How Do You Want to FEEL in 2025?

Every morning we’re given the opportunity to start anew and create a life different than the day before, but nothing propels us to do this like seeing the date 01/01. In numerology the number one signifies newness, movement, and the possibilities that await, so when the date rolls over to 01/01/25 what new will you summon into your life? I’m not a fan of long resolution lists, but I believe it’s important to set intentions and use them as a compass as you make decisions about how to spend time and energy in the new year.  
     Usually intentions focus on behaviors like exercise, diet, travel, or learning something new, but this year I invite you to focus on how you’d like to feel in 2025. What feeling would you like to experience more frequently in the new year? Would it be energy, confidence, awe, peace, connection, courage, excitement? Focusing on the feeling you want to create is more motivating than emphasizing what you want to avoid, “I want to feel more connected” vs “I don’t want to be lonely.” Paying attention to how you feel also gives you immediate, positive feedback and keeps you motivated to accomplish longer term goals. For example, if energy is your desired feeling, you can achieve this with a 10 minute brisk walk. The memory of this increased vitality will make it more likely you’ll go out and walk again, where as a goal of weight loss can take months and you may become discouraged and stop walking before achieving this goal. 
     This year you have the power to create an environment that will manifest the positive feeling you choose, and I’ve compiled a seven step strategy to help you.

1. Choose the feeling you’d like to focus on in 2025. One may have already come to mind, but it may be helpful to google a list of feeling words to get you started. Consider choosing a feeling that does not come naturally to you, or maybe one you enjoyed as a child but haven’t experienced as much in your adult life. Be as specific as you can and avoid using the general term “happy”. 
2. Explore your sense of worthiness. If at a deep level you don’t feel worthy of sustained positive emotions, you can subconsciously sabotage your efforts. Imagine yourself filled with the positive feeling you chose. What is your reaction? If it’s discomfort or guilt, than it may be helpful to dig deeper with journaling, a trusted friend or a counselor to understand the source of your unworthiness. Practicing self compassion, self-compassion.org/, is another strategy to counter self sabotage and allow your positive 2025 feeling to manifest. 
3. Reflect on the last time you experienced your 2025 feeling and as specifically as you can, identify the circumstances that created this feeling. Were you alone or with others? Inside or outside? What were you physically doing? Were you well rested? Make a list of everything under your control that contributed to this experience so you can intentionally replicate it in 2025. Brainstorm other behaviors that may create your 2025 feeling and keep this list easily accessible. If you had no difficulty in completing this step, skip to step 5.
4. Step 3 can be a challenge if you’ve rarely experienced the feeling you want to focus on, so how do you figure out what behaviors will lead you where you want to go? First, turn to your intuition. Take some quiet time alone and write down the first things that come to mind, even if it doesn’t make sense in the moment. At a deep level, I believe you know what’s best for yourself. Second, talk with people you know who often exhibit the feeling you want and find out how they cultivate that feeling. Third, consult the experts and look for reputable books or podcasts by psychologists, life coaches and others that may give you ideas of behaviors that can help you attain your 2025 feeling. 
5. Brainstorm positive self talk to support your desired feeling. When you identify self-sabotaging thoughts, you can use these affirmations to counter them. For example, if feeling connection to others is your goal, the statement “I feel energized and valued after spending time with Jessica,” could counter the negative self talk of “I’m tired and not in the mood to be social.” It can also be helpful to keep a log of when you experience your 2025 feeling and use this to challenge your negative self talk. You can review your log for encouragement to follow through with behaviors that create your 2025 feeling. If you’re avoiding calling a friend out of fear you may be bothering them, the log could challenge this and you can replace negative self talk with, “The last time I called Frank, the lilt in his voice told me he appreciated that I reached out, and I felt connected to him.” The more you do this, the better you’ll get at quickly identifying and challenging thoughts that undermine your goal of experiencing more positive emotions. 
6. Prioritize your 2025 feeling by taking action. You could create a vision board with words and pictures that reflect your desired feeling or write down an affirmation about your 2025 feeling and post it in a visible location. An affirmation states in the present tense what you desire. For example, “I regularly seek out experiences that inspire awe,” or “Filled with energy, I am living a more engaged and satisfying life.” Finally, select several of the behaviors you identified in step 3 and put them on your calendar. This could be setting aside 5 minutes a day for meditating, taking time to appreciate a sunrise, signing up for a class like pottery, or sky diving, depending on the feeling you want, or scheduling time away in a new environment that contributes to your feeling. Remember that small steps done regularly create change so don’t pressure yourself to overhaul your entire life. 
7. Maintain healthy habits. Like a seed needs nutrient rich soil, and adequate sun and rain to flourish, the intention to experience your 2025 feeling also needs a healthy environment to manifest.  Healthy nutrition, adequate sleep and rest, proper hydration, regular physical activity and limited exposure to substances like caffeine, alcohol and nicotine optimize your ability to experience positive emotions. It’s impossible to make perfectly healthy choices all the time, but do you best to make each day as healthy as it can based on the circumstances. 

     Once you’ve completed these steps, take a breath, and have fun with creating your 2025 feeling throughout the year. Don’t make this a win/loss situation, or a regimented goal to achieve. Create a gentle way to check in with yourself by keeping a log of when you experience your 2025 feeling, looking at your vision board or affirmations for inspiration, or setting a reminder each month to reflect on what you’ve done differently to experience the feeling you selected. 
     Setting a strong intention in January, followed by a relaxed focus on small changes, will allow you to experience more of your 2025 feeling and instill new habits so this feeling happens more naturally in 2026.  
      I’d love to hear what feeling you selected for 2025 and invite you to share this in the comments.  

  “……Though your destination is not yet clear,
You can trust  the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life’s desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.”
Taken from a Blessing For a New Beginning by John O’Donohue