Plan the Best Damn Year of Your Life

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey

If you caught last month’s newsletter, you know I shared some deeply personal reflections about the fragility of life (cancer battles) and the urgency of making every day count. Every. Damn. Day. This is your gentle but firm nudge to take action and plan your year intentionally—because if you don’t, the whirlwind of life’s chaos will fill your calendar, and you’ll miss out on the life you’re dreaming of.

Dream Big:

As we close the year, this is the perfect time to dream big and reflect. Look back on 2024 with gratitude, curiosity, and a critical eye for what worked—and what didn’t. Then, let’s shift to planning a year that truly excites and fulfills you.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Reflect on 2024

• What moments filled your heart with joy?
• What tasks or commitments left you feeling drained or unfulfilled?
• What opportunities did you miss but wish you had seized?

Flip through your photos, journal entries, or even your calendar to jog your memory and uncover the highs and lows.

2. Revisit Your Long-Term Goals

• Is there a bucket-list destination calling your name?
• Have you always wanted to learn a specific skill or start a new project?
• Are financial goals or career pivots on your mind?
• Is this the year you commit to a new fitness or wellness program?

This is your time to dream without limitations—write it all down.

3. Listen to Your Inner Voice

• What’s that one thing you’ve been thinking about but haven’t made time for?
• Is there a place or experience that keeps showing up in your daydreams?
• What makes your soul feel alive just thinking about it?

Follow those breadcrumbs. They often lead to the most meaningful experiences.

4. Collaborate with Your People

• Sit down with your family or loved ones and share your visions for the year.
• Ask them what’s important to them and find ways to align your goals where possible.
• For areas where you’re not aligned, plan ahead to balance those moments—whether that’s solo trips, family adventures, or personal milestones.

Fill your dream book with these ideas, no matter how wild, ambitious, or small they seem. This is the start of creating a year that truly lights you up.

When Worlds Collide:

This week, I sat down to wrap up my year-end numbers for the business, and wow—I was shocked. We just closed out the most successful year our team has ever had. And that includes the years when there were three of us on the team (not two like this past year)! To say I’m grateful is an understatement. 2024 was a wild ride in every possible way—both professionally and personally.

From Patagonia’s rugged beauty to the jagged peaks of the Sawtooths. From barely surviving the Colorado High Country to soaking up the Eagle Cap Wilderness. From catching waves in Maui and standing in awe at NYC’s magic to watching wolves roam free in Yellowstone, all the way to hiking the Tetons—this year took me across the map and left me breathless. And it wasn’t just the big trips. Back home, I managed to squeeze in microadventures, beach days, camping trips, and even a mini home remodel. Exhausting? Absolutely. Amazing? Without a doubt.

But here’s the thing—when I take a step back and reflect, I realize just how much I’ve been juggling. A record-breaking business year, epic personal adventures, and the endless circus act of parenting two semi-small humans?  No wonder I’m sitting here feeling equal parts grateful and overwhelmed.

So…what’s next for 2025?

Do I hit pause, take a chill year, and catch up on all the adulting I’ve been putting off? (Spoiler: That doesn’t sound like me.) Or do I double down and plan out another epic year, hoping I can somehow survive the chaos and keep the momentum going? (Spoiler: That sounds exhausting but also fun.)

Well, I decided to ask the robots for help. 🙂

Robots, Please help!

Sometimes, when your brain is spinning with stress and ambition, the best thing to do is to step back and delegate — even to a robot. So, I turned to ChatGPT, my trusty AI sidekick, and asked:

“I want to plan the best damn year of my life for 2025. Can you help me? I want to give you an idea of trips I want to take, goals I want to reach in my business and life, and various other ideas and have you help me plan it out?”

After sharing my ambitious list of dreams and goals, it delivered back a beautiful roadmap: structured, clear, and full of possibility.

What surprised me most wasn’t the suggestions (although they were great) but how this simple exercise helped me feel like it was all possible. Seeing my goals broken down into actionable steps made that little ball of stress in my chest loosen up. It reminded me that yes, I can juggle a thriving business and a year full of adventure. It’s going to take effort, but it’s worth it!

And now I want to share this gift with you. Take those big dreams and throw them into ChatGPT (click HERE to access it) with a prompt like:
“Help me turn my dreams for 2025 into a plan.”

Watch how it turns your ideas into a clear, inspiring plan. If you’re new to ChatGPT or feel unsure about how to get the best results, let me know! I’ve been nerding out on this little tool for a while, and I’d love to share tips to help you harness its magic.

Because trust me, with the right support — even from a robot — those dreams of yours are entirely within reach. Let’s make 2025 unforgettable. 

Get 1-5 Epic Adventures Booked NOW: 

If you’re feeling slightly overwhelmed by the idea of planning out your entire year of adventures, here’s a simple tip to get the ball rolling: book something now. Pick one or two of those amazing activities you wrote down in your dream book and get them on the calendar — even if the dates need to shift later. Just get it on there.

The act of putting something on the calendar, even tentatively, helps solidify it in your mind and sets the wheels in motion.

