6 Mindset Shifts for 2025 – KatlinT. Graham

The core theme for this year is “organic minimalism”. I’ve been watching some design shows over the holidays. Organic minimalism focuses on sustainable, simple, and authentic growth. An otherwise clean lifestyle. Taking in everything functional and getting rid of what’s not. This is everything from clothes and shoes to habits and nutrition.

Here are the basics I gathered from research and inputs to ChatGPT:

Focus: A sustainable and intentional way of living. Free from unnecessary clutter while valuing natural materials and eco-friendly choices.

Keywords: Slow living, decluttering, natural textures, mindfulness (finances, food, presence, etc.), intentionality

Taglines: “Simple. Authentic. Sustainable.”, “Organic Growth, Minimal Disruption.”

Quote of the Year: “Oh-oh, life will be. Just you believe in you”- Cleo Sol 🌻

In this article, I will be sharing six mindset shifts for myself to focus on throughout the year. I have them written down on pen and paper, note-taking apps, and eventually will be published, to make them even more real. Keeping these mindset shifts everywhere keeps them the focus and in the forefront.

I waited a few days to write this because I wanted to get past those New Year resolutions “quit days”. But to intentionally take some time to reflect on and want, what I need to change, and then make minor adjustments. Ensure that these mindset shifts align with my goals, values, and vision for the new year.

The Six Mindset Shifts:

Building a Structure
Push My Limits
Be Results Driven-Commit to Decisions
Enjoy the Process
Consume the Right Stuff
Stop Wasting Time

Exemplifying truth in data, stories, and fitness journeys. Aligning practices with natural rhythms—behavior, fitness, or storytelling. Stripping away the unnecessary to focus on what matters most.

BUILD A STRUCTURE

A foundational base. An implemented routine that acts as a failsafe.

Everyone searches for the best routine out there to optimize workflow and stretch the number of hours we have access to in a day. How many tasks can we pack into a day? What else can I learn today? Am I using my time wisely?

My routines over the past few years have changed dramatically. One thing I know for sure: Not having any routine leads to the biggest feelings of stagnation and anxiety.

We all need some morning or bedtime routine to get started for the next day or work routine to get into a flow state. Something that, no matter how you’re feeling or what life throws at you, at the end of the day you are still confident in yourself and the constant progress. We should all be progressing to the next thing.

For me this means, waking at 6 a.m., getting in a run or ruck, and then coffee. On those off days, taking a longer walk in the morning with my dog. A physical activity that clears and wakes up my mind. Because after coffee is writing.

This routine does three things for me:

Mind clarity.
That initial outside physical activity builds momentum for the total steps/movement for the day.
Ensures that I write something. To be more specific, I set the goal to write at least 250 words. It’s a small goal. But that’s the point. It’s so small that I can’t help but do it.

Another routine I have is for writing. I start by cleaning up my workspace, looking at my skeleton outline, and then doing a brain dump. It’s very simple but this allows for:

Cleared mind and space.
My skeleton outline ensures that I’m not starting from a blank page. Blank pages = writer’s block and procrastination.
The brain dumps help me get into a writing flow. Sometimes the brain dumps aren’t on the topic that I’m writing. It’s something to get the brain moving. I’m still searching for the ultimate playlist for writing.

PUSH MY LIMITS

I like to describe myself as being a wallflower, suffering from middle-child syndrome. Meaning that I go with the flow and find my place in the background. I do this a little too much. Every choice and phase in life, for the most part, I was only going through the motions. Any excitement I had was being introduced by someone else.

Learning about human behavior is what attracted me to psychology. Exploring human potential is what kept me going.

Finding various YouTube channels and articles, highlighting the hero’s journey. From “couch to ultramarathons” or “illness to being a sponsored hybrid athlete”. Any CrossFit/Ironman competition gives me the energy to want to do more. I haven’t done it. I’m sitting around and waiting for something to fall into my lap.

A few of my favorites have been “The Buttery Bros”, “BPN”, and Doc Lyss Fitness (Dr. Alyssa Olenick). Alex the Analyst. On the internet, we’re not supposed to compare lives or success. But we can admire and study.

And the plan and motivation for this year and years to come is to be like those I admire. Be more exciting! Find the excitement! No more waiting, just do.

Moving to Greenville, NC was the only exciting thing I did last year. And that’s sad.

I want to look back on these years and say, “That was a crazy year!”

BE RESULTS DRIVEN-COMMIT TO DECISIONS

When I was in high school, I had a vision of going to college in North Carolina, specifically UNC Chapel Hill. Even though my family and I had moved back to South Carolina, I held on to the dreams and aspirations that I made with my best friend. But college is expensive. Out-of-state tuition = out of the question.

So, I made a decision. Join the military.

