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I am sitting here trying to catch my breath from 2024.
A year of so many downs that I forgot who I was for a moment or two.
A year of so many steps backward that I needed to restart on a few different healing levels.
2024 is coming to a close in a couple of days and I am here, holding my breath, hoping that 2025 is going to bring more ups than downs and more steps forward than backward.
A REVIEW OF 2024
For 2024, I chose the word, Impact. I wanted to make an impact on those around me and on those who don’t know me. I am not sure that I lived up to my word for 2024. I think that 2024 wanted to make an impact on me and it has.
I won’t go into too much detail as there are things in my life that I can’t share and that I am not yet ready to share. I will say this, I have had to look at healing in a new way. Knowing that the way that I heal doesn’t mean that it is the way that someone I love will heal.
We are building space for healing, for growth, and for a way for us to move forward and learn how to not only be happy, but to be content. To know that who we are in this moment, is enough. To know that the struggles we are going through are meant to be shared with those who love us and are there for us.
2024 has brought in a new sense of self. It has given me the power to truly reflect on who I want to be and where I want to go. There are things that need to change in my life and it is truly scary when I think about all that is coming up for me and the places I am going in 2025.
Not scary in a bad way but scary because I don’t have all the answers. I like knowing the answers. I like knowing where I am going. It keeps me safe as it does with most people, but I know that for things to change and for things to take a GIANT leap forward, I need to say YES to myself.
And so here I am, saying yes to myself in a way that terrifies me. In a way, I don’t always know how I am going to make something work or even how I am going to reach a goal.
I had a clear vision. A life plan for the next five years that I thought was the ONLY option that I had. That there was only one way to reach my “final destination’. It turns out that when you listen to those around you who have beautiful gifts to share, your life plan may change.
There may be a different path that you can take to reach that life plan.
I want to give a shout-out to Gina Brogan, who is doing this incredible five-day training, 2025: Your Most Magical Year Ever!
I have not been able to attend the training live but I have watched every replay and have done the homework and damn, the writing is pouring out of me. I struggled with writing in 2024 and almost walked away from blogging because I was so stuck in my head.
This beautiful training has lit a fire inside of me and I can’t wait to see what I am going to burn down in order to rebuild even more magic in my life. I started writing this blog post this afternoon with a clear plan for 2025. That was a few hours ago and now as I am writing this, I don’t know what the plan is anymore.
I just know that I am here, figuring it out as I go and giving myself the freedom to discover the process. I am going to dive into different opportunities to see if they can take me to that BIG overall life picture that I can imagine. That hasn’t changed. The outcome has remained the same. However, the journey to that outcome is changing and that is what I am working towards in 2025.
I do want to share with you the goals that I am working towards in 2025. I plan on posting monthly updates and breaking down what I will be working on to reach those goals month by month.
STEPPING INTO MY POWER: MY GOALS FOR 2025
You ever feel like you are sitting on the sideline of your own life?
Watching everything move on past and you are powerless to change it?
Like life knows that you aren’t ready to be in the starting line up and so it just continues to move without you. The little tugs that you feel, you ignore and pretend aren’t there and so you sit on that bench and watch your life go by.
That was my 2024.
I was frozen.
I didn’t know how to get off the sidelines. I didn’t know how to move forward and felt like the only direction I was moving was backward. I sat there and just watched as the days passed by, pretending that I knew what I was doing.
It’s a lonely place to be. No one wants to be sitting on the sideline of their own life.
And so, here I am, taking bold action for my life and my goals in 2025. There is no more sitting on the sideline. There is no more being a statue in my own life.
Goal #1: Save $2,000 in my TFSA
In 2025, I am going to focus on my finances. I feel like this is the year that I can take my finances to the next level. Back in October of 2024, I read a really good finance book called Deeper Than Money by Chloe Elise.
It was about more than just money. It was about changing your mindset, gaining confidence, all without having to sacrifice who you are. Throughout this book, there were different challenges to do and so I did them. One of them was printing out your bank statements and going through them all. And let me tell you, that was EYE OPENING!!
So here I am, changing my ways and getting clear on the savings that I want to have.
$2,000 in one year means that I am saving about $170 per month. And so this is me, putting this as my number one goal for the year.
Goal #2: Sell 300 copies of my books
I want to sell 100 copies of each of my books including my two poetry books and my short erotica stories. This means to sell 300 copies in 2025, I need to sell 25 books per month.
THAT IS TOTALLY DOABLE!!!
I want to share my words with friends, family, and complete strangers. Part of who I am is an author and that means that I need to get my books out into the world. I am working on how I can do that but I am here to showcase healing in a way that brings it to everyone. Through poetry and erotica books.
If you would like to get your copy of any of my books, you can grab them here: Meraki Pages, Until We Speak, and Bound By Desire.
