Grace Made

Oh hi! It’s been a minute!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday full of rest, community, reflection, praise, and good meals that keep on giving with leftovers for days.

I took a break from writing as I started to dive in to my master’s degree, as I had to practically write 1,000+ word essays every week. Safe to say I lost my love for writing during my free time, when all I did was write during my homework time.

This year, I am motivating myself to find balance and not lose my love of reading and writing because of assignments. As 2024 said goodbye and a blank canvas of 2025 was staring right at me, I thought of some ways to realistically build good habits and reach my goals this year. I may need breaks now and then, and I may not check off every single thing on my daily to-do list; however, it is a more tangible way of measuring my performance and growth. I will be sharing today three activities I am actively doing to start 2025 right!

1. Prayer Board

In contrast to a vision board, a prayer board is a visual for us to pray to God about. I searched for images and words that aligned with my dreams, goals, and aspirations and made a collage of these to look at and pray about. This is a collection of what I want my 2025 to be like in terms of environment and growth. Rather than asking God to fulfill these things like a list to Santa, it is more about aligning your dreams with your faith. Below is the prayer board I created! You can find the link to my Pinterest board here.

My main word for the year is “Consistency“, as it is something I feel like I need to work on to reach my goals.

2. Setting Up My Planner

An item that has helped me every year and I will never not recommend is a planner. This year, I decided to buy an agenda that also includes spreads that will help track my goals and performance. I also wanted to combine it with a hobby I love, which is coloring! One of my favorite YouTubers, Amanda Rach Lee, sells a Doodle Planner that works like a bullet journal, planner, and coloring book. This includes empty space for me to create my own spreads or take notes as well as a mood tracker and habit tracker.

I also love that this planner includes a monthly and weekly spread. I always recommend both if you are using these for more than one purpose (i.e. I use mine for lifestyle, school, and work). So, for my monthly spread I write down any special dates, such as birthdays, as well as appointments, school tests, and any work meetings/events I need to attend. For my weekly spread, I write in any activities I have to do like laundry days, homework, and when I plan to film, edit, and post content (my hope is to have a routine for this!).

Planners are amazing for time management and keeping track of things, so having it all in one cute planner (that I can color during my free time?! amazing stress reliever!) was the best choice I could make.

3. Prioritize Gratitude and Time for Rest

Last but not least, this year I want to designate time to slow down and time to rest and be grateful. In a 100 miles per hour world, it is important to give yourself time to unwind and nurture what you love to avoid burnout. Rest can look different, it is not necessarily sleep. Rest can be painting, singing, writing, gaming, walking – it is anything you love and brings you to those good dopamine levels!

Gratitude is also so, so important. Look back into your past and present and think of all the moments and people you are grateful for. Whenever I am feeling down, I remember that today I am living what my younger self dreamed of. Being grateful is a powerful tool in shifting your mindset from negative to positive. Growth is great, but not if it takes away from your contentment today. Do not forget to live in the now by drowning in your worries for tomorrow!

Matthew 6:34 (NIV) says:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I hope these activities help you as you start your 2025. I wish you an amazing year!

I recently started a YouTube channel! I made a video about this below, check it out!