Fast forward to this past year, I have been living in Greenville, NC. My finances were good enough to live alone again after becoming a civilian. I needed a change in environment. The choice was between Gastonia, NC (loft apartments—I love loft apartments). Or Greenville, NC (best friends and childhood dreams). I chose Greenville, NC.

But this place isn’t working for me. And the decision I made was an attempt to excuse and mask other problems in my life, plus some other life factors. Once this year is up, I’ll be moving back to South Carolina. I know many may say, stay another year and give it a try. But I know that I will have the same feelings next year that I have now.

Earlier, I said that I go with the flow. And that’s very true. I make a decision and go with the flow of how I’m feeling and react to what happens around me in my environment. I can make a decision and change it as soon as I don’t feel that something is right. I change my mind a lot.

To others, this may sound indecisive, and it is. I have that problem. I am blessed with the ability to adapt and move on at an instant notice. Take what I can learn from it and move on to the next thing that will work for me. It’s a blessing and a curse. Lately, I have been thinking, it’s more a curse than a blessing because of past bad decisions. I sit with them, overthink them, and increase anxiety.

All because I forgot how much my adaptability has been a blessing. It’s aided in tough situations. It’s given me the power to think for myself, defeat impossible challenges, and strengthen my confidence in myself and my abilities.

Commit to the Decisions—Be Results Driven. Let the results be the deciding factor on if you made the right decision or not. Not your feelings—or anyone else’s. They can be a factor, but not the end all be all.

ENJOY THE PROCESS

I can be honest and say that: I never knew the true meaning of that statement. Enjoy the process.

Enjoy the highs, the lows, the breakthroughs.

Enjoy discovering that the problem with the code was a missing semicolon or a misspelled word.

I love to cook. Most recently, I started making granola bowls. And I’ve enjoyed the process even more now that I’m tracking macros and calories. It’s a simple meal that provides protein, calories, and still tastes great. Weighing out the amount of yogurt, granola, protein, and mixed berry mix calms my mind. For those 5 minutes, everything is quiet and still. At the end, I have a delicious granola bowl, I’ve eaten a sustainable meal, and this marks the middle of the day.

It’s a small ritual, but it reminds me to slow down and appreciate the little things. In the same way, I’m learning to apply this mindset to other areas of my life. Whether it’s tackling a complex project, building my fitness routine, or honing my writing skills. The joy isn’t just in reaching the goal; it’s in every step, misstep, and adjustments along the way. Each moment, no matter how small, contributes to the bigger picture. Learning to savor them makes the journey not only bearable but genuinely rewarding.

CONSUME THE RIGHT STUFF

On the surface, this idea seems straightforward: be intentional with what you consume. But digging deeper, it’s about curating media—videos, PDFs, articles, white papers—that truly align with your values, vision, and goals. Every piece of content should serve a purpose. When I finish reading, watching, or listening, I ask myself: What did I take away from this? How does it help me grow or move closer to my goals?

For example, if I dive into a YouTube playlist about scaling a business but I’m still in the foundational learning phase, it won’t serve me right now. If I explore business practices that clash with my values of creativity, impact, or sustainability, I’m wasting time. The key is knowing when content fits your current stage and values. If my values or goals evolve, I can always revisit that content later, but for now, I focus on what aligns and adds value to my journey.

I focus on what motivates and inspires my mind for better content, habits, and growth.

STOP WASTING TIME

This is the major. From early childhood, one of the biggest lessons ingrained in me was to “stop wasting people’s time.” Everyone has something to do, and time is precious.

That lesson first hit home when I played softball in middle school. I had a great arm and was fast, but, as I’ve mentioned before, I had a habit of doing just enough to get by, I still do. I manage it differently when other people are involved. My coach noticed this and spoke to my mom about it. Later that night, she came into my room and asked me point-blank if I even wanted to play softball. If I did, she said, I needed to put in the effort and actually try. As I sat there looking confused and saying that I did want to play, she continued. Stop wasting everyone’s time. Mines, the coaches, the players, and myself.

The same pattern repeated itself years later when I had to retest for Security Forces. I needed to lift 50 pounds—something I could do so easily. But I half-heartedly went through the motions during the initial test and failed. My recruiter, unimpressed, told me to go back and retest. No tips, no advice, no pep talk. Go back and do it the proper way. When I retested, I passed with flying colors. But I’ll never forget the look the test proctor gave me. It was the same look my mom had: I had wasted her time.

Now, here I am, with the freedom to try anything I like. While I may not have a clear passion right now, I’m moving forward by exploring what I enjoy and building my skills. But whatever I pursue, one thing is certain: time, energy, and effort shouldn’t be wasted—mine or anyone else’s.

Inspirations for this article

Also…

Website coming soon. I was able to change my domain name to something more palatable. It’s my name😅. I wanted a creative name and played on that, but I was never excited about it. So, the domain name changed —> build and upload.
The newsletter dropping this week.