Dream Big, Be Brave, & Say YES to YOU in 2025 -47

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Marli Williams [: 00:00:04

Well, hey there. What is happening? I would love to wish you a happy, happy New Year. Welcome back to the Marli Williams podcast. I'm super stoked because this week, I am going to help you set yourself up for inevitable success in 2025. This is a mini pep talk workshop podcast experience. So feel free to grab a pen, grab a journal, and get ready to dive in to create and live your hell yes life in 2025. Let's do this together.

Marli Williams [: 00:00:45

Hey, everyone. What's happening? I am super stoked to welcome you to the Marli Williams podcast, where we will explore authentic leadership, transformational facilitation, and how to create epic experiences for your audiences every single time. I am your host, Marli Williams, bringing you thought provoking insights, expert interviews, and actionable strategies to unlock your potential as a leader, facilitator, and speaker. Thank you for joining me on this journey of growth, transformation, and impact. Let's lead together. The Marli Williams podcast begins now. Let's dive in.

Marli Williams [: 00:01:29

I first wanna start off by saying happy new year. I am launching this episode on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, stepping into this next year around the sun. And so this week is an invitation and an opportunity for you to really set some clear intentions for yourself as we step into the next year of our journey. So feel free to grab a pen, grab a piece of paper. If you're listening this on a walk, maybe you can listen to it again. And I hope that this really helps you get grounded and get centered and get really clear on where you wanna go this next year and who you wanna be and what you want to create. So I am embarking on a retreat coming up called the Hell Yes Retreat. Many of you out there listening know that I shifted from running a summer camp for women called camp yes to running a company and a business called hell yes, which is really about empowering people to create and live their hell yes life.

Marli Williams [: 00:02:50

And when you think about what does your life look like and sound like and feel like, if you were to wake up in the morning every single day and say, hell yes. I get to be me. I get to do things that nourish me, things that light me up, things that fuel me. I'm spending time with people who lift me up. So the invitation today is really to invite you into the world of possibility around what your hell yes life looks like, sounds like, and feels like to you. And when I think about the word yes, I love I love acronyms. And the acronym that I created for the word yes is your empowered success. So really what this is about is really getting clear on what success looks like to you.

Marli Williams [: 00:03:45

Because so often it's easy to get caught up in what society thinks is successful or your parents or your friends or your family. And so it's really looking inside and saying, what does success look like, sound like, and feel like to me? And how do I know I'm on the right path and I'm on the right track, and I'm living a life that is aligned and authentic to who I am? And the reason we do this is so, you know, for me, it's like when I look back on my life, I can say, hell, yes. I showed up. I plead full out. I lived a life that was truly authentic to me. I did things that I wanted to do. I enjoyed my life. Right? So one of the things that I think people get stuck in is this, like, really rigid goal setting that lasts for, like, a week or 2 as we go into the new year.

Marli Williams [: 00:04:46

Right? We set these 1,000,000 of New Year's resolutions. We do them for a few days, and then we give up on our dreams. And that I think part of the reason that happens is because we aren't setting ourselves up for success. We're setting ourselves up for failure. Because when we take on too many things, when you try to change too many things at once, it's unsustainable. And I think so often we take ourselves way too seriously when it comes to goal setting and we beat ourselves up and we're super hard on ourselves and we're pushing and struggling and, you know, all of this stuff versus starting with creating a vision that compels you to move forward. A vision that pulls you to doing things that are in alignment with that versus pushing ourselves to do all of these things, you know, to work out more, to eat healthy, and to do all these things. It's like when I sit back, when I take a step back from that, I asked the question, for what purpose? For what purpose? Why does working out matter to me or eating healthy? And how is that in alignment with the vision that I have for my life that is compelling enough to make new and different choices.

Marli Williams [: 00:06:13

Right? So part of the journey here today, step 1 is creating a clear vision for what you want to create and who you wanna be in 2025. So I am going to guide you through a short visualization. You can do this on a walk. You or if you're sitting down, you can definitely close your eyes. If you're driving, keep driving, eyes on the road. And you can always come back and listen to this when you're not walking or driving. But I invite you to set down whatever you have in your hands, And I'm gonna invite you just to slow down and take 3 deep breaths. Maybe these are the deepest breaths you've taken yet today.

