Hi friends,
Welcome to 2025! A fresh year is like a crisp, blank journal—ready for us to fill with intentions, stories, and growth. If you’re anything like me, January often brings a mix of excitement and pressure. We feel an urge to overhaul everything at once, but at my age I realize that’s not the path to sustainable change. This year, let’s try something different. Let’s start small.
This week, I had a moment of clarity during an otherwise chaotic morning. I was rushing to get out the door, juggling my endless to-do list, when I caught myself mid-frustration. I thought, What tiny shift could I make right now to improve how I feel? It wasn’t grand or groundbreaking—I just took a deep breath and stood still for a moment. That one pause helped me reset my mindset for the entire day.
It hit me: we don’t have to flip our lives upside down to start living better. Change begins with the smallest tweaks, repeated often.
The Power of Small Changes
Here’s the deal: when we think about improving our lives, we often aim too big, too fast. The result? Burnout, frustration, and giving up. Research shows that small, incremental changes ( often called the compound effect) are far more effective in creating long-term habits. They feel doable, create quick wins, and give us confidence to keep going. Personally I’ve found doing something new even for 5 minutes a day over a month sets in place a new habit which I finding easy to then continue.
Think about it:
- Want better mornings? Start with five minutes of intentional quiet time before reaching for your phone.
- Feeling sluggish? Drink a glass of water before your coffee every morning.
- Hoping to move more? Add a 10-minute walk after dinner instead of committing to a 5-day-a-week gym schedule right away.
Each tiny step builds momentum. The key is consistency, not perfection.
Product of the Week: The Five-Minute Journal
This week, I’m spotlighting a tool that’s helped me make small changes stick: The Five-Minute Journal. It’s a simple guided journal that asks you to reflect on gratitude, set intentions, and celebrate wins—all in just a few minutes a day.
Why I love it:
- It keeps you focused on the positive without feeling overwhelming.
- It’s perfect for busy people (hello, all of us).
- It creates a sense of accomplishment at the start and end of your day.
If journaling feels intimidating, this is a fantastic place to start. Writing just one or two sentences can shift your mindset and set the tone for your day. Personally I also like creating pop up’s in my phone which regularly remind of of my goals or mantras I’m inspired by
Action Item: Take One Small Step Today
Here’s your challenge for this week: pick one small, manageable change you can start today. Something that feels so simple it’s almost laughable. Maybe it’s:
- Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning.
- Pausing to take three deep breaths before diving into your workday.
- Swapping five minutes of social media for five minutes of reading or stretching.
Whatever you choose, commit to it for just this week. See how it feels. If it works, keep it. If it doesn’t, tweak it.
A Gentle Reminder
You don’t need to fix everything all at once to make progress. Small steps, taken consistently, create big transformations over time. You’re not just creating new habits—you’re proving to yourself that you can change, that you’re worth the effort, and that it’s never too late to start again.
Here’s to a year of small, intentional changes and big, joyful growth. Let’s make 2025 a year to remember, one tiny step at a time.
With love,
Ana