Week 0: Pressing Reset

Hello world! I started down a rabbit hole of self-help content, starting with Kiara Ivola’s series on changing your life in 6 months, and then dozens of other videos on the same general idea. From there I got inspired to take on a similar challenge with my own goals and plans for the rest of 2025 and see where it takes me.

Why a Reset

The more videos I saw and articles I read, the overall theme is to make major changes, and strive for “radical” transformation. While I think some of this is just simple clickbait, I truly believe making a 180-degree shift in mindset and attitude will make this entire challenge easier, and the results more noticeable. So, I’m choosing to look at this entire process as a full “reset”, starting from scratch in every area I can.

Why 52 Weeks

I chose a one year “challenge” length to be able to have enough time to not only make significant changes, but for those changes to be long-term and persistent. I feel like anyone can do almost anything for 3 months, but being able to consistently improve yourself and your life for a full year is a much bigger goal.

I also chose to look at this as “52 weeks” instead of “one year” or “12 months” because I want to make sure the changes I’m making are incremental, offering steady results upwards and forwards. Since so much of these changes involve creating new habits, I want to make sure I’m maintaining those habits the entire year, not just rushing to reach a bunch of goals in the last 2-3 days of a month (which I would absolutely end up doing).

The 5 Pillars

I chose to divide my goals into five categories - or “pillars” - for this challenge. I’d like to have an idea of where I want to be next year, but I also want my goals to remain flexible enough to roll with the punches and use the power of momentum to set bigger and bigger goals as the challenge continues.

1. Image & Mindset

Image & Mindset is all about focusing on keeping a positive mindset, and creating a healthier self-image and higher self-esteem. At the end of the challenge, I want to have a happier outlook on life itself, be prouder of my work, actively practice mindfulness daily, and maintain healthy self-care routines.

2. Health & Fitness

The most obvious fitness goal is to lose weight and reduce body fat, however, I’d also like to focus on improving my flexibility and improve my range of motion. Overall, my goal is simple: be healthier, feel stronger, and have more energy. Focusing on a healthy diet, lower sugar intake, and following a workout routine will be key for this pillar.

3. Finances

On “day 0”, my net worth is around -$52,500 (yes, negative). I think that makes the financial goals rather clear - eliminate debt (around 60% is student loans, and 40% between credit cards and a personal loan), maintain an emergency fund, and start building an investment portfolio. My other financial goals revolve around work and income: over the next 2-3 years I would love to be able to replace my 9-5 retail-adjacent job with self-employment and passive income. Over the next few months, I will start focusing more on creating a business plan and fleshing out these ideas further.

4. Hobbies & Social Life

Over the last few years, I’ve fallen into the bad habit of doomscrolling instead of actual hobbies and interests. Also, ever since I moved, my social life has become non-existent, while I’ve always been an introverted person, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have any social life. My biggest goals for this pillar are definitely more “mood-based”, but revolve around being more active socially, exploring new hobbies & interests, and traveling more often.

5. Building an Audience

The last pillar is focused on this blog - at least for now - and is all about building an audience online. I’m not as worried about getting a certain number of followers or having a specific revenue target. Rather, my goal is to publish content consistently for the entire year, sort of like a “build it and they will come” mindset.

As the year continues, I’ll keep adjusting my goals across all five pillars, depending on how fast or slow my progress is. Overall, the goal is to improve my life, and develop better habits for success in the long term.

Why a Blog?

So, one of the first inspirations for this challenge was Kiara’s vlog series, but I was also inspired by some of the bloggers I remember following in the 2010s in the internet marketing space (anyone remember Jon Chow’s Dot-Com Lifestyle? 😂). I always enjoyed this format - something similar to a journal, but maybe someone else could benefit from whatever I learn along the way. Making a public site around the challenge and my progress also creates somewhat of an accountability buddy, which I’m hoping will keep me motivated as the weeks continue on!

So, without further ado, let’s press reset and start building a better life!