2025: Big Goals, Big Baby, and Balancing It All
New year, new me. Anyone else overwhelmed this time of year with all of the time to really think / get lost in your own thoughts? I have definitely done some form of resolutions over the past several years and generally if they’re like “be healthy” I have done fine on those, but I’ve had this pesky “learn guitar” on my list for 8+ years running and you know what I think I’m at the point where I’m willing to admit defeat (for now). I have stopped/started so many times and just can’t get over the plateau into the place where I’m having fun/ joy is being “sparked.” Onto KEYBOARD instead! (You may say maybe just don’t do an instrument Kristin? But I love music, so I will keep trying. Don’t @ me.)
Anyway, I wanted to take a tiny bit of time to share my goals for the year, and also sprinkle in some tips that I have learned over the years about realistic goal setting.
Goal setting with intention
Jesse Itzler, entrepreneur and co-founder of Marquis Jet (sold to Berkshire Hathaway) and Zico Coconut Water (acquired by Coca-Cola), has been all over my feed so I’ve definitely been drinking his Koolaid. I do like his general approach of just being more thoughtful about your annual planning. Good things don’t always just fall into your lap—you have to plan for them and actually schedule them into your calendar to make time for what matters.
I did not end up buying his “Big A## Calendar” that has been marketed everywhere (my house is too small and I have no “personal” room to hide such a large, unsightly calendar), so for now I’m starting super simple - just created a google sheet with columns for each month, and am filling in mini-adventures I’d like to go on (somewhere snowy with the kids in February, dad’s 65th birthday trip somewhere TBD in April, girls trip to Montana in October, etc) and important dates/events - e.g. the due date of my 3rd child, planned maternity leave, etc.
Defining a single theme
The other thing he suggests is to choose 1 large theme that will define your year. He calls it Misogi and describes it as “an ancient Japanese ritual around cleansing and purification. We've taken the liberty to stretch the true meaning, and to us it represents a unique and challenging event that defines your year. It requires a journey of self-discovery and transformation, pushing one's physical and mental limits to achieve a seemingly impossible goal. One thing that gives you purpose and cleanses the soul when completed.”
So if you get absolutely nothing else done for the year, you’ll still be able to say “that was the year I did xx.” For me, my full brainstormed list in terms of how I want to be able to describe 2025 included:
started my side hustle
learned how to make music
started a community (book club/game club/LA mom athletes/product peeps)
had my 3rd baby
became a creator
My selected Misogi is “started my side hustle.” (3rd baby is happening whether I select it or not. :) )
Why the side hustle?
Because I want financial freedom - and within the next 10 years. I want to work because it brings me joy - not because I HAVE TO in order to provide for our family. And I recognize that honestly one of the only few ways to truly gain financial freedom is to start / own your own thing. The other way would be to be born into a very wealthy family but unfortunately neither my husband nor I won that specific birth jackpot.
Now, when it comes to starting my side hustle, I want to start something that requires extremely minimal capital to start and I want it to grow without needing to keep pumping it with money / people. I definitely don’t want to start a company that will require VC funding because I don’t want that kind of pressure in my life. I want to build something profitable that grows quickly and is stable and gives me the freedom / flexibility I want and also helps our family gain real wealth. Is that really so much to ask?
Other goals for 2025
Of course, I still have other goals. I always want to:
Be healthy - work out, eat well
Improve my relationships
Tap more into my musical side (I joined an LA community choir L O L),
But I’m trying not to overload myself. As we say in product, prioritize ruthlessly! So if all else fails, 2025 will be the year I started my side hustle.
(And, of course, the year I had my 3rd baby. We definitely won’t forget that one.)