Erase or Embrace your 2024?
I wrote a LinkedIn post the other day saying that one better plan for 2025 because in a blink it will be gone, just like 2024.
2024 was really gone in a blink for me. Is that because I was having extremely fun? No. 2024 was not an extremely fun year but also not a year I want to erase. It was a year when I was able to give myself more time to explore things I had been thinking about for a long time. I feel extremely thankful for that. It feels like a true cliché but I have to admit that the “slow down to speed up” felt so true to me this year.
I have slowed down this year, yet I feel that I have developed more this year than in a long time. Both personally and professionally. The last twelve months have been a mix of new learnings, a few brave decisions and quite many stumbles.. Each lesson has made me reconsider what it means to live fully, to stay somewhat true to myself, and to stay curious & brave.
If you’ve been reading my blog, you probably know I’ve been trying new things this year, both privately and professionally. As I wrap up 2024 I feel gratitude for being able to have had a playful yet developing year. I want to share a few personal discoveries that might be inspirational for your 2025:
5 things to explore during 2025:
1. Start playing around with AI:
Maybe you’ve started way earlier than I have, maybe not. In either case, there is certanly room to learn more and continue to discover what AI has to offer. Otherwise we will shortly be run over.. If you are just starting, I suggest you pick a few AI-driven tools & use them for something fun or useful. For example:
*Try the voice mode with Chat GPT and brainstorm for your next project at work or ask how to manage your pre-teen at home
*Create a podcast on a desired project with Notebook LM; certainly my AI wow-moment this year
* Write and produce a song for your friends upcoming birthday
Don’t stress about becoming an expert. Just get started with something!
2. Try Winter Bathing (+ sauna if you have access)
I know, it sounds a bit nuts. jumping into cold water when everyone else is drinking warm tea on the couch. But both myself and clinical studies suggest that winter bathing can boost your mood, sharpen your focus, and improve circulation. If you’re near a lake or the sea, find a nice spot, bring a friend (and a tea for the post bathing moment). "Just do it" and notice how alive you feel afterwards.
3. Reach Out to Someone who inspires you
Maybe it’s that former colleague of yours or that neighbour who you heard is singing in a band. It might be a friend of a friend whose career path makes you curious. Send a nice note or simply ask if he/she have time for a coffee sometime. There’s so much in these human connections and I think they will be even more precious in the AI era we are entering. Meeting live and learning from each other, swapping stories and maybe even share a laughter.
4. Dare to Be Brave:
I have never thought of myself as very brave. But things that I really want or long for, I try to pursue without letting fear take over my ambitions. Life’s too short to stay stuck in environments that is draining your energy or simply just boring. Being brave is not only about taking decision professionally but also privately. Do you dream about climbing a mountain or starting to ski? Take a clear-eyed look at what you really long for and start carving a path there. It is the mini steps that eventually will take you all the way..
5. Bring your curiosity along:
When I let my curiosity out it takes me to cool places. I learnt French in Provance this spring, I learnt how to "ski" on roller-skis during the fall, I tried down-hill cycling in the alps (and almost killed myself but somehow still worth it), and I got to know more about AI when reaching out to old friends & experts I haven’t spoken to in 20 years.
I also re-discovered live music in all its forms this year. From musicals that made me embarrassingly eager to dance and sing along to classical music with piccolo solos that touched me in surprising ways. They say music can stimulate the vagus nerve and maybe that is what gave me that "awe" feeling.
What’s on your list for a sparkling 2025? My suggestion is to make some bold plans because just like 2024, 2025 will be gone in a blink and we don't want to ask ourselves in one year why we didn’t live more during 2025.
I wish you a Happy & Vivante 2025. Let’s embrace it wholeheartedly and make it a kick-ass year!