Marli Williams [: 00:07:07

Breathing all the way in and breathing all the way out. Doing that 2 more times. Breathing all the way in and all the way out. Last time, biggest deepest breath. And I invite you to imagine that it is 1 year from today. Maybe it's January 1st, 2026. And I'm going to invite you to look back on this past year as though it were the best year of your life. And as you look back on this year, I invite you to notice the places that you traveled to the things that you accomplished, that you said you wanted to do, reflecting on the impact that you have made in the world, on your friends, on your family, your clients.

Marli Williams [: 00:08:30

I invite you to look back and reflect on all of the things that you chose to say yes to all of the moments or you said yes to you. How did you show up for yourself this year? What did that look like? What did it sound like? What did it feel like? What are you the most route of? What did you commit to? How did you grow? How did you learn? What did, what did you learn? What were the lessons that you learned this year? Who did you build deeper, more meaningful connections with? And if this year were the best year yet, I invite you to feel into how did this year feel to you? What were some of the emotions Were you grateful or proud, accomplished, playful? Feel into really what mattered most this year. Was it taking care of your heart, your mind, your body, your soul, your spirit? Was it building community? Was it building your business? What got to be possible because you said yes to the things that matter the most? And even more importantly, who did you get to become along the way? I invite you to take 3 more really deep breaths and notice if there's any words, images, or phrases that come up for you that really represent this past year of your life. Notice if there's any words, images or phrases and you and as you breathe in, breathe that word image or phrase into every cell of your body. And breathing out anything in the way. Doing that 2 more times. Doing that 2 more times, breathing all the way in. That word, that image, or phrase, and on the exhale, letting go of anything in the way.

Marli Williams [: 00:12:09

One last time, breathing that into every cell of your body all the way in, letting that go. And you can slowly start to move your fingers and toes, blink your eyes open. And I invite you if you are listening to this too, you can hit the pause button and take a moment to journal and write down what you felt, what you heard, what you saw, what you noticed. So often we try to set our intentions and create goals from our head versus our heart. So instead of shooting all over on ourselves in this next year, how can you get in tune with you? With your intuition and to build this trust within yourself and really get clear on what matters most. You know, I think there's a quote that says we can't have everything that we want, but we can have anything that we want. Sometimes we get overwhelmed with trying to do all these things differently in the new year versus like, notice what that what was that word? What was that image? What was that phrase that came up? What matters most to you this year? And maybe you choose a mantra or a word of the year, something as an anchor point something as a true north to help kind of be your guiding light this year. And to create that from a place of, checking in with your heart, not just your head.

Marli Williams [: 00:13:56

Right? So step 1 on creating your hell yes life is having a clear, compelling vision that guides you forward. Right? Knowing what matters most. And then, you know, once you've had time to reflect on that, write that down. That is a visualization that you can come back to every single day. 2 to 3 minutes a day. Imagine you living your life. And what I love about this exercise is we're not looking, what do I want to do in the future? It's like, what have I already done? Right? When we look back, it's like, and what made your success inevitable? You know, who are the people that supported you? What were the resources that you gathered around you? How did you set yourself up for success in your environment? Like, did you did you join a group dance class or fitness class or, you know, find a trail running crew or whatever it is. Like, what are the things that you did to set yourself up for your inevitable success? And I love that question.

Marli Williams [: 00:15:15

Like, what do I need? Right? This is my big, bold vision for 2025. What do I know that I need in order or success to be inevitable? The people, the resources, the time, the energy. Right? And really, again, set yourself up for a win here. Once you have that clear, compelling vision and you know what the tools are, the people, the resources you need for that success to be inevitable, and again, all of these are journal prompts that you can write down, then it's starting to break down your intentions that you have, your goals, your mission. What are the specific things that you want to accomplish that are in line with your vision. Right? So a specific goal would be like, I wanna book 20 speaking engagements at $20,000 each in 2025. Right? And that feels it's kinda one of those, like, big, hairy, audacious goals. It's like that feels edgy.

