And we stroll gently into 2025
With zero New Years resolutions and goals (+ my word of the year)
For years, I’d cherished the time between Christmas and New Year's. It was quiet and peaceful. I’d carve out solitude to reflect, set goals, and envision the future in detail. Even if I didn’t take time off, there was a natural lull when no one wanted to respond to another email or Slack message. That week gave me the space to set another round of ambitious goals for the year, like earning a promotion, betting my husband that I could read over 75 books in a year (the number of unread books on my bookshelf, I won 😏), or establish an elaborate morning routine. Every year, I set my eyes on the horizon with a desire to build an ambitious, successful life.
Those were the years I had habit trackers and SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable, and time-bound). I broke my BHAGs (big, hairy, audacious goals) into project plans with measurable steps. I achieved. I jumped industries from finance to tech and achieved again. I didn’t conquer every goal I set during those vision-setting weeks, but I did build a life and career that I was, and still am, proud of.
Yet, today, in this season, merely reflecting on those years, the goals, and the nonstop sprint brings a wave of exhaustion. During that time, I couldn't slow down, even if I tried. Even after the year when I traveled for 45 weeks for work, hired a national team, got married, and limped to the end of the year, I couldn’t pump the breaks.
I knew that I needed rest. So, I did what I only knew how to do— set equally ambitious goals to rest. 🫣I’d tell myself I’ll just rest harder! I’ll be the most efficient and effective person at resting. I would add more steps and fixes (meditation, breathing, more social events, yoga, etc.) into my life rather than simplifying and reducing. No version of me could understand that it’s possible to do more with less.
The season I am in
Lately, I’ve embraced viewing my life through the lens of seasons, that each period of life, good or bad, will always come to an end. The seasons are as natural as breathing; you can do nothing to stop them from changing. In this framing, I’ve found solace and resiliency for navigating life's more challenging phases, like figuring out my career in a new country or seemingly endless toddler tantrums. These seasons won’t last forever, just like the ones you so deeply cherish and want to grab onto with both hands, never to let the moment slip through your fingers.
My twenties were the season when I built my career, developed friendships and relationships, and explored different paths that life had to offer. But this season of my life is full of noise and chaos emanating from my preschooler and toddler (zero, and I mean zero, peace and quiet), and I am building a life in a foreign country. I don’t want to set ambitious goals. I want to slow down, be present, and intentionally navigate this season. I want to stop resisting this phase of life and motherhood and instead embrace the beauty of impermanence.
I’ll stroll gently into this new year.
Reflecting on what’s to come

Don’t get me wrong, I can’t quit the annual tradition of reflecting and daydreaming of what’s to come. But I am going about it in a much different way. This year, I won’t walk away with a laundry list of things to do. Instead, I’m taking a moment, embracing where I am today.
As I look forward, I focus on ensuring my body and soul are aligned, shoulders squared, and in lockstep as I take a deep breath and stroll into this next year.
This more gentle and simple approach is no less powerful - to check in, be present, and assess if your life's actions, thoughts, and direction are aligned with your vision.
Enter: Word of the Year
I am a Word of the Year junkie. I can’t quit it. It’s been a constant companion of mine for a decade now. Initially, I started off this practice with a party with friends to paint our words and ring in the new year. Then, I’d head home and draft a long, elaborate list of measurable goals embodying that vision.
Over the past few years, I’ve simplified this process to meet the season I’m in. I’m still picking a word this year. I am still listening to the whispers of the horizon I should set my eyes upon. But I’m doing it in a way that’s a bit more sustainable for me.
A decade of words:
Reflecting on this journey is such a beautiful time every year. It’s so fun to look back and see how my selected words evolved and set the stage for each year. Maybe it will give you a little inspiration!
2016: Vitality – The year I got married. Also, this year, I traveled 45 weeks for my job, including the nine weeks before my wedding in Phoenix. I needed all the energy I could get my hands on.
2017: Breathe – What do you need after an unbelievably chaotic year? To breathe. That’s exactly what I focused on.
2018: Wonder—I hated my job. It was the slow demise of a career I never wanted. I needed spark and lightness, the whimsy of dreaming and wonder.
2019: Rise – My first fill year at Amazon, and I was dead-set on kicking ass and leveling up. It worked. I earned my promotion and was pregnant by the end of the year.
2020: Embrace – To embrace my son, who was born that July. I wanted to embrace the change I knew was coming and the control I knew I’d need to give up as a new mom. Little did I know the shit show I’d need to embrace that year.
2021: Centered – What do you need after the most chaotic, anxiety-ridden, uprooting year? To be centered. To be rooted and grounded.
2022: Become – Did I follow Michelle Obama’s inspiration with this one? 100% yes. But also, I knew in my bones that I needed significant change in my life. To do that, I needed to become the next version of myself.
2023: Nourish—If this year has been about one thing, it’s returning to taking care of myself—to nourish my physical body, soul, spirit, and personhood. Was I also dreaming about the bowls of pasta I’d eat in Italy? Absolutely.
2024: Delight – Brightness, joy, and optimism aren’t typically words I’d use to describe myself. But it’s also something I’m craving lately – to delight in the moments, both big and small, of this circus we call life. FWIW, out of every word on this list, Delight was the most challenging to embody.
If you’ve never picked a Word of the Year and are curious about my simple process, check out last year’s post.
My word for 2025: CULTIVATE

This year, as I dug into what I was craving and needed, it was a deep, intentional focus on a few areas of my life. This isn’t the year to be scattered. It’s the year to invest and be strategic with my limited time and energy. It could be my family’s farming roots, but I love the image of cultivating the land, sowing the seeds, and reaping the harvest after focused, small steps every single day.
In 2025, my word is all about cultivating deep relationships and community, cultivating a writing practice here on Substack, and taking small daily steps to achieve my long-term visions. This year isn’t about the sprint or fast results. It’s about staying committed to the vision I cannot see today.
Here’s to cultivating abundance in 2025!
Until next time,
✨What about you? How do you approach the turning of the calendar? Do you set New Year’s resolutions? Have you already picked a word for this year? Let’s chat in the comments!
If you’re new to A Traveled Table, welcome! Over here, I write about life abroad in Paris, banishing burnout, intentional living, and delicious food.
If you want to explore more, here are my most popular posts of 2024:
P.S. This post was supposed to go out the week between Christmas and the New Year, but after a round of the flu, visitors in town, and altitude sickness, I really am embracing strolling into 2025 gently. I hope you’re giving yourself the space to do the same!
As a former manager, the mention of SMART goals was triggering, haha. 😝
But seriously, a very thoughtful post. The word that keeps bubbling to the surface of my consciousness is ‘flow’ so I think that’s going to be my word. After spending time learning and building and adapting, I am ready to just get into the flow of life and let my creative energy lead me.
I love that you chose Cultivate! That was my word of the year in 2023! This year my word is "abundance" - an abundance of love, joy, strength, and wisdom (and hopefully work too haha).