A quarterly review of my 2025 goals

I’m utterly shocked that we’re already a quarter of the way through 2025. It feels like I only just got back from Geneva whilst also feeling like I was never gone. At the end of last year, I reflected on what I wanted to achieve this year and I posted an article about it. As is often the case, though, I’ve realised that my goals for the year are already beginning to change due to an unexpected shift in direction. For example, one of my original goals was to travel to 5 countries, which is no longer feasible since I decided against completing my year abroad. My language targets have also changed because of my uncertainty about my next step after graduation. This article will be structured similarly to that original post about my goals for 2025, but it’s now going to be a review of the year so far to see what’s changed.

To start with, here are some good things I’ve done so far:

1. Some might argue against this being a ‘good’ thing, but I decided not to study in Austria for the second part of my year abroad. I’ve had people applaud me for having the courage to admit I was struggling and for making such a big decision to prioritise my mental health. While it didn’t feel brave at the time, I’m glad I made this choice for myself because I’ve been feeling much better with the stability.
2. My mental health is improving. I’m still not ‘there’ yet, but my anxiety has largely decreased since I was in Geneva. I’m not exactly sure what changed, but I think it’s partially down to being around my loved ones and not being so trapped in my head.
3. I’ve started a new job. I knew that when I decided against going to Austria, I needed to do something with my free time; having too much of it means I end up ruminating in my anxiety. I thankfully landed myself an admin job after a few weeks of searching, and I’m enjoying it so far. It’s giving me office experience that will benefit me in future job roles.
4. I’ve read 6 books. I created a habit tracker in my journal where I highlight each day that I read (among other habits), and I’ve managed to read on the vast majority of days this year. I’m proud of that because I’ve always said I wanted to read more and 2025 is the year I’m finally doing it. I have a system of alternating between reading a fiction and a non-fiction book; most of the books on my list are non-fiction, but I don’t want to overwhelm myself by only reading those. I’m definitely on track to reaching my goal of 20 books this year.

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I wouldn’t say I’ve exactly been on any ‘crazy adventures’ so far, but I’m proud of my progress. My anxiety is trying to tell me that “These things aren’t even hard. Your list is full of boring stuff that anyone could do,” but I’m trying to focus on things that are big steps for me. I’m prioritising achievements that are beneficial for me. I’ve spent so much of my life as a people-pleaser and doing things I believe will impress others, but I’m starting to realise I shouldn’t waste my limited time on Earth living for others. I’m not saying I’m going to be selfish, of course not, but I’m actively choosing to put myself first and worrying less about what others are thinking or doing.

Now, my original new year’s resolutions were to do 10,000 steps every day, yoga every day, read an article in French and German every day, and to work on my self-love. I quickly got bored of the yoga because I found it too slow so I’ve abandoned this. Maybe I should try doing pilates or something with more intensity instead. However, I’ve been doing my 10,000 steps almost daily, so I’d say I’m still keeping active. I’ve also stopped reading articles for language practice, but I know I need to implement something to maintain my French.

With all that in mind, here is an updated list of my resolutions – now better described as my ’second quarter-year resolutions’:

1. 10,000 steps every day – I like doing this for several reasons. It saves me money on petrol because I now walk to the shop instead of driving, and it gives me chance to explore my surroundings. I’ve discovered a few lovely nature walks within walking distance of my house that I didn’t even know about!
2. Read every day – I’ve been doing this all year anyway and it’s definitely something I want to keep up for the foreseeable. It’s a nice break from mindlessly scrolling Tiktok, and I actually learn things from it.
3. Listen to a French podcast daily – I’ve been neglecting my language learning when I shouldn’t be. I want to maximise my chances of a good grade when I graduate, and the main thing I can do to help with that right now is by regularly engaging with French. The saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it” is especially true when it comes to languages.
4. Work on my self-love – this one is without a doubt staying on the list. I was going to get therapy to help me with this, but I was told the waiting list is too long. Instead, I’ve been recommended anxiety workshops which I’m going to try. If they don’t help, I might consider private therapy options; it’s something I’m determined to work on this year.

My original goals for 2025 were read 20 books, start learning Dutch, get to C1 level in French and German, and travel to 5 countries. As mentioned earlier, I’m still on track to read 20 books this year so this one won’t change. I do still want to start learning Dutch but I know that I’m realistically not going to have the motivation or time to both start Dutch and get my German to C1. German is no longer part of my degree, so being a final year uni student will be hard enough without learning two extra languages. Travelling to 5 countries also won’t happen this year but that’s okay. I’m gaining valuable work experience instead which might be considered less exciting, but it’s more stable and will hopefully help me when I start job hunting.

Here are my updated goals for 2025, featuring both long and short-term goals:

1. Read 20 books
2. Start learning Dutch
3. Get to C1 level in French – I don’t think I’m far off from being C1 in French anyway. I may do an intensive French course between now and myfinal year, so this will help me get there.
4. Complete my international reflection project – I need to write a 3,000 word reflection project for my uni about an aspect of Geneva’s culture I noticed whilst living there. I’m about halfway through writing it now, so I’m going to finish it in the next few weeks; it can be one more thing crossed off my list.
5. Choose a dissertation topic and do all the necessary prep – I had a topic chosen for my dissertation but I’m sadly having to change it now because it was a German topic. I’m in the process of researching topics with similar themes to my original one because I was excited about writing it. If I can find an interesting text to write about and do enough preparation before uni starts again, this will also help to maximise my grade next year.

Some of my goals will be easier than others, but I’m excited about them. I’ve mentioned in previous articles that I like having goals because they give me a sense of purpose. I wouldn’t even say I’m a workaholic per se, but sitting at home with nothing to do is an uncomfortable feeling for me; I prefer having things to work towards, no matter how big or small. So, I know that the rest of 2025 will likely throw me all sorts of challenges, but I’m looking forward to facing them head-on and coming out stronger.