Marli Williams [: 00:16:31

It feels stretchy. It feels playful. It feels fun. It feels exciting. I'm like, woah. That feels that feels crazy. And it also feels inspiring. It doesn't feel like a have to goal or a should goal.

Marli Williams [: 00:16:46

And that's the difference between, oh, yes, goals and regular goals. The metric is, does it move you? Is there emotion behind it? Are you inspired about that? Right? So when we're setting these really specific goals, you know, I I always ask like, well, so what's the goal? Why does that matter to you? And my 2 big drivers in my life and in my business are freedom and impact. I love having freedom in my life, freedom to do what I want with who I want, when I want, like to travel, to explore, to be free in my creativity and my expression. And the big the second one is to make an impact. So the more that I'm speaking and the bigger audiences I'm speaking to, the bigger impact that I can have. Right? So it matters to me because I wanna freedom in my life and I wanna make an impact. Then what are the thoughts and beliefs that will support me in that goal? Meaning, what do I need to believe about me in order for that goal to be inevitable? In order to book those speaking engagements, I have to believe that what I have to share and my message with the world matters and that I am amazing at what I do at delivering powerful talks, presentations, and creating epic experiences for the audiences that I get to serve. Like, I really have to believe that deeply in myself to know, to trust the value that I have to offer.

Marli Williams [: 00:18:34

So what are the thoughts and beliefs that are gonna support you? I am a sought after motivational speaker and impactful facilitator of possibility. What is that for you? And then again, like, I think about, okay, well, what do I need specifically? What are the specific tools, support, and resources I need for that to be inevitable? And one of the things that I'm doing in 2025 is I'm joining a community of other thought leaders and speakers to really inspire me to level up. There's a quote that says what got me here won't get me there. And I know if I want to get to that level, I need to be surrounded by other people who are in that arena, who will motivate me, who will inspire me, coach me, and help me see what I can't see. Right? And I, you know, I've been in the field of personal development for the past 2 decades. And during that time, I have always had a coach, a mentor, a community, something to help me see beyond what I can see. To see what's possible even when I can't see that for myself. Right? So once you have are clear on the support and the resources, I always like to think about what you are already grateful for in the future.

Marli Williams [: 00:19:58

Right? So this is like your future gratitude. You know, I'm so happy and grateful that I have built a successful speaking career, doing work that I love, working with amazing organizations, getting to travel to beautiful places, and to get to make an impact in people's lives. Like, I'm so happy and grateful that this thing has already happened. Meaning, can you be grateful for your success in advance? Right? This is a huge part of manifesting and really making your success inevitable. And between each of these prompts, feel free to pause, write, reflect. I know I'm going through these pretty fast. And then what will you do to celebrate you, to celebrate your success, to celebrate your wins? You know, is it planning a trip? Is it going out to your favorite restaurant? Is it booking a massage or a spa day? What will you do to celebrate you? And this last piece that I really want to emphasize is how important it is to enjoy the journey. My favorite quote about goals says, the purpose of a goal isn't to achieve it.

Marli Williams [: 00:21:16

The purpose of a goal is to figure out who you are along the way. Achieving it is the icing on the cake. Meaning, you know, if my goal is I wanna book 20 speaking engagements at $20,000 each or more, the question then is, who do I get to become along the way? Who do I get to become and who do I you know, on this journey of honing in my message, continuing to develop my craft as a speaker. I get to become a better speaker. I get to build this community of other epic inspiring leaders. I get to connect with amazing organizations. Right? It's like, who do I get to become when that is my goal? Right? When we set a goal, like, for something like, oh, I wanna run a marathon. You know, we owe our society overemphasizes finishing the goal versus looking at who you who do you get to become when you are showing up for yourself consistently, creating a training plan, eating well, moving your body in this way.

