your current goals still aligned with your values and priorities?

• What new opportunities or aspirations are emerging for 2025?

2. Look Ahead

Now, fast forward: Imagine it’s the end of 2025, and you’re celebrating an incredible year. Everything you hoped for has come true.

Consider:

• What accomplishments are you most proud of?

• What steps did you take to bring that vision to life?

• What distractions or commitments did you say no to, to stay focused?

• What small, actionable steps can you take now to begin building toward this vision?

3. Choose Your Guiding Word for 2025

A guiding word or phrase can serve as a compass, keeping your intentions front and center throughout the year.

For 2024, my word was community. It shaped many of my decisions, from reconnecting with family members (including long-lost cousins and a 95-year-old uncle) to organizing a neighborhood block party and engaging with five new professional groups. It also helped me step outside my comfort zone, reminding me to say “yes” to opportunities I might have otherwise skipped to stay home with a good book.

How to find your word:

1. Brainstorm a few words that reflect your goals and aspirations.

2. Reflect on how those words make you feel and what they represent.

3. Choose the one that resonates most and inspires you.

Your word doesn’t have to be perfect—it’s simply a tool to guide your focus and intentions for the year ahead.

Learning Professionals Share Their Words for 2025:

Cliff Goldmacher (he/him), Owner/Founder of The Reason for The Rhymes. Cliff helps organizations innovate and build their creative confidence by teaching them to write songs.

“My word for 2025 is onward and it’s all about moving forward and continuing to stay motivated to spread the word and grow my speaking practice.”

Tracy King (they/them), Chief Learning Strategist & CEO of InspirEd, a workforce development consultancy and full-service instructional design agency.

“My word is unapologetic: Being the whole, unique, intersectional, authentic, wise, crone a$$ version of myself without compromise.”

Rhonda Payne CAE (she/her), CEO of Flock Theory, a deliberately diverse professional speakers bureau and consultancy on a mission to magnify and defend equity in expertise.

“My word for 2025 is JOMO. It stands for the ‘joy of missing out’ intentionally. It’s all about choosing quality over quantity, saying no to fear-motivated productivity-obsessed hustle culture, and savoring the joy that comes with leaning out into moments of calm, creativity, and imagination as a human being (instead of a human doing).”

Celisa Steele (she, her), Managing Director of Tagoras, a consultancy in the business of continuing education.

“My word is track. I like that a track is both something we can follow (the safari guide following paw prints and bent grass to find the lion) and a path we can take to get somewhere (a trail through the woods). I also like that track is both noun (as in those last two examples) and a verb (I can track goals and progress). I like that it has a connection to the past—footprints left by someone traveling through before—and a connection to the present and future (the path I walk now and where it leads).”

As for me, I’m carrying community into 2025 while exploring themes like adventure, freedom, and being present. By January 1, I’ll choose the word that feels just right for the year ahead.

What About You?

Reflecting on the past and envisioning a word to guide the future can help you step into 2025 with clarity and purpose. Here’s to a year of discovery and designing the life you want.