Make 2025 a Special Year for YOU!

As we say goodbye to 2024 and hello to 2025, I’d like to share some tips that could help make this a special year for you, perhaps even the second greatest year of your life. The greatest, of course, is the year of your birth. Without it, the world would be deprived of you. Maybe you think that no one would notice, but trust me, you’re leaving a mark on the world every day, even if the cleaning lady keeps wiping it away.

There are many ways to make 2025 a special year for you. Here are just five:

1. Stop comparing yourself to others. You are a unique person. You have unique blessings and unique curses too. Nobody curses as uniquely as you. But those aren’t the curses I’m referring to. I’m referring to troubles or problems. All of us have them. Even Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, has problems, such as having to constantly buy a bigger pillow for his head.

Comparing yourself to others may frustrate you, especially if they are far ahead of you, or it may restrict you — if they are far behind you. It’s wiser to focus on yourself and your self-improvement. Compare yourself today (present you) to yourself yesterday (past you), while picturing yourself tomorrow (future you). If “present you” isn’t happy with “past you,” will “future you” present you with more happiness?

2. Small changes can make a big difference. If you don’t believe me, try eating a small bowl of ice cream every night and see what a big difference it makes to your waistline after a month. If you are consuming 2,500 calories every day, but burning only 2,400, you will gain about 10 pounds over the course of a year. But if you cut half-a-cup of Haagen-Dazs ice cream (about 200 calories) from your daily diet, you will lose your entire reason for living. No, you will lose about 10 pounds by the end of the year.

In the same way, writing just 200 words a day will get you an entire book by the end of the year, especially if you have a kind friend who says, “Here’s a reward for your efforts: Stephen King’s latest.”

Photo by Gary Lee on Unsplash

3. Don’t let starting trouble stop you. Starting trouble is something you’ve probably encountered, especially if you bought a car off Craigslist that comes with a cassette player. Sometimes it’s hard to get the engine going. The human body is no different. When it detects that an uncomfortable task needs to be performed, it sputters and stalls. But here’s what I do: I tell myself I’m going to do just a little bit, perhaps running half a mile down the road. That’s like turning the key in the ignition. Soon I’m zooming around for two or three miles, before running out of gas and parking myself at the nearest McDonald’s.

4. Spend more time offline. Technology has been taking over our lives in so many ways. When I go to the gym, it’s hard to have a conversation with anyone but myself. Everyone’s listening to music. Guys my age are all wearing airpods while working on their dadbods.

Sometimes you just need to unplug and enjoy some peace and calm. No TV, no radio, no internet, no phone. Give yourself an hour each day of just listening to the natural sounds of cars going down the road beside your home.

5. Make a ‘Things to Do’ list. I usually get more done when I make a ‘Things to Do’ list. Here, for example, is my list from a recent Saturday: (1) Take a nap; (2) Wash clothes; (3) Wash dishes; (4) Wash myself; (5) Watch football; (6) Watch wife cook; (7) Eat; (8) Take another nap.

Yes, my ‘Things to do’ list always has a few enjoyable tasks. Without a little fun each day, life would be pretty boring.

I wish you a great 2025. Don’t let “future you” rule out all the fun.