I have been a list maker since I was a child and have dutifully written down my New Year’s resolutions, or buoni propositi per l’anno nuovo as we say in Italian, for as long as I can recall.

When drawing up these lists, I am always extremely hard on myself, focusing on the negative, wanting to change the many areas where I come up short, hoping that in the new year I will somehow be able to efface all the things about myself that need improvement but that define me.

There were years when the resolutions were so self-critical and damaging that I am shocked at how mean, unforgiving, and unloving I was to myself.

Now that I am decidedly older and ostensibly wiser, I find that I have little tolerance for negativity, I cannot abide unkind people and actions, and am fed up with being so critical of myself that I spend the year’s end beating myself up about what I didn’t do or accomplish and then write furiously about all the things that I am not, yet wish I was.

This year marks a radical change. My list of resolutions for 2025 takes inspiration from the things I did and loved in 2024, and that I want to continue doing until further notice. I call it a wish list, because the word wish conjures up magic and hope, two things that we all need right now as we reflect upon the past twelve months, the world that surrounds us, and the current global scenario.

New Year’s Wish List (in no particular order)

1. Community & Friendship

One of the greatest gifts of 2024 has been all the new people I have met who have enriched my life immeasurably. My professional and personal community has expanded in a way that I could never have imagined, and I find myself happily caught up in an international web of fascinating and diversified clients, collaborators, podcast guests, and friends. Community building, connecting, and supporting were priorities for me this year and will continue to be in 2025.

2. Giving

Service to others is an important part of my life. I volunteer for Progetto Itaca and am also on the board of the Women’s International Network in Florence. Giving and helping others is something that fills me up in a way that nothing else does. I know that we all struggle with time, but assisting others, for a couple of hours a month, even once a year, makes a difference in our communities. Right now, it feels more necessary than ever to offer our help in tangible ways.

3. Dreaming

I started a list this year of all the places in the world I want to travel to. The truth is it has been in my head for years, but I only recently put pen to paper. Will I go to any of these places in 2025?  Will I ever visit them? Who knows? The important thing is that I am allowing myself to dream, and I want to be sure that I am still dreaming in the new year. Imagining myself in exotic locales makes me hopeful and excited about the future and daydreaming transports me back to my childhood, when I had big plans and spent a lot of time fantasticating about them.

4. Creating

For years, far too many, I stifled my creativity. I stopped writing and singing completely and it almost killed me. This year I gave a lot of space and time to my creative self and it has been rewarding me every single day. Creativity comes in many forms but whatever expression it takes inside of you, set it free and let it run wild.

5. Mentoring

I often say on the podcast that one of the things I miss most about my former professional life is working with and mentoring bright college students. I don’t feel that I had many mentors throughout the various phases of my life and I really could have used one! So, perhaps by mentoring others I am trying to fill that void somehow. In 2024 I had two wonderful interns and I have another one starting early in the new year. They have taught me so much – not only about tech! – and I, and the business, have evolved thanks to them. I think we all need mentors and that mentoring is the greatest gift we can give and receive. I even recorded a podcast episode about it (in Italiano) with Matteo Perchiazzi, my mentor in tennis and in life.

6. Bidding farewell to negativity

This emerged spontaneously. One day I realized that I could no longer accept the negativity coming from around me or from inside of me. As soon as I detected even the slightest trace of it, I felt physically ill and my flight instinct kicked in. I forced myself to actively get rid of all the negative elements that were weighing me down and casting shadows on me, my life, and my work. That, in addition to the general pessimistic mood that reigns supreme in this particular historical moment, was just too much. Sadly, we can’t make all the war and hatred and doom and gloom disappear, but we can say, screw the naysayers! Including the ones that live inside our heads. You can break the cycle. You can also break up with people and situations at any age and at any time during your journey.

7. Asking for help

This is the hardest one for me. As a mostly single mom, one-woman operation, and OCD overachiever, I rarely, if ever, ask for help. This is a huge mistake, and it gets me into pickles all the time. I don’t know if it’s just one of my stubborn character traits, a generational thing, or how I was raised, but asking for help is always a last resort for me and it shouldn’t be. At a certain point this year I had a revelation: people ask me for help all the time and I’m happy to offer assistance when I can, so why is it that I am so reluctant to reach out when I need a hand? I got over myself and asked for help in 2024 and I am grateful to those who stood by, supported, and helped me. Thank you.

8. Learning

When you pivot from academia and literature to entrepreneurship, the learning curve is steep. While I am thrilled with my newfound knowledge of Italian billing for freelancers, marketing, social media, and the intricacies of podcasting, I’m talking about a different kind of learning here. This year I threw myself back into two old passions of mine, research and reading, where I found great solace and gained and learned so much. I had forgotten just how exhilarating a good story, research project, or a mystery to solve can be.  

9. Stepping outside of your comfort zone

I did two things this year that proved to be life-altering experiences and I am so grateful that I listened to that really quiet, almost inaudible voice in my head that said, Just do it, you idiot!  As I’ve already discussed ad nauseam here on the blog, I participated in an Italian reality Tv show last spring and it was the most freeing and transformative thing I have ever done. Eight months later I am still processing the deep impact it had on me. Then, in October, I attended Indie UnCon Europe, an “unconference” for independent writers and publishers, with no pre-set agenda and where the participants guide the conversation. Being in the room with so many talented, prolific authors and publishing pros was daunting to say the least, but something magical happened and was (re)awakened in me when I opened that door and was welcomed into a new community.

10. Sharing

The podcast gives me the chance to hear about people’s incredible stories and amazing journeys and then share them with you. Dream job! It is an honor and a privilege for me to host so many exceptional guests and then give my listeners the gift of their knowledge, insights, and inspiring narratives. I’m looking forward to a lot more of that in 2025, and I hope you’ll join us for the ride.

Does something on my wish list resonate with you? Would you like to add to it? Feel free to share in the comments section.

Buone Feste & Buon Anno