Why Blind Optimism Isn’t Such a Bad Thing for the New Year!
2024 (or 2023, or 2022) might not have been my year on paper, but here’s why I’m still betting on 2025 to be a win!
At the start of 2024, I was certain this was going to be my year. Years of hustle and dedication were finally supposed to pay off, delivering that elusive breakthrough. By now, I imagined I’d be living the dream: financially secure, personally fulfilled, and thriving in the creative and professional space I’ve worked so tirelessly to carve out. But here I am, on December 31st, realizing that life had other plans and none of those visions have materialized.
In hindsight, the fact that I went into 2022 and 2023 with the same unwavering optimism—only for neither to pan out—should have reminded me to curb my expectations. And yet, like so many of us, I couldn’t help but blindly believe that this year was going to be better. Maybe it’s a defense mechanism or a motivational tool, but hope always seems to spring eternal as the calendar year comes to a close. Unfortunately, more often than not, we end up disappointed.
Where this year feels different for me, however, is in realizing that the real issue isn’t my unreasonable belief in a brighter future—it’s the perspective from which I’ve been viewing my recent past. Okay, so maybe a lot of my creative projects are held up. Maybe my paychecks are still going toward fighting off oppressive debt instead of saving for a rainy day or spoiling the people I love. Maybe my life isn’t anywhere close to where I pictured it would be at this age. But that doesn’t mean 2024 was a failed 365.
I still grew as an artist. My studio turned out work for some of the biggest entertainers in the world. I have a little less debt than I did last year. And most importantly, even when stress and self-doubt felt like they might crush me, I found ways to center myself. I took over 100 beach walks with my dog, Beau, soaking in more stunning sunsets than I can count. I completed eight new woodworking projects. I caught plenty of fish and helped grow a flourishing garden. And I even checked off a major bucket list item when I spent eight unforgettable days in Italy with my family, creating memories more meaningful than any professional accomplishment ever could.
So, maybe I didn’t become a millionaire this year. Maybe I didn’t find perfect balance in my life. Maybe my stressors and existential fears are still living rent-free in my mind. But when I look back at everything I just listed, 2024 wasn’t really all that bad, was it? I think I need to spend more time being grateful for the incredible blessings in my life and less time overlooking them just because I didn’t hit all of my overly ambitious goals.
So, I’ll close this article with a completely unfounded declaration: 2025 will, in fact, be MY year. And if it isn’t? Well, I’m willing to bet I’ll still be incredibly lucky to receive whatever the year decides to deliver.