My Yapping Corner

Hey there! Happy New Year! I’m so grateful we’ve made it through 2024. Whether your goals from last year were achieved, are still in progress, or even if they were small or grand, every step forward is a win worth celebrating.

As the new year begins, it’s natural to feel hopeful and ready for a fresh start. Many of us imagine stepping into the year with a clean slate. But for me, starting anew doesn’t mean erasing the past—it means building on it. The lessons, challenges, and growth you’ve experienced are part of your foundation. You don’t bounce back from tough times without learning something valuable.

Here’s the truth: you’re doing okay. Your failures and setbacks don’t define who you are. They’re just chapters in your story, not the whole book. No matter what the past held, you’re still capable of improvement, growth, and becoming the best version of yourself. And here’s the thing—you don’t need a new year to start.

All you need is to take that first step forward. Keep moving, and the rest will follow.

Tips to Set Your New Year Great

As the new year begins, I’d like to share some tips I learned and applied when I got serious about goal setting last year. These tips are simple and easy to follow, allowing you to work at your own pace.

1. You have the entire month to plan - Take as much time as you need this month to plan everything out. There’s no need to rush through a single day just to figure out your goals. Gaining clarity about what you truly want takes time, as does carefully planning and preparing before taking action.

2. Write down all your goals - Grab a sheet of paper and list all the goals, projects, and plans you’d like to accomplish this year. Once you’ve brainstormed, cross out the irrelevant ones and focus on the most important goal(s) you want to achieve. Having too many goals can dilute your focus and lead to “goal paralysis,” where you end up accomplishing nothing. While I won’t discourage you from setting multiple goals, make it a habit to choose ones that are realistic and attainable based on where you are now and the actions you’re ready to take.

Now, let’s move to the third and most critical step:

3. Monitor/Track your goals - What gets tracked gets measured. Set aside time at the end of your week (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) to review your progress on each goal. Assess whether you’re on track, off track, or need to make adjustments. This regular check-in will keep you aligned with your goals and consistently remind you to take action.

I hope these tips resonate with you as much as they do with me. Let’s make 2025 a productive and action-packed year! 🎉

📄 Journal Prompt (from Day One App)

🎶 🖌️ Music and Art Corner

My Work in Progress - I’ve been working into creating 3D Environments in Blender and it was a total challenge. Here’s what I made so far:

Music - When I finished my vision board this week, I played a soundtrack from Undertale called Home. It’s just under 2 minute, but I played it on repeat. It got me focused most of the time and relaxed my mind for a bit.

Start Your Year with This - Here’s Ali Abdaal’s video on how to actually achieve your goals this year:

📘 Readers Delight

The Dangers of Thinking Money can solve Everything - by The Woke Salaryman

How to Actually Draw Daily - by Kesh

Ricoh GR vs IPhone by Andrea Bianco - I got interested in Ricoh GR and saw this article from Andrea Bianco

🖊️ Words to Live by

🎯Here Comes the Challenger!

Challenge: Write a complete story, idea, or emotion in just five words. Whether it's funny, dramatic, or mysterious, let your creativity shine in this micro-challenge!

Share your five-word story below! Let’s see how many emotions and stories we can pack into such a tiny space. 😊

Thank You Corner

Thanks for joining and reading Thursdays With Ran! I hope you found something here to spark your creativity or boost your productivity.

If you enjoyed this issue, feel free to forward it to a fellow creator or productivity lover—it might be the inspiration they need.

See you next week, Randylle

P.S. Got a topic you’d like me to explore? Do you want your works to be featured in the next newsletter? Hit reply—I’d love to hear your ideas and see your works!