And if you’re feeling motivated, hop on over to ChatGPT (our trusty robot friend!) and ask it to help you create a game plan for that specific activity. Write down the steps it suggests in your dream book, and bookmark them for easy access.

Now, you’ve got something tangible on your schedule, with a rough plan in place. Every week, take a few minutes to look at it, move forward, and make progress.

For me, I’ve added the Italian Dolomites with my hubby to my calendar. We were supposed to go in 2020 for our 10-year wedding anniversary, but, well, 2020 happened. Then kids, life… you know how it goes. Despite my overwhelm, I booked it! It’s on the calendar, and now I’m slowly starting to plan. I’ve set up flight alerts for Italy and created an Instagram “saved” folder with spots I want to visit. It’s all coming together in bite-sized chunks. 🙂 And hey, if you have any tips for things to see in the Dolomites, please send them my way!

Remember to Make time for Health:

A lot of people ask me how I have so much energy to juggle all the things I do, and I always reply, “Sleep and exercise.” And maybe there’s some good genetics in the mix too, but honestly, I protect my sleep like it’s my job and I make sure to train almost every day.

So, if you’re eager to make 2025 your most epic year yet, you must prioritize your health. Whether that means more sleep, consistent workouts, or eating better—whatever it is, make it a part of your daily rhythm. Stay tuned for upcoming newsletters where I’ll dive deep into the importance of SLEEP and TRAINING, so you can get the tips you need to level up your wellness game.

Until then, here’s your Action Step: Pick one small, realistic health goal for Q1—something like drinking more water or meal prepping once a week—and build momentum from there. Remember, the small steps add up, and your health will thank you for it!

Make time for Connection:

Some of your 2025 goals will involve other people, so if that’s the case, here are a few steps to ensure you stay connected and on track:

1. Call them TODAY to schedule a coffee date and sync your calendars. If you’re dreaming of a girls’ trip, well you will need the girls :), so, you need to get everyone’s availability on the table. Set that date now!
2. Need new friends? Check out my previous newsletter on how to make new friends HERE. It’s all about expanding your circle and creating meaningful connections.
3. Need help to achieve your goals? Whether it’s figuring out how to reach them or needing accountability, hiring a coach can be a game-changer. Business coaches, life coaches, or even fitness coaches can provide the guidance and support you need to make your dreams happen.

Make Time for Work:

While it might look like all I do is play, trust me, there’s plenty of hard work happening behind the scenes. (Our record-breaking year speaks for itself!) I’m just not the best at sharing office life… unless, of course, my “office” happens to look like this one in Hawaii!

But truthfully, my business means the world to me. I’m incredibly grateful for the amazing agents I work with and the incredible people we get to help buy and sell homes. We set big goals, work hard, and take pride in doing great work.

If you’re thinking about setting your own business goals for the year, check out our past newsletter on creating a winning business plan by clicking HERE. Let’s make this year count—professionally and personally!

Tools to Help You Achieve Your Goals:
If you’re needing some good systems to help you achieve your goals, here are some of my top recommendations. Click on the names to get linked to their sites to purchase. 

• Big Ass Calendar 
  • This calendar is perfect for anyone who likes to visualize their entire year at a glance. While I haven’t purchased it yet, I’m seriously considering it for next year. It’s perfect for seeing big picture goals and milestones, but the challenge is finding the space to hang it! If space is an issue, you might want to check out the Big Ass Calendar Planner, which is a more compact version.
• Commit 30
  • These planners are beautifully designed and help you stay on track with every area of your life. It’s a great tool for breaking down your big goals into manageable actions.
• ChatGPT 
  • As we’ve discussed, ChatGPT can help you create actionable plans and provide guidance on organizing and reaching your goals. Whether you need inspiration or a structured roadmap, it’s a fantastic tool for making progress.
• Online Checklist like Trello
  • I use an online checklist for my work that will have tasks pop up on the appropriate days, etc. I’ve heard great things about Trello to help with projects and checklists! 
• Going Airfare Tracker
  • If travel is a part of your plans, this tool is fantastic for tracking flight prices. You can get alerts on the best deals to help make your trips more affordable. Google Flights also has similar tracking capabilities.  Going Airfare Tracker
• BucketList App
  • A virtual bucket list can be a great way to keep track of your dreams. Apps like BucketList make it easy to organize and track your goals, so you have a visual reminder of all the experiences you want to achieve.

These tools can help you stay organized and motivated throughout your journey to achieving your big dreams and goals for the year.

I hope you have fun dreaming and planning about your upcoming year. I really hope that in one year, I’m sending a 2025 recap and talking about the epic year I had AND learning more about the epic year you had!  I’d love to know what is at the top of your list for 2025????! Let’s hold each other just a little bit accountable so we can all achieve the best damn year of our lives. 🙂 

And I’d love your help!!! If you have any tips, tricks, favs to share for the following places, let me know as I’m working to plan these trips: 

• Italian Dolomites
• Disneyworld & Universal 
• Beach Vacay (we may try somewhere new instead of Hawaii) and we want it to be safe, have easy surfing for beginners, and epic snorkeling. 
• El Chalten, Patagonia 

Thanks for helping me achieve my goals this year!! Here is to success in both business and life. 

-Kelli