Cast Your Vision for 2025: Set the Stage for Success
As you embark on a new year, you may feel compelled to make resolutions. It is only natural to view the new year as a clean slate on which you can write your goals and vision for the next 12 months. You might be surprised to hear that, according to a 2024 study by the Pew Research Center, only 30% of Americans reported making a resolution. For people ages 18-29, though, that number jumped to nearly 50%. Still, it would appear that most people do not make resolutions. The main reason? They simply do not want to make them (56%).[i]
If you fall into the group of people that does make resolutions, it is important to ensure you are taking the time to make goals that you want to and can stick with throughout the year. You may already be tired of hearing about goals and resolutions, so it could be time to shift your perspective. Instead of getting bogged down by a list of dos and don’ts, why not think of the changes you wish to make as part of your vision for the year?
Have you ever made a vision board? What comes to mind when you think of one? You may picture cut up magazines strewn across the floor, with scissors and glue sticks sitting next to a cardboard display board. Maybe you imagine an assortment of push pins adorning a bulletin board filled with photos and magazine clippings. In the digital age, vision boards have moved online to platforms like Pinterest. A simple alternative to a vision board is writing down your goals. According to a study by Mark Murphy, CEO of Leadership IQ, people who vividly describe or picture their goals by writing them down or using photos to represent them are 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to accomplish them.[ii]
Are you ready to cast your vision for 2025? Discover how you can set the stage for success by creating SMART goals, cultivating healthy habits, prioritizing work-life balance, and committing to positive change.
Creating SMART Goals
You probably learned about SMART goals in high school. By now, you may even be tired of hearing about them. You may wonder why there is not another framework that is so widely used in goal setting. It is true that the concept of SMART goals was conceived over 40 years ago in 1981, but that does not mean it has become obsolete. On the contrary, the framework continues to be used because it continues to work. Be honest with yourself. If your goal is to be healthier this year, how likely is that to happen if you never clarify what it means? Sure, you can write it on a sticky note on your bathroom mirror or add some healthy recipes to your Pinterest board, but your chances of reaching your incredibly vague goal remain slim until you home in on the details of what you hope to achieve. That is where SMART goals come in. In case you are not familiar with the acronym or have not seen it spelled out in a while, here is a quick recap.
S – Specific: What do you want to accomplish?
M – Measurable: How can you track your progress?
A – Achievable: Do you have the time and resources to do it?
R – Relevant: Is it a worthwhile pursuit?
T – Time-bound: How long will it take?
Going back to the goal of being healthier, how can we make that SMART? First, you need to be specific about what being healthy means to you. Does it mean forming better eating habits, exercising regularly, or losing weight? Maybe you would rather focus on your mental health. Be specific.
Next, be sure your goal is measurable. Perhaps you want to exercise more. How can you measure that? If you wrote that down on your to-do list, how would you know when to check it off? Decide on the frequency and type of exercise. For example, your goal could be to do 30 minutes of cardio three times a week.
Once your goal is specific and measurable, you need to ensure that it is achievable. Are you physically able to do 30 minutes of cardio, or do you need to work your way up to it? Is three times a week too much of a commitment? It is at this point that you may need to adjust your goal so you can set yourself up for success.
The next question to ask yourself is whether your goal is relevant. Is it worth your time and effort? Will it lead to results you can be happy with, or do you not anticipate it making much of a difference? Relevance here comes down to whether the outcome is worth the work.
Lastly, it is imperative to give your goal a timeframe. Do you want to do 30 minutes of cardio three times a week all year long, or do you want to reevaluate the goal in three months? Not all of your goals have to last the entire year. In fact, it is often better to create smaller goals every few months. That way, you get to experience the joy of completing a goal without having to wait until December. Then, based on what you have learned from that goal, you can create a new one for the next several months. If you finish your three months of regular cardio and decide you want to mix it up a bit, then set a new goal for a different type or frequency of exercise.
When you make sure your goals are SMART, you increase your chances of success. If you already have goals for 2025, evaluate them using the SMART goal framework. If you have been hesitant to set any goals, take this opportunity to think about what you want to accomplish this year and how you can make it happen by being SMART.
Pro Tip: Do not overcommit! While each of your individual goals may be achievable, you might find that you cannot achieve all of them when you try to do them simultaneously. Start with a few goals that you can work toward at the same time and feel free to add more throughout the year as you complete them.
