My Motto for 2025: Follow Your Joy! đ
At the start of each year, I love reflecting on a word, value, or motto that can serve as my guiding light throughout the year. Daniela Blickhan, founder and director of the German Inntal InstituteâGermanyâs renowned institute for Positive Psychologyâexplains that having a motto or a word for the year can often be more motivating than setting only SMART goals. SMART goals, while valuable, can sometimes become discouraging if we donât achieve them as quickly as planned. A motto, on the other hand, can act as a consistent âguiding lightâ throughout the year without adding unnecessary pressure.
This approach is about integrating a little more of what serves you and letting go of what doesnâtâwithout the rigid âall or nothingâ mindset that can lead to frustration. Amy Grilli shares a lovely story that illustrates how âdoing something a little moreâ or âa little lessâ can work beautifully in practice.
While writing my âyear-in-reviewâ blog article as part of the inspiring end-of-year blog challenge organized by Judith Peters, my 2025 motto came to mind naturally: âCherish magical moments every day and take at least one intentional step toward my dreams and goals daily.â
When discussing this with Judith and other bloggers, Judith pointed out that my motto might be a bit long to keep top of mind. So I reflected on a shorter motto, which came to me soon after: âFollow your joy.â It felt so intuitive and perfectly aligned with my intentions for 2025: to listen to my inner voice, embrace authenticity, and pursue what lights up my soul.
So, here I am with two mottos (a short and a long one đ), ready to guide me through 2025. Let me share why this motto feels so meaningful to me and how I plan to bring it to life. Perhaps it will inspire you to reflect on a personal motto for your year as well. â¨
Follow Your Joy: How I Will Bring this Motto to Life in 2025Â
This motto has three key areas of focus for me:
1. Following Joy in My Business Journey
When I started my business, one of my main goals was to create a time- and location-flexible career that would align my family and work priorities. But beyond that, I wanted my work to be meaningfulâsomething that would bring joy to me and to others while contributing, in its own way, to making the world a bit more beautiful.
Of course, not every task in our work life sparks joyâsome things simply need to get done. But over the years, Iâve learned just how important it is to spend the majority of our time and energy on the things that truly light us up. These are the tasks that bring us into a state of flow, where work doesnât feel like work anymore. When we focus on what brings us joy and delegate other tasks to those who enjoy them, we feel fulfilled and energized, operating in our âzone of genius.â
Iâve explored the Japanese concept of ikigai extensively, and I find its interpretations fascinating. Some versions focus on our contributions to the world, while others emphasize daily joy, connection, and living in alignment with core values. Inspired by these perspectives, Iâve created my own concept, IkiYOU, which blends ikigai and positive psychology. I believe ikigai, in its various forms and interpretations, can help us tremendously in following our joyâboth in work and in personal lifeâand I canât wait to share more about this topic very soon!
2. Following Joy in My Daily Life
Last year, I became more familiar with the Human Design framework and discovered that Iâm a generator (4/1 profile). Through sessions with a Human Design coach, I learned that following my joy is essential for my fulfillmentâotherwise, frustration can creep in. This resonated deeply, and I began reflecting on what energizes me versus what drains me.
One piece of advice that stuck with me was to ask myself before committing to anything: âIs this a âhell yesâ for me?â If not, I give myself more time to decide if it truly aligns with my needs and desires. This simple practice has transformed how I make decisions, helping me trust my bodyâs signals over my mindâs logic.
Now, whenever Iâm unsure, I ask myself what feels best and least overwhelming in the moment. This approach has brought more joy into my daily life and made decision-making feel intuitive and fulfilling.
3. Sharing Joy with Family and Friends
Another area where I want to live my motto is with my family and friends. Joy grows when shared and it is something we can cultivate together by asking: What brings each of us joy? How can we create more of these moments? And how can we add a touch of magic to our daily interactions?
In our family, something as simple as hugs brings immense joy (and boosts serotonin and oxytocin! â¤ď¸). We even use a âhug bellâ to remind us to connect physically.
Playfulness and humor also play a big role in our family life. I love writing down the adorable theories my daughters come up with, playing games together, and even reading funny comics with them. These little moments of shared laughter make our days brighter.
As the saying goes, âThe way you live your days is the way you live your life.â Instead of waiting for vacations or special occasions, I want to infuse joy into everyday routines. Whether itâs enjoying a cozy cup of tea in my favorite corner, taking a walk in nature, or snapping photos of beautiful moments, these small acts of joy add up to a life well-lived.
If youâd like to follow along with my journey, feel free to sign up for my free newsletter, Weekly Dose of Joy, which goes out every Thursday. In it, I share ideas, prompts, and tools to help you cultivate and experience joy in everyday life. You can sign up HERE.
For a deeper dive, join my Vision 2025 Workshop on Thursday, January 16th, from 12â2 PM CET. Together, weâll explore what brings you joy, define success on your terms, set meaningful goals, and create a digital vision board to guide you through the year. As a bonus, Iâll also introduce my IkiYOU concept. You can sign up HERE.
One Response
Sounds like you’ve got a great energy for starting the new year! abd what simple but powerful motto!
Looking forward to hearing about it đ
And your book is calling me to read it, too! â¨ď¸