Kick-start 2025 in a positive way – why January 1st is not the best day for New Year’s resolutions

2025 will be a special year as I am preparing to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of this blog on February 1st and the 5-year anniversary of my podcast on February 17. Holy Moly..... how should I celebrate that? 

Hello My Friend!

This is also my 5th episode about how to kickstart the new year in a positive way. It's the latest in a series I've published every year since 2021. From episode 56 for 2021, episode 106 for 2022, episode 156 for 2023, and episode 200 for 2024 — 

There were variations over the years and my framework is flexible and evolves from year to year but its heart and soul is always the Love Tour: looking back and celebrating successes, learning from challenges, and then setting intentions from that clarity. Also I still stand strong with my opinion that January 1st is not the best day to start something new, more about that later.

Before we dive in to kick-start 2025, if you’d prefer to have today’s content in a handy-dandy worksheet, I’ve made a "Love Tour 2024 - Kick-Start 2025 Guide" that you can get sent directly to your inbox  >>> here

Ok back to kickstarting 2025, let's first look at the variations of my kick-start episodes over the years:

• episode 56 for 2021: the main message was to give equal airtime to both the positives and negatives in life, and about focusing on what you can control instead of what you can't and - still to this day that's my mantra and when I coach people that's what I say a lot. I also introduced the concept of a “Love Tour of 2020” as a way to find gratitude and positivity, even in challenging times and areas, we all know what happened in 2020 and for some it wasn't easy to find positives to be grateful for.
• episode 106 for 2022: the main message was that Winter’s darkness and cold encourage rest and introspection, not rushing into new goals. I emphasized that it’s okay if our body doesn't feel unmotivated or not ready to “start fresh. I talked about how to do a Love Tour of 2021 as a two-part process.
• episode 156 for 2023: I continued talking about reflection rather than action, the main message here was to focus on releasing what you’ve been tolerating and reframing life lessons as blessings. My Love Tour of 2022 was a 3-part process
• episdode 200 for 2024: the main message was that without a clear plan, goals, intentions, and resolutions remain wishful thinking. We also need to be realistic, change takes time. Trying to do too much too quickly can lead to frustration. My Love Tour of 2023 was again a 3-part process but slightly different from the one the year before.

And here we are, at the end of 2024 and the onset of 2025. This year I still have the same framework of the 3-part Love Tour but again with a slightly different approach.

Living a Life of Self-Love 

I still stand strong in my perhaps controversial opinion that while January 1st has a powerful pull to make us want to "take off" and launch something new—believe me, I feel it too—it’s largely influenced by our socialization and the constant messages we hear everywhere.

I believe this drive to leap into action might not be in alignment with where our bodies, hearts, and souls are at during this time of year. It’s dark outside, and our ancestors spent this season indoors, planning, repairing, and preparing for the coming spring, not rushing to take action in the outside world. Instead, winter invites us to reflect, build systems, and create habits that will support us when the energy shifts, and we’re truly ready to take action in the spring.

In addition with Mars, the planet of action, currently being retrograde, this amplifies the invitation to pause and plan rather than forcing bold new starts. Don't fight windmills.

• Listen to your body and the surrounding energies instead of forcing change because the calendar says January 1.
• Nature’s hibernation reminds us to rest and reflect, not to rush into new resolutions.
• January is ideal for letting go, reflecting on what no longer serves us, and preparing for the action that will come when the timing is right.

My theory is that this is the reason why many set new goals, intentions and resolutions for the new year - yet statistics show over 80% abandon them by February. The "fresh start effect" of January 1st provides initial motivation but can not sustain us longterm. So here is my 

Love Tour for 2024

that you can adopt as is or tweak as you wish. The main message this year that I have adopted for myself is - and I am embarassed to say, I didn't write down where I have this realization from.. it most likely came from one of the books I read. So if someone knows who's thoughtwork that is please let me know.

Ok it's about defining success:

Instead of thinking of success just as the end goal that is far away and hard to imagine that you will even reach it, I want you to think instead of useful.

Success is for most of us very black and white, I am either successful or not, but thinking in terms of useful will activate a different are of your brain, will allow you to gain traction and traction leads to momentum which motivates you to take more action.

So let's dive into the Love Tour of 2024:

Part 1: What Worked Well?

Reflect on the positive aspects of the past year.

Core Questions:

• What worked well?
• What do you want more of?

Additional Prompts:

• Who’s the most interesting person you met this year?
• What new place did you discover?
• Which quote, movie, or book positively impacted you?
• What mental, emotional, or physical challenges did you overcome?
• What can you do now that you couldn’t do a year ago?

Exercise:

• List at least one positive thing for each month.
• Write down what you’re grateful for and want to recreate or expand upon in the coming year.

Part 2: What Didn’t Work?

Examine the areas you’d like to change or release.

Core Questions:

• What didn’t work?
• What do you want less of?

Additional Prompts:

• What stressed you out or frustrated you?
• What were you tolerating that you no longer want to tolerate?
• Was there a major life lesson? (Even challenging experiences may hold hidden blessings.)

Exercise:

• Focus on what you had control over. Write down the patterns or habits you’d like to leave behind.

Part 3: What Will You Do Differently?

Identify lessons learned and apply them to the future.

Core Questions:

• What would you do differently in hindsight?
• How can you build on what worked and let go of what didn’t?
• And now here comes the concept of useful: How can I make my physical, digital, social space more useful, what routines and systems could I implement that would be most useful
  • for me,
  • my business,
  • my clients,
  • my family,
  • my social circle.

Exercise:

• Look for common themes between your “more” and “less” lists.
• Condense your intentions into a few key points. Examples include:
  • Less distraction, more focus.
  • Less seclusion, more connection.
  • Less anxiety, more peace.

May this Love Tour of reflection and renewal guide you towards a purposeful and peaceful 2025—

Remember, while patience, determination, and persistence are key, it's also important not to be too hard on yourself. Growth is a journey, and embracing self-love along the way helps us stay balanced and kind to ourselves.

You've got this, one step at a time, in a few minutes a day you keep the chaos away