Cultivating Healthy Habits
When you reflect on your vision for 2025, are there any habits you would like to form? Maybe you want to start eating breakfast every morning instead of just having a cup of coffee. Perhaps you want to get better at drinking enough water or exercising regularly. While habits may seem like one of those things you cannot fully comprehend, there is a science behind them.
James Clear, New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits, breaks habits down into four stages: cue, craving, response, and reward. The cue is what reminds you to take the desired action. The craving is what motivates you to act. The response is when you perform the action. The final stage is the reward, which is the benefit you receive from acting.[iii]
Using the example of eating breakfast, you should start by creating a cue. If you have coffee every morning, you could put some food or a reminder of the food next to your coffee maker. That way, when you go to make your coffee, the bowl or plate or loaf of bread reminds you of breakfast.
Craving is a strong word that we associate with things we love and desire. Maybe you do not feel that way about breakfast, but that is okay. You do not necessarily have to crave the food. You just have to crave the result of eating. For example, if you know you have more energy in the morning when you eat breakfast, then your craving could be the energy that comes from eating.
In response to seeing the breakfast reminder and having the desire for more energy, you act by preparing and eating your meal. After that comes the reward. It is likely the increased energy, but it could also be the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing something healthy.
While keeping a breakfast reminder near your coffee maker is a cue, it is also an example of a technique called habit stacking. This occurs when you attempt to form a new habit by attaching it to an existing one. In this case, you already have a habit of drinking coffee in the morning, so you can take advantage of that by placing your reminder to eat near where you get your coffee.
If cultivating healthy habits seems daunting to you, be encouraged by the fact that there are tools and resources to help you. James Clear created an app called Atoms that aims to guide you through your habit journey with four simple steps: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying.[iv] You can also create your own habit tracker with a spreadsheet or find templates online.
Just like writing down your goals makes you more likely to achieve them, keeping track of your habits helps you stay on course. If you see that you are doing quite well with a habit, you will be more motivated to keep doing it. After all, success feels good. On the other hand, if you are struggling with a habit, it is good to be able to identify that so you can consider ways to switch up your cue for improved follow-through.
Pro Tip: Try habit swapping. This is when you take an existing habit and swap it out for a new one. For example, if you want to drink less soda and more water, buy water instead of soda (they are in the same area) and then store the water where you usually keep your soda. Then, when you feel the desire for a soda, you will end up reaching for water. Since you are already thirsty at that point, your initial disappointment should morph into relief when you are able to satisfy your thirst.[v]
Prioritizing Work-Life Balance
It is likely that you spend most of your waking hours during the week at work, which is why it is important to ensure you have a healthy work-life balance. Even if you choose not to set goals or form new habits related to work, you should take the time to evaluate how you are currently balancing your work and personal life and what steps you can take to improve harmony.
There are several strategies you can implement at work to combat exhaustion and burnout so that you have energy to commit to your personal life. Taking breaks, using your benefits, being flexible, and leaving work at work are all effective ways to enhance your work experience. In your personal life, make time for activities that boost your mental and physical health so that you can feel empowered to take on the workday.
While it may seem like a no-brainer to take breaks at work, it is shockingly common for employees to skip their breaks, especially when they work in the office. You may feel the need to press through your exhaustion because of a looming deadline or a nagging client, but no one benefits when you stretch yourself thin. Eventually, your quality of work will suffer, or you will come to resent your job. Take breaks when you need to, and be sure to eat something. It may seem like an overused platitude, but the fact remains that you cannot pour from an empty cup.
Are you taking advantage of all your benefits at work? Beyond health insurance and a retirement plan, you may have access to an employee assistance program (EAP). These programs usually offer support for your mental health and financial wellness through services like counseling and coaching. Oftentimes, you can access them online 24/7. Another benefit you do not want to ignore is your paid time off (PTO). If you are entitled to PTO as part of your compensation package, be sure to use it when you can. Again, this may seem obvious, but way too many workers leave money on the table and sacrifice peace and rest by neglecting to use their PTO.
