One of my favorite bloggers is doing a new thing in 2025. She’s starting slow. She’s refusing to catapult herself into a long list of goals and mindsets and checklists. Instead, she has chosen to be gentle with herself as she starts her new year. And I’m wondering if you and I can’t do the same? Choosing grace and love and understanding with where we are at as we start the year. You can always set your list of goals next week or next month or even next year. But today, we can choose to be present with ourselves and choose connection over hustle.

About a week ago, I posted information on my annual CHOOSE YOUR WORD GUIDE. And while not everyone felt they needed to guide, most people messaged me about my word for the year and shared their word with me. My first friend to reach out let me know that her word was CONNECTION. To be honest, I loved that theme for her year and for the rest of us too. How can you and I be more connected in 2025? Which feels less like setting a list of goals and more like a gentle reminder that we were made for less hurry and more being present in our lives.

Somewhere between my surgeries last year, I sat down and went through and created a model for whole-hearted transformation and it included 4 types of connection you and I need to thrive.

connect with god

If you’ve ever attended a One Foot Group Coaching workshop, you probably know that one of my go-to Bible passages is Psalm 139. I love this psalm for it’s simple message. God knit us together and knows our ways. If we want to stay grounded and connected, the best place to start is with the one who made us and knows who we are meant to be. One of my favorite ways to stay connected to God’s Word is a reading plan or guided journaling. My personal favorite is Let’s Read the Gospels by Annie F. Downs. You read 3 chapters a day and have space to answer a few questions about what you just read. It’s been a life saver for me when I don’t know what to read or where to dig in. It has become a tool to take time to truly connect with God instead of speeding through your reading.

connect with yourself

I don’t know about you, but it feels kind of funny to connect with yourself. But if I get honest with myself, the speed of life can keep me distracted from connecting with myself, taking care of myself, understanding myself, and what’s getting in the way of living intentionally each day. One of the reasons I’ve leaned into the Enneagram has been the way it helps me cultivate self-awareness, understand why I do what I do, and how to learn into growth practices to connect with who God made me to be. I’ll say this…if the Enneagram isn’t your cup of tea - then don’t use it. But find a tool that helps you connect with who you are and the growth practices that help you thrive in life.

Connect with others

Back when I first moved to Minnesota (26 years ago), I was craving the connection I had with my friend group in Chicago. Moving to a new city felt isolating and lonely. Once I finally found a church, I signed up for a small group with 6-7 couples…and me. The leaders of that group were committed to connecting in community so that we could know others and be known, see others and be seen, and in the end allow our relationships to be the “sandpaper” the smooths out our rough edges and transforms us into the people God wants us to be.

True confession time? I’ve been in dozens of small groups in Minnesota since that first one. And while small groups are a great way to find like-minded people to connect with, I sometimes find myself waiting for connection to come to my front door. I don’t always reach out or initiate with those I already know and I’m not always quick to invite new friends into my inner circles. But this year, I want to be different. When I crave connection, I want to ask for it by building relationships — both old and new. And if that’s you too…let’s do this together. No more being a bystander when it comes to connection. And more of communicating what we need and opening our hearts to new connections in your everyday rhythms.

Connect with your purpose & passion

One of the secrets to intentional living is connecting to your purpose & passion. And yes, I can hear your questions from here. If you’re asking questions like, “What if I don’t know my purpose?” or “I feel stuck on discovering my passion?”, then you’re not alone.. Back when I packed up my belongings in a U-Haul and moved north from Chicago, I had one goal in mind. I was going to live out my purpose in church ministry. But…there was a small problem. God was asking me to wait as He prepared me. I went to seminary, I worked a job in import/export, and I drove everyone around me crazy wanting God to open those doors.

In case you don’t know the story, God eventually opened those doors but it took awhile. What I learned while I was waiting for that big opportunity, God was teaching me about purpose, passion, and choosing to live that out in my everyday life - even while I waited. We don’t need a position, a title, or influence to live with purpose and passion, we just need open hearts to what God is doing in our lives today. If you’re stuck on what your purpose might be, we can start with what we know and live out what we’re reading in the Bible. Mark 12:30-31 tell us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind and Matthew 28:18-20 tell us to make disciples (as we are going). You and I? We can choose to press pause and listen to the stories of our lives to discover our purpose and passion.

It can be overwhelming to try to connect in all four of these places. If we were sitting in a group coaching session, I’d ask you to slow it down and listen to your life. You may be already connected with some of these areas of your life. Even further, you may have one area that needs some of your full attention. I encourage you to pick one that you’d like to start working on and what baby step you can take this week to take one step closer to connecting this year.