2025: The Year of Detachment, Transformation, and Completion 

2025: The Year of Detachment, Transformation, and Completion 

During my undergraduate studies, my sociology class was assigned a project that required us to imagine we were “aliens” (a visitor) from another world visiting Earth for the first time. The challenge? To step back and view society as a detached observer without preconceived understandings, biases, or ingrained beliefs. We had to describe what we saw from the outside looking in. 

I struggled with it at first. It’s not easy to strip away everything we think we know. Lucky for me, my father had an incredible imagination, so I reached out to him for inspiration. He helped me to open my mind to this project.  

When my professor handed back our assignments, he told me that I was one of the few students who took it seriously. I still remember his disappointment with the class. Given my discussions with my peers, it wasn’t so much a lack of interest in the project. Rather, a difficulty detaching from their deeply ingrained perceptions of reality. In hindsight, we just needed more guidance, a little extra support to help us see differently. My father provided that for me, and the lesson stayed with me far beyond that sociology course. 

From Brain Rot and Polarization to Detachment 

Why am I sharing this? Because I was reminded of that sociology project from long ago after looking at Oxford’s 2024 Word of the Year, “Brain Rot,” and Merriam-Webster’s, “Polarization”. I started wondering: If a being with no prior knowledge of our world observed us today, what would they see? What would stand out? 

Would they see a world consumed by mental overstimulation, distractions, and disconnection from self and others? Would they notice the deep divides in our beliefs, identities, and relationships, fueled by an “us vs. them” mentality? Or might they recognize our need for a little extra support to see the interconnectedness of all things?  

Detachment: Not Separation, But Expansion 

Every year, like many others, I choose a word to guide my year ahead. For 2025, detachment has moved into focus. But not detachment in the sense of apathy or disconnection. For me, detachment is about creating space. Space to be present, space to allow, space to let go of any rigid expectations I may be holding on to (often unconsciously). 

It’s about releasing attachment to: 

• Specific outcomes, so I can be fully engaged in the process. 

• Some material possessions, making room for freedom and simplicity. 

• Old beliefs that no longer serve me, to invite in something greater. 

2025: A Year of Completion and Transformation 

Adding another layer to this, 2025 is a Number 9 year in numerology, which signifies completion. It’s a time to wrap up unfinished cycles, release what’s no longer aligned, and prepare for new beginnings. 

It’s also the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac. The snake is a symbol of transformation, renewal, and growth. Just as a snake sheds its skin to allow for growth, we are invited to shed outdated patterns, limiting beliefs, and attachments that no longer fit. 

• What are you holding onto without question? 

• What in your life is ready to be completed? 

• Where do you need to create space for something new? 

What Will Your Word Be? 

As we enter 2025, I invite you to choose your own word of the year. What theme will guide your transformation? What are you ready to detach from? What are you prepared to complete? If you ask me, the timing for these changes is divinely aligned at this time, all it requires is your willingness to choose something different.  

If you’re feeling the call to break free from limiting patterns, reimagine what’s possible, and step into a more expansive version of yourself, let’s connect! With Disrupting Gracefully, I help leaders and changemakers recognize where old systems, behaviors, and perspectives are limiting them. From there, they can move forward in alignment with a deeper truth, creating more meaningful impact in their lives and communities.