2025: A year to thrive... or survive?
Thanks for reading Pluck! Today, we’re talking about what the new year will demand from fearless communicators.
I have always loved a new year. I’m one of those annoying people who not only makes resolutions, but keeps a running tally of daily, weekly, and monthly goals to stay on track. If it involves checking an item off my to-do list, I’m there.
So what’s at the top of my list as we enter 2025? I have no shortage of personal goals (Read 25 books! Take a crocheting class! Go to afternoon tea!). Yet I find myself struggling to map out my professional plans for the year.
I suspect I’m not alone. We’re only a few days removed from the holidays, and I’ve already seen clients and peers wrestling with communications questions that don’t seem to have good answers. The fear and futility is palpable.
What the heck is a fearless communicator supposed to do in this environment? That’s the big question I’m wrestling with right now.
Here are the best answers I’ve come up with so far.
Press pause on the 24/7
When I’ve dealt with uncertainty in the past, it’s usually sent me scrambling for more information—eager to consume as much as possible to feel surer about my footing. I’m taking a different approach this time around.
I turned off breaking news notifications. I started using an app that essentially bricks my phone between 11:00PM and 9:00AM.
Put simply: I’m getting more intentional about my attention.
I’m not turning away from the world entirely, of course. Staying informed and taking the pulse on the national mood is part of what makes a great communicator.
But this does not—and cannot—mean giving into relentless beatings from a media ecosystem that stokes our anxieties and amplifies our worst instincts.
Doing the job this year is going to require a clear head.
Amplify your voice amid the noise
Once you press pause on the 24/7, it frees up bandwidth that can be redirected toward more worthwhile pursuits.
The world is going to demand a lot from communicators this year, and a lot is going to be out of our control. One thing we can control is what we invest in ourselves.
I’ve always been an advocate for professional development, and it’s going to be more important than ever now. That means it’s time to make the appointment with yourself: to attend the conference you’ve been meaning to get to, to read the book that’s been on your list for too long, to work on the passion project that’s never seemed to hit escape velocity.
Spending this time looking inward will benefit the time you spend looking outward. Getting more in touch with your own voice will help you resist getting swept up in everyone else’s agendas—and start setting your own.
Let your North Star pick your battles
There will be yucky choices this year—that’s just our new reality. Compromise is inevitable. But they need to be the right compromises—the ones that let you lose battles to win wars. That’s where your North Star comes in.
Your North Star is your professional raison d'être—the foundational code you’re willing to be criticized for. Mine is pretty simple: Don’t add to the garbage pile. There is already way too much of it, especially coming out of the communications profession.
What will following this North Star functionally look like this year? I’m keeping it pretty simple: Don’t lend your words to assholes, don’t spread lies, don’t feed cynicism. Use your sphere of influence to promote the same.
And let the rest go.
Is 2025 a year to survive or to thrive? Maybe it’s both: a time to survive what we can’t control, thrive in what we do, and—most importantly—understand the difference.
Pluck: A Newsletter for Fearless Communicators is produced by Justine Adelizzi, an award-winning speechwriter and communications leader. She is the founder of FEARLESScomms, a coaching and consulting firm dedicated to creating fearless communicators.