2025 bingo

A common question we ask and receive at this time of year, especially in the corporate world where small talk is king, might be "any new years resolutions?"

I've never been one to be wholly committed to the "new year, new me" mentality, but I do find the beginning of a calendar year to be an easy check-in time to see if we are accomplishing our goals, remaining aligned to ourselves - an overall status check. 

In the past, I made more broad goals such as "exercise more", "eat healthier", "do your chores in a timely manner". Last year, I knew it was time for a reckoning with myself, and forced myself to make goals geared towards things I wanted to do but had been avoiding for too long because I was afraid of them. Since they had built up in my mind for so long, I had been dwelling on them for so long that they seemed terrifying to overcome, and I was determined to do more and think less.

So how did it go?

I found out that simply telling myself to do the things that scared me without understanding why they scared me was jumping the gun. I also realized that while sharing is good to talk through some points and help others keep me accountable, too many opinions clouded my judgement and led me to decision paralysis. Also, the internal conflict of doing something simply because I wanted to reach my goal, but felt wrong because my heart wasn't in it, was hard to reconcile. 

This year, I knew I wanted to set base goals to add direction to my life, but was unsure of how to achieve said goals. A few nights ago, my former roommate and neighbour dropped by with the Year Compass activity, and it helped capture what I had been telling myself was a really good year, and set the tone for the upcoming one. 

Coupled with a well-timed reel of a yearly bingo card and the beating of SMART goals for the new fiscal year at work, I set in motion my 2025 bingo card. 

Most of the goals on my bingo card are items I have been meaning to do, wanting to do, but have not done in the last couple of years. They aim to add fulfillment and joy to my life, whether it be through trying new things, engaging with friends in a different way, putting myself out of my comfort zone, being more creative, or encouraging more healthy habits. These goals are easy to share with others without inviting criticism and opinions - the goals that didn't make it to my bingo card are more raw and I no longer feel like I require any one else's opinion or societal pressure to get them done.

My overall theme for this year - resilience - the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Resilience refers to the ability to successfully adapt to stressors, maintaining psychological well-being in the face of adversity. It's the ability to “bounce back” from difficult experiences.

Reading the definition helps recentre myself to why and what I am working towards. While last years theme seemed to be "think less, do more", this year is to do the things that scare me, so I can prove to myself that I can be trusted.