Goal #3: Finish my full-length erotica novel
I am part of a group that is for spicy books. What I am finding is that a lot of these books have triggers that I don’t enjoy. This isn’t saying that others can’t enjoy them but they aren’t for me.
I want to create an erotica book that showcases healing after sexual assault but shows the real side of romance, seduction, and everything in between.
And so I have started writing it. My goal is to write at least 500 words a day.
Goal #4: Lose 40 pounds
I don’t like creating goals around my body. I love my body and it has taken me years to say that. However, in 2024 I joined a gym and I am ready to take my workouts to the next level. Creating this goal is giving me the freedom to move my body, nourish my body, and create a workout routine that I am going to enjoy.
Every month, I will create a new workout routine. I will share my routine for January once I break down what I am going to do in January, later in this blog post.
Goal #5: Work towards my forever career
This is the part of my life that I thought I had finally made a plan for, but as I am writing this, I am not sure where it is going to take me. I know what I want to do and I am currently working on how to get there.
I am looking into my options right now and I will share with everyone once I have an idea of what I am going to do. I am excited about this journey and to see what is going to work and what isn’t.
Goal #6: Get my blogging insights up to 2,000 views per month
Now that I am blogging again,I am ready to get my visitors back up. I know that it is going to take a lot of work but I am so excited to get started again.
I am basically starting over from scratch and so I will be publishing a new blog post weekly and getting back into a routine of blogging and sharing.
For 2025, I am choosing the word, Emerge.
For me, emerge means stepping into who I am supposed to be. Allowing myself to fully emerge from the shadows and say yes to who I want to be.
For me, emerge means showcasing my real talents. Putting myself out there for the world to see and get to know on an even deeper level. There is no more hiding in 2025.
For me, emerge means to discover where my life is going. Giving myself a chance to listen and learn from the inner voice that is always talking to me.
LAYING THE FOUNDATION: MY JANUARY PLAN TO STEP INTO MY POWER
Now that I have listed my yearly goals, it is time to break down what I am going to do in January to start my path to reach them.
I have taken a blank notebook and turned it into a place to keep track of all that I am working towards.
On the first page, I have listed the goals that I am working towards in January, expenses for January that are not bills, books that I want to read, and rooms that I want to declutter.
A few additional goals that I am working on in January include:
Pay for 1-2 university classes.
Save $100 for Quinton for university.
Read 2 books.
Eat out only twice.
The books that I are currently on my reading list for January are:
The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville. This was a Christmas gift from Iliza.
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith. This was a Christmas gift from Iliza.
The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel VanDer Kolk, M.D.
Think Again by Adam Grant
The Myth Of Normal by Dr. Gabor Maté
I have a page in my notebook that is dedicated to writing out a gratitude list. I will write 2-3 things that I am grateful for every day.
I have a page in my notebook that is dedicated to keeping track of my daily steps. I am trying to walk at least 10,000 steps a day.
I also have a page in my notebook that is dedicated to restaurants in the Calgary area that we want to try. Since I only want to eat out twice a month, I want to try new restaurants with my family.
The last page that I have in my notebook is dedicated to keeping track of the amount of words that I write every day.
Let’s dive into the smaller steps that I am taking towards my BIG yearly goals.
I will be putting $170 into my TFSA.
To help sell 25 books for this month, I will share it everywhere I can. Showcasing it on my social media platforms, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. I will also be looking into different markets that I can do to put myself out there.
I will write at least 500 words per day on my full-length erotica novel. I will write around 8:30 p.m. every night, once I put Iliza to sleep.
I will publish four new blog posts in January and am in the process of planning the content.
I will be more active in some different blogging groups that will help me get the ball rolling to getting new readers on my site.
I will be working out every day. Here is my schedule for working out. For my at-home workouts, I use @fitness_momness on IG. My sister totally got me hooked on her workouts.
1. At-home leg workout
2. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
3. Yoga
4. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
5. At-home arm workout
6. Cardio 40 minutes and weights
7. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
8. At-home ab workout
9. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
10. Yoga
11. Cardio 30 minutes and weight with Annie
12. At-home leg workout
13. Cardio 40 minutes and weights
14. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
15. At-home arm workout
16. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
17. Yoga
18. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
19. At-home ab workout
20. Cardio 40 minutes and weights
21. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
22. At-home leg workout
23. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
24. Yoga
25. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
26. At-home arm workout
27. Cardio 40 minutes and weights
28. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
29. At-home ab workout
30. Cardio 30 minutes and weights with Annie
31. Yoga
2025 is going to be the year that I fully step into who I am and emerge as an even more beautiful Samantha.
What goals are you working towards in 2025?
Do you pick a word of the year? What is the word that you chose?
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