How I'm Starting 2025 With Lessons in Planning, Courage, and Transformation

The start of a new year always brings fresh opportunities to reflect, reset, and plan for what’s ahead. This first week of 2025 gave me the perfect chance to map out my goals. I started with the big-picture objectives—the kind that shape the direction of the year—and then zeroed in on smaller, daily tasks that can easily get lost in the grind of life.

Planning hasn’t always been a priority for me. Back when I worked a salaried job, there wasn’t much need for it. You show up, do your work, contribute, and the cycle repeats. Sure, I’d plan vacations and special occasions, but overall, one year looked much like the last.

Entrepreneurship, however, demands a different approach. To succeed, you have to set clear goals—annually, quarterly, monthly, and even weekly. Without them, it’s like trying to navigate without a map. There’s no way to know where you’re headed or measure your progress.

This is a new skill set for me, as someone who spent most of his adult life in traditional employment. Even when I ran a yoga studio, I didn’t have a real strategy. I was too stubborn—or perhaps too naïve—to seek help. Looking back, it’s easy to see how things might have turned out differently if I had. Instead, the studio became a costly lesson, and when COVID hit, it contributed to my personal bankruptcy.

Now, I’m rebuilding from the ground up. The lessons I’m learning aren’t from business school or textbooks but from real-life experience—the school of hard knocks. I’ve also been fortunate to work with some incredible coaches who’ve guided me with their hard-won wisdom. Their journeys of failure and eventual success have been invaluable to me.

This year, I’m taking a leap of faith. I’ve invested in a new coach and joined an intensive mastermind program. It’s a big commitment—financially, emotionally, and professionally—but I believe it’s exactly what I need. Some might call it bold, others might say reckless, but I see it as necessary.

Over the past six months, everything aligned perfectly to make this possible. I won’t bore you with the details, but the signs were too clear to ignore. I trusted my intuition, leaned on my faith, and took the plunge.

This week also brought a wonderful reminder of why I do what I do. Two former clients reached out to check in. Both had worked with me last year to gain clarity in their careers. Now, they’re in the early stages of new, soul-aligned paths. Seeing their progress filled me with pride and gratitude.

Coaching is a powerful tool for breaking through limiting beliefs, reconnecting with your true self, and finding the courage to take action. Most of us start living on autopilot by our late 30s, and by midlife, we feel a sense of disconnection. Everything might look fine on the surface, but deep down, we know something’s missing. That’s where coaching makes all the difference.

This year, I’m committed to my own growth and to helping others do the same. If you’re feeling stuck—whether in your career or in life—maybe it’s time to take a proactive step.

Let’s make 2025 the year we break free, embrace our potential, and create lives we truly love.