As the year comes to a close, it’s tempting to let these final days slip by. But what if the last 31 days could be your springboard to an extraordinary 2025?
This week’s Level Up is all about making intentional choices—reflecting on the past, realigning with your goals, and taking small but meaningful steps that set the stage for success.
Let’s explore how to end the year with purpose and power, making every moment count.
Here’s what’s in today’s edition of Level Up:
It’s Time for a New Beginning
Dust Off Your Dreams
What’s Your Moon Shot
The Danger of Arriving
Your Weekly Coaching Challenge
Not Yet a Subscriber to Level Up? Join other high-achievers who read Level Up every Sunday!
The Power of Intentional Choices—Make the Most of the Final 31 Days
As we approach the end of the year, the reality of those final 31 days can feel like a countdown, a time to wind down or go through the motions. Yet, these days still hold immense potential. Intentional actions drive long-term success—not grand gestures but the steady, consistent choices we make every single day.
Think about this: 31 days may not seem like much, but you can accomplish much in that time. If you read just eight pages a day, you’ll finish a book by the year’s end. Lose just a pound a week, and you’ll drop five pounds. These aren’t monumental changes, but they prove that small, consistent choices can create powerful long-term outcomes.
Many drift through the end of the year, allowing circumstances or the exhaustion of a busy year to dictate their actions. They miss out on the opportunity to intentionally shape their path.
Here are three principles to help you make the most of these final weeks:
Take Responsibility for Your Path: Responsibility is the foundation of success. But it’s easy to let external pressures—from business demands to family obligations—steer you off course. This is your reminder: stay accountable to yourself. In the year’s final days, prioritize decisions that align with your values and goals. Resist drifting and make choices that create momentum for the new year.
Plan for Purposeful Actions: Proactive planning doesn’t mean overhauling your entire schedule. It’s about finding small, purposeful actions that make a difference. These final weeks of the year are your chance to set the tone for next year. Choose a book that inspires you and commit to reading it. Identify a wellness habit that enhances your energy, like a daily walk. Take these small, specific actions as a way to honor your larger vision.
Embrace Intentional Sacrifice: Exceptional outcomes demand deliberate trade-offs. These last days of the year aren’t just a period of winding down—they’re a chance to distinguish yourself by making intentional sacrifices. It may mean setting aside distractions or saying no to tasks that don’t serve your goals. By focusing on what truly matters, you’re building habits that will propel you into the new year with clarity and purpose.
The question isn’t whether you’ll make trade-offs over the next 45 days; it’s whether you’ll make them purposefully. With each intentional choice, you’re not just ending the year strong—you’re setting the foundation for an extraordinary year ahead. And that’s the true power of intentional self-mastery.
This Week’s Article
It’s Time for a New Beginning
This is the time of year when we reflect on what we’ve accomplished and didn’t. We also start to look forward to what can be. What if 2025 could be your best year yet? What if 2025 could be your year?
This week’s article is a blast from the past. I wrote it during the pandemic and posted it on New Year’s Day 2021. I think it still holds true today. If you want to make 2025 your year, it’s time for a new beginning.
Peak Performance Tips of the Week
Here is what I shared on LinkedIn this week:
Leadership is Built on Connection
Does Your Team Know Its Role in the Mission?
Trust is the Foundation of Influence
Clear Communication Creates Alignment
Tweet of The Week
Quick Hits
Dust Off Your Dreams
It’s easy to get lost in the demands and expectations of the day. But there is more to your life.
Steve Schlafman presents us with a question we should all ask, “What is Worthy of Your One Life?”
Maybe it’s time to turn off the auto-pilot, break free from your routine and dust off your dreams.
What’s Your Moonshot?
What if your ambition was a glass ceiling holding you back from what you could accomplish?
Shooting for the moon can help you create a sense of purpose. Tom Coleman explains why you should shoot for the moon.
Belief, imagination, and the courage to try are the only things stopping you from your true greatness.
The Danger of Arriving
The paradox of having a big goal is that it can keep us from enjoying the day-to-day.
The key to success is to let your vision and goal guide you so that what you spend your time on has meaning. But in pursuing the goal, Don’t Let the Destination Get in Your Way.
The key to a fulfilling life is to have big goals but to take small steps and enjoy the process.
Quote of the Week
“The key to realizing your dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” — Oprah Winfrey
Weekly Coaching Challenge
As we approach the end of the year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the past 12 months and intentionally set the stage for an extraordinary 2025. This week, take a moment to review where you’ve been and clarify where you want to go.
Make a Gratitude List: Write down ten things you’re grateful for from the past year. Reflect on the moments, people, and experiences that brought joy and meaning.
Celebrate Your Wins: Identify your top 3 achievements of the year—big or small—and acknowledge your progress.
Learn from the Year: List out the key lessons you’ve learned. What challenges helped you grow, and what insights will you carry forward?
Envision 2025: Ask yourself, “What would make 2025 my best year yet?” Write down your vision and one big goal that excites and inspires you.
By reflecting on the past and envisioning the future, you’ll end the year with gratitude, clarity, and purpose. Use this exercise to take intentional steps toward making 2025 your best year yet.
As you wrap up this year, remember that small, intentional actions can lead to significant results. By reflecting on your journey, celebrating your wins, and focusing on what truly matters, you’re not just ending 2024—you’re setting the tone for an extraordinary 2025. Take control of these final days, and make them count.
Here’s to leveling up and playing a bigger game!