My New Years Resolutions for 2025

2024 is coming to an end, and each year seems to fly by faster and faster! This year marked a huge transition for me—I moved back home, wrapped up my time in France, and officially entered the wedding prep era of my life. I started navigating long distance with my fiancé, landed a job that I absolutely love, and had to rebuild my circle of friends from scratch.

Looking back, I realize that the version of me who set those resolutions last year feels so different from the me sitting here today. A lot has changed, and I’ve grown in ways I didn’t anticipate. That said, let’s dive into why this year wasn’t exactly the most successful when it comes to resolutions—and why I’m okay with that.

(What I did and didn't accomplish)

⚠️ A work in progress
⭕ Success!
❌ Fail

⚠️ Reach A2 Level in Spanish 

I don’t know what it is about learning Spanish that puts me in a chokehold time and time again, but this resolution was a bust for me. The first three months of the year were really strong—I was studying for about an hour or two a day using a variety of apps, books, and resources. But somewhere along the way, I lost motivation. I realized I was studying out of obligation, not because I was actually enjoying the process.

There’s a lot of pressure from my background and surroundings to be “good” at Spanish. It’s something that bothers me because it’s such a big part of my culture and heritage. But at this point, I have to accept that I can’t force Spanish into my brain.

For context, I’ve taken some A2-level tests, and they’ve evaluated my comprehension to be A2 or above. I already knew that, though—I’m a heritage speaker. Maybe I’ll come back to this goal in the future, but for now, I’m putting Spanish on the backburner. Forcing myself to learn only creates an unfortunate cycle of guilt, and it’s not productive. Honestly, I’m already trilingual, so I’m choosing not to push myself or feel guilty that learning a fourth language has hit some speed bumps.

⭕ Start tracking my finances 

I used a manual tracker for the first half of the year, but I eventually got frustrated with how tedious the input process was. I ended up switching back to my banking app as my main way of tracking what’s coming in and going out. That said, I’ve been very on top of my finances this year—I’ve been rebuilding my savings and checking my app at least three times a week. I’m happy to mark this as completed!

❌ Stop biting my lips 

This was the one goal I wanted to stick to the most, but unfortunately, I failed. That said, I’ll give myself some credit: I’m biting my lips significantly less than last year. It’s still a habit, though, and breaking it will definitely take more time. The good news is, I’m very conscious of it now, which feels like a step in the right direction.

❌ Complete a sewing project with my Mom 

Sadly, I didn’t succeed with this one either. I moved back to America at the end of April, so realistically, I only gave myself half the year to start and finish this project. On top of that, I underestimated how busy my schedule would be with starting a new job—and my mom’s schedule is packed too, as she works full-time while also caring for my grandmother full-time.

This is definitely something I still want to tackle in the future. We already have the fabric and patterns waiting for us in the attic! Maybe I’ll revisit it after my wedding.

2025 Goals and Resolutions:

Digitize my wardrobe

Some of my friends reading this might be tilting their heads and thinking, "Didn’t you already do that?" Back in 2019, I downloaded a virtual closet app to help keep track of my wardrobe and calculate the cost per wear for my pieces. I added a lot of my clothing at the time but didn’t get around to uploading my entire closet. As a result, I ended up using the app halfheartedly for a while.

The app was one of the first to use AI for outfit styling, but in 2019, the tech was a little too premature to be effective. Coordinating outfits wasn’t as seamless as I’d hoped, so the app eventually fell into my iPhone storage graveyard.

Since 2022, however, my style has changed dramatically, and I’m ready to take on this project again—this time with my revamped wardrobe. Digitizing my closet will help me identify what I need (and don’t need) and, hopefully, curb purchases that perhaps I don't desperately need (looking at you, early 1960s cocktail dresses that I love so much).

Pay off my wedding

This is less of a resolution and more of a declaration: I want to pay off my wedding in full this year. My goal is to cover my share without carrying any debt from the ceremony. Guillaume and I each have a portion we’re responsible for, and my parents have generously agreed to front the money so we can pay them back in installments.

I’m determined to pay the remaining balance of the reception costs without completely draining my bank account. This is my main financial goal for the year!

Learn to do my own nails

It’s no secret that I love getting my nails done. Anyone who follows me on Instagram knows that every two and a half weeks, I post a story showing off my latest set. I adored my nail girl in Paris, and since moving back home, I’ve been doing my own nails—but they’ve never lasted as long as when she did them.

Recently, my mom recommended a local salon, and I’ve been going there for the past two months. While they do a great job and are very sweet, the cost is just too high for me to justify—$70 a month for nail upkeep is not something I’m comfortable with.

This year, I want to learn how to do my nails properly so they last, look good, and can be changed at will. Plus, it’ll save me a significant amount of money in the long run. To me, getting your nails done at a salon should be like getting your hair done: a special treat for big occasions when you want to feel pampered, not a regular expense.

Write 50,000 words

I’ve been a fanfiction reader my entire life, and over the years, I’ve dabbled in writing too. I vividly remember being no more than 13 years old, hand-writing a fanfiction in a tiny magnetic-closure notebook, the pages filled with scribbles in various pen colors and pencils. Publishing online isn’t exactly new to me, either—I was writing on Wattpad the year it launched and even had a moderately popular story. Of course, teenage me eventually scrubbed it from the internet in embarrassment.

I didn’t think I’d ever publish again, but in mid-2023, I fell headfirst back into the fanfiction scene. By 2024, I decided to be brave and start drafting ideas in my notes app. I jotted down chapter outlines and anything that popped into my head. My recent trip to Bermuda gave me plenty of time to brainstorm, and before I knew it, I had outlined an entire 14-chapter story from start to finish.

Since then, I’ve joined a Discord writing community, made new friends, and even started drafting two more stories. I can't believe it took me so long to get back into writing like this, but it feels amazing and I have no plans of stopping. In 2025, my goal is to write and publish 50,000 words! I'm setting my goal at 50,000 but I'll be even happier if I can surpass that. 

You might notice that this year I’m not setting a language-learning goal—something that’s been a constant in my resolutions series since I started doing this back in 2017. This time, I’ve decided not to focus on any specific language. Instead, I’m giving myself the freedom to learn without any pressure.

Lately, I’ve been casually exploring Swahili during my downtime at work, and I’ve become really fascinated with the language. But for now, I don’t want to set any concrete goals. I just want to enjoy the journey and see if anything becomes of it! :)