Marli Williams [: 00:22:29

Right? And how much can you let yourself enjoy the journey and not be so overly focused on the actual goal itself, but to set a goal again that moves you, that pulls you forward, that inspires you. And then it's like, how much fun can I have on the way to the top of that mountain? Whatever that mountain is for you. And when that goal is something that lights you up, it compels you to take bold inspired action in service of that vision every single day. Because action is where the magic happens. And not supposed to action or should action, bold, inspired, and sometimes even imperfect action. And every single day when you have a vision that inspires you and goals that move you and that, elevate you to the next level, It's like, what's one bold inspired action I can do every single day on behalf of that vision, on behalf of the goals that are moving me in that direction? Right? 1 one bulls inspired action, one email, one phone call, 1 video, one. Thank you. What is something that you can do every single day to show up for you and for the things that matter the most.

Marli Williams [: 00:23:58

And when we do that, when we have that clear, compelling, hell yes vision for your life, I mean, that's really what it comes down to. And when and and also believing that what it is that you want is possible. You deserve what you desire. To let yourself want what you want just because you want it. You don't need to have a reason for it. And if you have a desire to build something or to create something or to become something in your life, in this world, it is not an accident. And there is a reason that you have that dream, that you have that desire and that you have everything in you to make that dream a reality. Otherwise you wouldn't have it.

Marli Williams [: 00:24:52

The root word of desire, the meaning of desire is desire, which means of the stars. Your desire is your destiny. The things that you want are not random. It is what you are here to build, to make, to create. And I also wanna say for those of you that are service driven, heart centered entrepreneurs out there, if you have a desire to build or create something in the world, it is not an accident. And there are there are people out there that need your magic, that need your medicine and are waiting for you to share that with the world. So my hope for you as we move into 2025 is for you to wake up every single day saying, Hell, yes. This is my vision.

Marli Williams [: 00:25:53

This is where I'm going. This is what I'm creating. And I'm going to take one bold step in that direction every single day. 365 bold inspired actions in service of your vision and what it is that you really want will make your success inevitable. And that is what I hope for you. That is my wish for you. And, you know, as you as you go through the exercises and the prompts that I shared with you today, feel free to relisten to this. Do it with a partner.

Marli Williams [: 00:26:26

Do it with your family. Do it with your friends. Pause it as many times as you need to write, to journal, to reflect and allow yourself to show up for yourself in the most authentic, aligned, and empowering way that you have ever done for you. Right? What would it look like this year in 2025 if you were to show up and play full out? To say yes to the things that light you up and to say also to give yourself permission to say no to the things that do not light you up. To say no to the things that aren't what you want anymore. In order to say yes, sometimes we need to say no. We need to create space for the life that you want to build and for the person that you want to be. That is my hope for you, my wish for you, my dream for you.

Marli Williams [: 00:27:26

And I hope that this served you. I hope this moved you. I hope this inspired you to create and live your hell yes life every single day. My friends, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being on this journey with me. Thank you for tuning in, for listening. If you love this, like it, share it, send it to a friend, and I look forward to continuing to support you in your leadership journey as we move into 2025.

Marli Williams [: 00:27:58

And, for those of you who are listening, who are in Portland, I have a little fun plug is that we are Next Energy Exchange elevated networking experience is coming up on Tuesday, January 21st from 5 to 7:30 at Kiln. So if you want to get in on some epic action with some amazing leaders, coaches, change makers, visionaries, entrepreneurs here in Portland, we just had our first energy exchange experience that was epically amazing, and I would love to have you join us. So I will have the link or the next energy exchange in the show notes. And then I really hope to see you there if you live in Portland. And if not, know that we're thinking of you, sending you so much love. Thanks again for listening, and happy, happy New Year.

Marli Williams [: 00:28:55

Thank you for joining us on another inspiring episode of the Marli Williams podcast. We hope you're leaving here with renewed energy and valuable insights to fuel your leadership, coaching, and speaking endeavors. I'd love to invite you to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast to help us reach more aspiring leaders and speakers like you. We have more exciting episodes and remarkable guests lined up, so make sure to tune in next time. Until then, keep leading with purpose, coaching with heart, and speaking with conviction. This is Marli Williams signing off. See you next week.