“The place where you are right now, God circled on a map for you.”
– Hafiz
What do you want in 2025?
That might be a hard question to answer, so I would like to position it another way. What do you NOT want in 2025? When it comes to finding real joy, the art of subtraction is much more important than addition. When we think new year, we often think of resolutions and goals, this January, maybe we should make a list of things to which we feel we should say goodbye.
My word for 2025 is Peace. I’m a middle child, which often meant being the peacekeeper. Trying to make people happy when chaos was swirling. Saying something funny to break the tension. Quickly working to solve problems before emotions escalated. While that made me a great problem solver and a bit of an overachiever, I often feel on edge. I learned to make others happy long before I circled back to myself.
It’s a bit sad to say that I’m just now circling back to me in my 50s. And it’s not totally accurate. I’ve done a pretty good job taking care of myself. But putting myself first is a whole different thing. The interesting part of launching your children off into the world, or at least off to college, means a whole new world is about to unveil itself to me this year. I’m not sure what it all means, but I hear that it is not just more time, but time that feels free. Free from guilt and obligation. What shall I do with the time?
Well, I’ll tell you what I’m not doing - immediately filling it with a bunch of things I don’t need to do. What if I allowed the time to become space? Space to think, create, write, and dream. What if I used the time to embrace peace?
The only remedy to the panic of this world is purpose. We must create meaning and direction in our lives to slow things down. Purpose can bring clarity and focus. If I know who I am and how I can best impact the world, then I know what I am not and what I’m not best at bringing to the world. When I embrace this, I know when to say no. Saying no is hard for the perfectionist people pleaser, but 2025 will be the year that I find joy in a calendar of calm.
I know this doesn’t mean a life that is stress-free. I mean, I’m scrambling just to get this newsletter out on time! But stress can be good - it propels us. It’s the anxiety I’m avoiding. The cloud that hangs because the list is too long and the comparisons are too frequent. Instead, I’m embracing this spot on the map that God circled for me and leaning into the space to create a peaceful year. Wanna come along with me?
Happy New Year!
TWO TIPS FOR CREATING SPACE
1. PICK YOUR ONE WORD
Think of one word that you would like this entire year to reflect. I find this exercise helpful because it is a quick filter for your yeses and nos. My word is PEACE so if I know that the activity, commitment, or person is not going to bring me peace then I’m going to say no. If I know it might be stressful but it aligns with my purpose or it’s just stressful because of fear, then I’ll say yes so I am available for growth and purpose. That’s my goal for 2025!
2. PRACTICE SELF-BELIEF IN SMALL DOSES
Disbelief in ourselves is one of the most damaging practices. Work this month to grow a solid, unwavering belief in who you are and your unique design. Building confidence in your unique abilities doesn’t happen overnight, so start small. Each week, do one thing that lets you use your skills in a natural and meaningful way. Maybe it’s helping a friend with something you’re great at or sharing your perspective in a meeting. By consistently acknowledging and using your strengths, you’re building a habit of self-belief. Keep doing it and you’ll begin to create space to dream bigger.
Bring this message to your team. Saying no to the right things is a leadership skill, too. Traci's Healthy Ambition keynote helps leaders and teams achieve more without burning out. She speaks in Nashville and nationwide.
Traci Schubert Barrett is a Nashville-based keynote speaker and founding executive of HGTV, where she helped grow a fledgling idea into a billion-dollar brand. After two decades in media, she walked away to ask a bigger question: what if there’s more than success? That question became her award-winning book, What If There’s More?: Finding Significance Beyond Success, and her Healthy Ambition™ framework, which helps leaders and entrepreneurs achieve high performance without burnout. She is co-founder and President of Navigate the Journey.