According to NALA’s 2024 Utilization & Compensation Report, over 70% of paralegals have a flexible work arrangement, such as hybrid or remote work.[vi] If you have any control over when or where you work, make your schedule work for you. Choose your work-from-home days based on your personal commitments and desires. Set hours that align with your energy levels. Be consistent. Try to stick with the same schedule every week, but adjust as needed. If you are a hybrid or remote worker, consider keeping your work area at home separate from your personal spaces. Not everyone has a home office, but you can find a spot that you use primarily or solely for work. Just like you know it is time to sleep when you get in bed, you will know it is time to work when you are in that space. Having an area that you associate with work allows you to compartmentalize your work and personal life.
Lastly, leave work at work. Do not check your emails or messages outside of work. If you can, use separate devices for work. Avoid downloading work apps on your personal phone or computer. Stick to your set schedule of when you start and finish work, and try not to think about work outside of those hours. I know that is easier said than done but, barring a catastrophe, whatever you are worried about can wait until you get back to work. If working on the weekend is not part of your normal schedule, avoid it as much as possible. The more often you do it, the more likely it is to become a bad habit.
When it comes to your mental and physical health, self-care does not have to be extravagant to be beneficial. Some ways you can support your mental health are meditation/prayer, reading, listening to music, spending time with your pet(s), and engaging in hobbies. Some physical self-care practices include taking a bath, taking a nap, getting a facial, getting your nails done, dancing, going for a walk, and going for a drive. Find what works for you and make time for it.
Pro Tip: Set boundaries to prevent your work life from bleeding into your personal life. Do not let your job become your identity. You are so much more than your job, and you have so much to offer the world outside of your work. As the age-old adage goes, “Work to live. Do not live to work.”
Committing to Positive Change
It may feel overwhelming to set goals for the year and attempt to form new habits while balancing your work and personal life. Go ahead and set aside your striving for a moment to consider this: no matter what you do this year, make it worth it. You could have the best of intentions, but you cannot will yourself to meet your goals and form healthy habits if you do not believe the result is worth the effort.
Instead of drowning in the details of your vision for 2025, make it simple by committing to positive change. You may not achieve every goal you set or form all the healthy habits you want, but you can keep moving forward. You have the power to enact positive change in your life, even if the changes seem small or insignificant. Focus on what you can control. You can set yourself up for success by connecting with like-minded people, finding an accountability partner, making a plan to address challenges, and celebrating your wins.
Author Margaret J. Wheatley said, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” Connect with a community of people who are also committed to positive change by finding a group with similar goals. There is strength in numbers. You can encourage each other, offer guidance, and work toward your goals together. For example, if you have a goal related to exercise, join a group that meets regularly to work out or take walks.
In that same vein, find an accountability partner. This could be someone in your goal group, a friend, a family member, a coworker, or a mentor. Pick one person with whom to share your progress and setbacks. This person can help keep you accountable to your goals by making sure you do not quit. Choose someone you feel comfortable being vulnerable with as you may have some tough conversations.
Challenges are inevitable, but they do not have to be the end of the road. Make a plan to address any obstacles that you encounter so they do not halt your progress. List foreseeable hurdles related to your goals and devise ways to overcome them. Have you tried to reach the same goal before but hit a roadblock that stopped you from continuing? What can you do differently this time so you do not give up? Your goal group and accountability partner can also help with this.
No matter where your journey takes you this year, be sure to celebrate your wins, big and small. You do not have to wait until you completely achieve your goal before you celebrate. It is important to commemorate the milestones along the way. This encourages you to keep going and allows you to reflect on and be proud of the progress you have already made.
Pro Tip: Progress over perfection. Show yourself grace when you do not meet your own expectations. The important thing is that you are trying, and that puts you miles ahead of the people who have already given up.
When you cast your vision for 2025, focus on creating SMART goals, cultivating healthy habits, prioritizing work-life balance, and committing to positive change. Be sure to write down your goals, find effective habit cues, set boundaries at work, take time for yourself, and keep moving forward. This year will be what you make it, so make it worth it!
[i] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/29/new-years-resolutions-who-makes-them-and-why/
[ii] https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2018/04/15/neuroscience-explains-why-you-need-to-write-down-your-goals-if-you-actually-want-to-achieve-them/?sh=794c76c17905
[iii] https://jamesclear.com/three-steps-habit-change
[iv] https://atoms.jamesclear.com/
[v] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/from-functioning-to-flourishing/201911/3-simple-hacks-for-building-healthy-habits
[vi] https://nala.org/paralegal-info/#:~:text=Research%20and%20Survey%20Findings
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