January Reset

Lessons from 2024, Digital Vision Board, & Word for the Year

☕️ Tea Recommendation: Peppermint Tea

Hey friends,

How’ve you been? Me? Well, I’ve been sick and recovering lol No lie the first official day back to work, was the beginning of the end for me. With some of my symptoms, I believed I’d gotten COVID. Thankfully though, it wasn’t—I took two tests and both were negative. Instead, I had RSV which let me tell you is not fun at all. I’m still experiencing cough attacks, but thankfully, I feel I’m on the other side. So I guess my desire to lean into a January reset, turned into my body deciding for me 😅

This week has also been… a lot. On one hand, I feel heavy and am actively fighting doom scrolling, and doom watching. On the other hand, I’m numb, and I hope this numbness will work like armor over the next four years. All I can say is to try to find rest and solace where you can.

Lessons from 2024

Before I dive into my usual top of the year antics, I wanted to share some of the important lessons from last year that I’m taking into 2025. In my 2024 recap reel on Instagram, I shared my highs in the video as well as my lows in the caption. From both aspects, here were a few of my takeaways:

On Feeling Lost

🌊 It’s OKAY to feel lost. ⠀⠀

🌊 It’s also okay to not have it all together in your 30s

Real talk, packing up my apartment last April brought on a tsunami of emotions and feelings that I’m honestly still working through. One of the biggest ones is failure. I felt like I’d failed at being a proper adult and it really took a toll on me. Eventually—through chats with friends and loved ones and some very encouraging affirmations, I realized that we’re all just trying to figure life and adulting out in our own way.

On Difficult Feelings

🌊 Peace comes in waves and seasons. Enjoy them while you’re in it. ⠀⠀

🌊 Quit suffering in silence and embrace your found family.

I think my word for last year may have unintentionally pulled some of the negative aspects of being an avoidant out of me. I was so preoccupied with maintaining my peace, that I thought/felt during those low moments that I’d once again failed at something. Not to mention the fact that I didn’t want to burden my close friends. I’ve since realized that that’s foolish…as hell. But it is something I’ll still have to actively work through.

On Truly Embracing Change

🌊 Growing pains are a necessary part of life.⠀

🌊 Say the wild things out loud. Those “wild” things have helped get you to this point so far. ⠀⠀

Not gonna lie, this is one of the main lessons I’m prioritizing this year. I do a pretty good job of convincing myself that I’m great with change. But the truth is, I’m not. At least not really. That in part is due to my controlling tendencies and wanting to steer the ship at all times. However, some of my favorite moments and memories from last year stemmed from spontaneity, change, and believe it or not the discomfort of growing pains.

Practice Gratitude

🌊 Be grateful in and through everything.

During some of those high moments last year, I found that my mind would wander and harp on small minor things that would bring on negative feelings. For a moment, one that may have felt longer than it actually was, I’d experience regret while doing something fun or exciting. Unfortunately, this continued throughout the year. However by the end of December, I realized it was something I wanted and needed to change.

Vision Board & Word for the Year Reveal

I have a confession, I have never created a physical vision board.

Well, that isn’t technically true anymore. In the last week of 2024, a few friends and I had a small vision board party, and it was so much fun. When I first started creating digital vision boards, they were usually a solitary activity. I didn’t realize just how much I’d enjoy chatting about our desires and hopes while looking for images and words or phrases from magazines and on the internet. It was a great moment of reflection, hope, and sisterhood. That being said, I may have accidentally left the board at my sister’s house in Atlanta 😬

I still planned on creating the digital version that same night. I’d already created and completed my board on Pinterest so I just needed to piece it together on Canva.

But I happened upon a post a friend from the book community shared on Threads where she stated that she’d be slowly entering the new year. (I’m paraphrasing) And it clicked. I can take my time with creating this version. The only person who is putting me on this deadline of sorts is me.

Well yesterday, I finally felt inspired and honestly well enough to open the Pinterest app, go straight to my 2025 vision board…board (haha), and start creating. I’m not gonna lie this moment of self care, was just the boost and encouragement I needed after a tumultuous few weeks.

As usual, I started with my word for the year. Wanna guess what it is?

Hint: I’ve mentioned it already in today’s newsletter 👀

Alright, I’ll just tell you lol It’s 🥁

GRATITUDE!

Overall, I’m cautiously excited to see where 2025 takes me and you. What are some of your hopes for the new year? Do you have a word for the year? Tell me all the things below!

Once again we’re at the end of another newsletter and week. I want to truly thank you for taking the time to read my random musings and I’ll catch you in your inboxes soon!

x Kim D Laird