Creating my 25 for 25 List

Why getting intentional is a conduit for motivation and a fulfilling future

Photo by Frank Marino on Unsplash

Following on from my previous blog about Guiding Words, the next practice I want to share with you is creating a 25 for 25 list to help you get even more excited for the year ahead!

I do this as pre-process to the final one, - creating my 2025 Vision Board but firstly let’s understand why I create this list.

Once again, it’s all about connection to your dreams and setting intentions – bringing to the forefront of your mind what you really want in life and thereby making it more likely to happen.

There are no rules upon what you choose, but there are ways afterwards of sense-checking your list, I do this to see if it is covering all bases of what I call the whole human experience. This means assessing your choices to see if there are things on your list that will nurture your mind, body, heart, and soul.

It might be that you want to specifically focus on some elements more than others and that is fine too, for example you may want to focus on health issues and so there may be more choices around ‘body’ on your list, or you may be interested in learning more on a particular topic which would link more closely to ‘mind’, it’s just about being conscious about your intent and reasons for your selections.

It’s also good to think about how you want to feel this year, which may link in with your guiding word/s so that your choices align with this too.

So what kind of things do you put on your list and does it have to be big things and really interesting things?

Well no, not necessarily, the key thing here is to choose things that have real meaning and are personal to you, not just a list full of things that you think ‘should’ be on there or that society expects.

This is about really connecting to your desires. There may also be choices on there that stretch you if you like to challenge yourself. There may be things that you’ve always wanted to do but have not got around to.

This is your opportunity to make them happen, by getting them on your list.

Once you have created your menu of delicious mini-goals, see how they sit for a few days and then revisit to check you are still happy with your choices.

Then, every month or couple of months check in and see how you are doing with it. What have you completed so far? There’s something so satisfying about ticking things off your list and seeing how much you are achieving throughout the year.

I write my list in my planner, so it’s easily visible and I can regularly look at it. I also think that it’s important to try and make these mini goals / intentions as specific as possible so something vague like – ‘Aim to get fitter this year,’ could be revised to – ‘Attend a local Pilates class twice a week.’

These are smarter goals and more directional, there are no woolly edges to get confused about - make it obvious what you need / want to do.

So here are mine for 2025 below as an example and maybe some inspiration.

I’ve then labelled them with an M,B,H or S linked to whether I believe these to be a mind, body, heart or soul intention (see image above for guidance) and I always go with my gut instinct first response on this as some areas could cover multiple areas.

1) Finally go to a lavender or sunflower field in the Summer - S

2) Enter a writing competition that speaks to me - M

3) Do the Life After Cancer Fundraising Hike at Ullswater in April- B

4) See at least two theatre productions/concerts - S

5) Read one hard back book or listen to one Audible book every 6 weeks and take note of the learnings from them - M

6) Take part in a pottery class / workshop - S

7) Write more freely about ADHD and my experiences on Substack - H

8) Go away with my Mum to celebrate her 80^th birthday - H

9) Keep the connection with Allyson’s family and the ‘Yes I Can’ charity (following losing my friend in October last year) - H

10) Take foot stretches seriously! (2.5 years in on a plantar fasciitis tear!) - B

11) Book the Agents Table with Byte the Book this year (in relation to my book proposal) - M

12) Sell clothes on Vinted and at Unity Yard to help declutter - M

13) Walk more with friends, rather than just on my own, in training for the hike - H

14) Keep to intermittent fasting hours to improve health (9-10hrs ideally) - B

15) Try to find a strength exercise that I like / at least stick to! - B

16) Go back to art club and create things for me, re-boost my confidence as an artist - S

17) Aim to get to bed by 10.30pm 4 x a week! - B

18) Get back to writing regularly on Substack and understand how it works more - H

19) Embrace the following 2 phrases – ‘Less Chasing, More Receiving’, and ‘More Adventure, Less Things’ - S

20) Create space to spend more time in our garden, including hosting in the new Summerhouse - S

21) Keep to the 5 minutes a day morning journaling habit - M

22) Spend more time with people who understand me and align to the same values - H

23) Visit the Coast more – I need vitamin sea! - S

24) Attempt 5k Your Way and then a Park Run! (As I promised Allyson, eek!) - B

25) Keep the wiggle room (i.e space) as much as possible in my planner and remember my words: Expression, Comfort and Bliss! – S

So my scores on the doors are:

Mind – 5

Body – 6

Heart – 6

Soul – 8

And I’m happy with this spread, I’ll always seek more soul-led experiences – that’s where the sense of awe is for me, and that higher state of Bliss. There are also links to Comfort and Expression on my list too – another great way to sense check it, using your guiding word/s to see if they connect with your wishes for the year.

I’m also writing it here, to you, to make me more accountable, let’s see how many I’ve ticked off by the end of the year!

So hopefully that has given you some food for thought to think about your own list and give it a go. Do let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear what is on your list this year?

Remember anything is possible when you start on a fresh, clean page at the start of a year. Dream big, or small but either way, embrace this process with intentional focus and, go make it happen.

With love and light

Juliet x

Ps next up will be my favourite thing to do - creating your 2025 Vision Board, and I’ll share my top tips for creating a board that truly works for you, if you use it effectively.