2025 Goals
by
R.F. Gammon
- January 06, 2025
Hello everyone! I do this most years--sharing all of my goals for the year to come and wrapping my old ones. But this year it'll be a little different, because I didn't make goals for 2024. I knew it would be a year of intense change and I figured that would be too difficult. I was right.
I can, however, share my 2025 goals and dreams. All of these are a little bit too ambitious and a little too starry-eyed, but I love that kind of dream. What is life without some dreams? So here we are. They're divided by category.
Financial Goals
The real big one, the impossible, the difficult, the hard to say. Either way, let's list 'em.
- Pay off 20% of my student loans: I was blessed to graduate with a relatively small amount of student loans thanks to very hard work for all of high school/college and my parents' good planning. But some loans were still necessary, so I would love to accelerate the process and not be in debt for the whole 20 years my loan company gave me.
- New car: my car is 20 years old or so. This one is slightly less urgent but we shall see.
- Save toward house payment: I love the apartment we're in, but a house is the someday dream. I have an actual number for this, but I won't be sharing it here :)
- Fill emergency fund: Dave Ramsey says $1k is a good starter emergency fund. I'm going beyond that based on a different podcast, Financial Feminist, and aiming for 3x my monthly expenses.
Professional Goals
I'm working a contract job right now and it's not in my chosen field, so upcoming professional development is always on the radar.
- Find a long-term big girl job: I love my current job but it's a little bit...up in the air for security and stability. Lol. I would love to be a little bit more secure and also be able to do a job for the long run.
- Start some form of grad school: is this a long shot? Absolutely. But I'd love to do some amount of a grad certificate or gain a little more professional certification, at minimum. That probably doesn't mean a master's right now, but who can know?
Writerly Goals
Always too ambitious, these. Always. But we'll do it anyway:
- Start querying: the real gap here is not knowing which of my books I'll be querying, but I'm going to do it and I'm going to take it seriously for once in my life. Stay tuned for updates.
- Finish writing 6 books: I have a plan for this, too, but I'm holding it very loosely. My creative cup is very full and the plot bunnies are infinite, so making a dent in this like I would've before college ate my brain would be wonderful.
- Write 3 short stories: I miss writing short stories. I want to practice writing literary fiction. There is an obvious solution for this.
- Enter writing contests: Should do something with this, hmm? Publishing credits would be lovely and also it's just fun to stretch your creative muscles like this.
- Realm Makers 2025: self explanatory, heehee.
Personal/home goals
- Get a second cat: We have one kitten, Steak Knife, yes, but what about second kitten?
- Read 100 books: I read 125 books in 2023 and 153 books in 2024, and that's a lot of reading. I love reading, and I love consuming stories, but I think this year I want to focus more on my output and my craft than consuming story.
- Finish sorting papers: just a little home thing, but if I could get my old files actually put together, I'd be a very happy and put together adult.
- Start volunteering somewhere: I used to volunteer at the library all through high school, and I miss those days.
- Visit 5 national parks: The Husband and I have a goal to visit all 63 parks. I've been to 19 and I fear a few of 2025's will be repeats, but that's okay.
- See 3 concerts: I already have tickets to one and plans for a second. Basically I'm watching all my favorite bands/singers like a hawk at this point waiting for them to announce tour. I will be going and no one can stop me.
- Learn 2 new pieces on piano: I don't play much these days, but I would love to get back into this.
- Start a new hobby: I got back into crochet this year and I've LOVED it. More crochet would be amazing, or something else entirely. We shall see.
Health goals
- Get back to where I was physically: I was very in shape about this time last year and then lost it all. I'd like to build that back up.
- Run a 5k: I have never been a runner, but I love the prospect of the challenge this would be for me. Also, it would help me with habit building and self-discipline, both things I struggle with.
- Deadlift my bodyweight: This is deeply ambitious, but I LOVE weightlifting and it would be so fun to be this strong.
- Learn to cook more pescetarian/vegan meals: I have a lot of dietary restrictions due to health issues, and it would be lovely to be able to cook even more healthy things for myself.
Spiritual Goals
- Read the entire Bible: it has been a very long time since I've done this. I would like to actually commit.
- Memorize 5 psalms: I memorized three Psalms last year, but I've been inspired by an (insane) friend who wants to memorize all 150. We're going to keep going.
- Do more at church: I've had a lot of church hurt and church trauma over the years, but I'd really like to get back to helping at church.
Absolutely too many goals! What are some of yours for the year? Let's share in the comments and try to be accountable!
