Goals for 2025 – The Stripe
I’m moving slowly and am only just now setting my goals for the year ahead. I’ve decided that the first two weeks of January didn’t count; maybe we’ll add another week to that with the inauguration! It’s been a really rough start to the year. Regardless, ever the eldest daughter/wanna-be Virgo, goal setting is an exercise I really enjoy. Sitting down, being strategic, and thinking about what I want my year to look like.
I always break things down between business and persona, but I also added some Q1 specific goals, as well as some quantifiable numbers.
PS – My goals for 2024. I would say I actually did pretty well with them!
Q1 goals
Habit Tracking
At my Instagram audience’s recommendation, I downloaded the Habits app (it’s the pink one with the checkmark), and I really like it. Simple and straightforward. You track daily and weekly habits. Mine are:
- Daily walks
- Daily yoga and/or stretching (even just ten minutes)
- Get dressed every day, even just jeans and a tee
- More alcohol-free days than alcohol days
- Using my LED mask daily
- Bedtime skincare
- Bedtime magnesium drink
- Weekly: whiten teeth
Take 3 group fitness classes per week.
I am good about walking and taking little at-home classes, but I push myself harder in group fitness classes. I am really focused on getting stronger and more flexible, so taking weight training + yoga classes is the goal. I want to get STRONG!
A winter glow-up.
This is superficial, but I’m going to be a little bit vulnerable and say that I have been feeling so blah about how I look. I want to age gracefully, but I also want to be my best self, and I do not feel like my best self right now. I caved and got Botox (after a 2 year break) last week. Honestly, I am so happy I did. She was conservative, and for me it is less about the fine lines (I like having a few fine lines!) and more about picking my eyebrows.
I would like to tone up and lose inches around my middle (the hardest, at this age!). I’m really focused on eating protein, working out hard a few days a week, and cutting out booze/sugar/carbs. That being said, I will always love a bagel, a glass of red wine, pasta. Moderation + lots of movement.
Besides Botox and improving my diet, I want to try micro-needling this year. I also want to remember two of the easiest quick fixes: self-tanning and teeth-whitening. These are two tiny fixes whenever I feel blah. And using my sauna blanket. The best!
Buy myself flowers every week (or week-ish!)
Flowers are my favorite treat. More than any shopping thing, more than any beauty product. They make the house feel so beautiful. My friend Lily opened up a beautiful flower shop. My favorite afternoon treat is to take a walk over there and pick up a pretty little bundle.
Personal Goals
Cook + Entertain more.
I love cooking. It took me til my forties (and honestly, living in a non-New York kitchen/having a dishwasher and space!) but I love it. I want to do more of it. I want to cook beautiful meals for myself and my boyfriend, and have people over more. I do a lot of family dinners but I want to cook for my friends more. I love setting a pretty table, planning out a menu, and–the thrill of trying something new (and ideally, succeeding at it).
Lower my screen time
This is where I feel like my job is at odds with how I want to live my life (and one of the reasons I’ve taken to Substack). I do not like feeling tethered to my phone, and I do not like feeling “always on,” hyper-connected. I am actively working at finding a balance between doing my job and minimizing my screen time. Easier said than done.
SAVE MONEY
I am generally a pretty good saver but was badly behaved at the end of the year (shopping-wise). I need to buckle down on spending. I will never be a no-spend kind of gal, that’s just not realistic for my business and I love shopping BUT I was being a little bit reckless at the end of 2024. I had my best month of work every month in November, but I also spent a lot of money, and I wish I had saved more. I never ever regret saving and making my money work for me, whereas I have plenty of purchase I’ve regretted.
Read at least one challenging book per month.
Last year, my goal was to read more non-fiction. I did that! I am in a good groove with non-fiction, really thanks to Audible. But I’d like to read more literary classics, more “important” books . . . yeah, I know that may sound cringe, but they are considered “important” for a reason! I’d like to continue chipping away at this list. Reading is generally how I unplug and unwind and my book lists will always skew more contemporary fiction and thrillers but I’m setting a goal to read at least one more challenging book every month. Even if that means reading less–I’m cool with it!
Professional goals
Substack
For the first time ever, I am prioritizing something over the blog. (The blog is still important, don’t worry!) and that is Substack. Substack is my number one priority this year, business-wise (aside from my semi-embarrassing goal of “doing something big.” Why? Because it is harder and harder to get people to type in www.thestripe.com every day. It’s better to be in someone’s inbox. When I send an email out, it goes to 53,000 people. When I post to the blog, I’m lucky if 10,000 people read a post. It’s about the numbers. Plus, Substack’s tools make it easier to grow. While yes, this is technically another platform I don’t own, I do back up my email list every month so I do own those email addresses and migrate to another platform if things went wrong.
Reunite with my ambition.
I can’t think of a more eloquent way to say this. I work a lot, and I’ve been working harder at my craft (working with an editor for my writing, etc) but I haven’t been very strategic. I want to be more thoughtful. Maybe shake things up a little bit. I work a lot, but I could be working smarter.
I want to be (a little) better at networking. One thing I loved about the podcast was the networking element, not by attending a networking event but by interviewing guests. I am thinking about ways to do something similar on my Substack. I’d also like to grow my audiences on Instagram and Substack. Substack will be my biggest priority this year, work-wise.
Do something (or at least start something) “big.”
I want to do–or start–something “big” this year. I’m sorry this goal is so vague. I promise it’s not because I’m keeping a secret; I just have this urge to do something new and exciting (and no idea what that will be!). Outside of my usual blog/Substack/social media stuff — I’m just not sure what. Maybe a book? Maybe something else? IDK! I have a million ideas for books I’d love to write, but I am all ideas and no action. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten really clear on my priorities and what I don’t like (and don’t like) doing. I’ve made the space. Now, what?
I know what I don’t want to do. I don’t want to be a podcaster or do live events (I tried those, but it’s not my thing). I don’t want to host brand events or do product collaborations with brands (also not for me, as these things are too stressful and/or draining). I just have to figure out what this is. And maybe that’s the goal for the year. Just figuring out that “big” thing and starting on it in a serious way.
Be more intentional.
This was a goal last year as well. Someone once told me, “If it doesn’t bring you joy, pay the bills, or teach you something new… why bother?” I try to think about this little checklist when saying yes to anything I do, be it accepting something new or continuing with something I am no longer enjoying. I am ruthless with my time and energy, and I really take a critical look at everything!
Quantifiable goals.
Because numbers are nice.
- 65,000 followers on Substack. I am at 53,000. This means about 1k new subs per month; this goal feels scary but I think I can do it!
- 200,000 followers on Instagram. I’m at 198k right now but it feels like an uphill battle to grow. I want to hit this number by the end of Q1 (end of March). I do not care that much about growing my account (I’d rather have the “right” followers than a lot of followers) but I have been so close to this number for so long; it’s killing me a little!).
- Lift weights at least 2 days a week + take at least one other exercise class.
- Read 90 books. I read 102 books in 2024 but usually average around 85. I think 90 is a good number.
What do you want to do this year? Would love to hear your goals in the comments section.