Being true to my Virgo nature, I thrive on goals, planning, and fresh starts.

The New Year is one of my favorite times because not only do I get to plan for the ultimate fresh start (a new year), but I get to assess the progress I’ve made up until that point. I was feeling very hopeful about 2025. I scheduled and implemented my planning sessions. I decided on my intentions. I put systems in place to help me stay committed.

I decided that in 2025, there would be a few key things I’d do to become the next best version of myself. Things like:

• Expanding my overall knowledge
• Monitoring what goes into my body
• Surrounding myself with successful people
• Continuing to focus on self-reflection and inner work
• Doing more of what makes me happy

I hit the ground running on the first of January! To help expand my overall knowledge, I set a goal of reading two books each month. Already, I’ve finished three books within the first few weeks of January! To start monitoring what goes into my body, I began tracking my daily meals and drinks with a fitness app. To surround myself with successful people, I got some email invitations out to have virtual coffee chats with peers.

Not only was I doing things to become a better version of myself, but my business was booming, too! The New Year is always a busy time for my financial coaching company. A lot of people set New Year’s goals and resolutions to improve their budgeting and money management skills, so they seek my services out. The energy was high. The excitement was there. The hope was alive.

Since the start of the year, so much has happened and changed in our country. I try my hardest to avoid letting things I can’t control impact me, but lately it’s been a challenge. I’ve even taken on the hobby of doomscrolling (scrolling through social media posts to stay aware of current events and to find others with similar fears, thoughts, and anxieties).

Struggling to balance feeling grateful for the things I have going on while, at the same time, feeling sadness about the things I can’t control was not in the cards for my vision of 2025. If I’m being honest, I couldn’t feel further away from being my next best self.

However, I have been coming to terms with the fact that, at this point in time and history, becoming my next best self means doubling down on the work I’ve started. I need to get my momentum back. Because, the truth is, if I can continue to improve personally, professionally, and financially, I can help others do the same. Whether that’s being a better service provider in my business, or sharing my story and experiences to empower someone else to take control of their life, or giving myself grace in moments of feeling sad, anxious, or confused.

While the circumstances surrounding my mission to become my next best self have changed since the start of the year, what hasn’t changed is the fact that I still need to complete the mission. I give myself permission to continue to level up and not feel guilty about. This may be the inspiration someone else, feeling the same way I feel, needs to do the same for their life.

If we can improve our own lives, we can improve the lives of those closest to us — our family, our friends, and those in our community.

Here’s to becoming the next best version of ourselves! I’d love to hear what your self-improvement goals are and how you’ve been working to get your New Year’s spark back, even in the midst of all that surrounds. Drop a comment to share!