The Year I Get Honest: 3 Commitments for Change

A candid look at the shifts I need to make—and how you can too.

Business Meets Lifestyle

What would you change? Is the only thing standing between you and your goal your mindset?

I recently listened to Clark Kegley’s “3 Decisions That Will Define Your 2025“. In it, he focuses on the power of intentional changes to create a shift. This means cutting distractions and focusing on actions that reflect my values.

He emphasizes that you can build momentum toward long-term fulfillment by identifying three key areas to focus on.

This month, I’ve been focused on going beyond setting goals. Instead, I’m honing in on what I need from my path to make the changes that allow my life and business to support each other—not the other way around.

I’d be a little disingenuous if I glossed over the significant changes I must make in 2025 to balance my business and lifestyle. While Clark highlights committing to getting clear, getting honest, and getting moving, my approach focuses on getting clear, choosing one thing to support that clarity, and getting honest.

Let’s talk about it.

Commitment 1: Focus on The Digital Navigator HQ to Create Income

The scariest part of any business pivot isn’t deciding what to build; it’s letting go of what worked to make room for something new.

For as long as I can remember, I planned to work until I was in the ground. Retirement wasn’t a concept I built into my business model. However, as I begin the journey into my 60s and face significant health changes, that dream is evolving quickly.

After all, I have it all now—a thriving and sustainable business that supports my location-independent lifestyle. However, the downside is its reliance on a service-based model that demands constant implementation. My clients are incredible, but as much as I love it, the technology is a double-edged sword. Having a team might seem like an easy solution to removing myself from the business. Still, even that comes with its challenges: decisions to make, people to support, and responsibilities to shoulder.

Over the years, I’ve learned a lot. AI, for instance, has become an invaluable tool for streamlining processes. But the WordPress industry is also shifting. For years, I’ve brainstormed about the Digital Navigator HQ (DigiNav, for short), a place to help cut through the overwhelm of advice, tools, and strategies to build sustainable, creative businesses that fit your life.

Always stopping short of taking concrete steps to make it a reality—until now.

Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity AI make finding information easier than ever. The challenge isn’t access; it’s cutting through the noise and aligning your mindset with your goals. That’s where DigiNav comes in.

I can’t do both. Well, I could, but I have no desire to run multiple businesses. It’s time to focus on where my heart truly lies—the Digital Navigator HQ. With this shift comes an income commitment: $5,000 per month to replace my agency income within a year. That’s the first step toward simplifying my decisions and charting the next phase of my life.

Step one was improving my storytelling and writing so you could see the lessons I’ve learned and what’s possible for you, too. Now, I’m onto monetizing, and that’s where commitment two comes into play.

Video Planning And Recording

Commitment 2: Growing a YouTube Channel

YouTube is my best platform for building relationships beyond the written word. While writing helps me articulate my thoughts, video allows me to convey emotion and connection in a way words often can’t. YouTube is my opportunity to build trust with you.

I’ve already started by wiping my channel clean. Not that I had many videos there initially, but they focused on the “how,” while I wanted to focus on the “why.” Although I’ve yet to record my first video (my deadline is the end of the month), I’m facing a perfectionist bump I must overcome.

It’s not that I don’t know what to do. I’ve created videos for my agency, participated in online TV channels, and spoken at events. But those were all about “how to make something happen,” not why it matters to your journey. This time, it’s different.

With the help of my friend Kim Doyal, I’ve outlined the type of content I want to create. These themes align with my vision for DigiNav and my audience’s needs.

  • Digital Navigator: The nitty-gritty of building a sustainable online business that works for you. From tech tips to mindset hacks, we’ll cut through the noise to help you create a business that supports your lifestyle and values.
  • Chronically Curious: Who says aging up means slowing down? We’ll dive into the art of staying curious, adventurous, and youthful at any age.
  • Roam Sweet Roam: Think freedom meets home. Explore location independence’s joys (and challenges), from snowbirding and short-term travel to creating a sense of home wherever you land.

Now comes the real SMART goal: monetization. To monetize my channel, I need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. Consistency is key. Just as I wrote over 300 articles in one year on Medium, I learned that showing up consistently builds an audience, trust, and momentum. I need to carry that same persistence to YouTube to achieve this.

Which brings me to commitment three.

Stepping Stones To Move Forward

Commitment 3: Getting Honest About My Journey

Sometimes, the hardest person to be honest with is yourself. It’s easy to ignore shortcomings, blaming circumstances and external factors for why things aren’t working. But the truth is, real growth begins when you stop hiding behind excuses and face your patterns, habits, and decisions head-on.

I make decisions based on numbers and outcomes. It’s easy to do this for my clients, colleagues, and mastermind groups, but not for myself. When not floundering, I tend to fly by the seat of my pants, often excusing personal shortcomings.

When I was diagnosed with a heart issue, I had an excuse for every symptom. Gained weight? I was eating poorly. Fatigue? Not enough sleep. Headaches? Too much computer time. My surgeon laughed when I shared my rationalizations. It was a wake-up call: I had distracted myself from the truth instead of confronting it.

That’s the benchmark for breaking old habits. If I’m being honest, I’ve used similar excuse-driven reasoning to delay launching DigiNav despite knowing its potential to help many of you.

It’s time to take the gloves off, reflect on the path forward, and identify what’s working and what’s holding me back. The good news? Small steps and changes will get me there. I will be one percent better every day. Lose one pound, read one page, and reach out to five people. Small and doable—that’s as honest as it gets.

Three Changes Are All It Takes

I won’t lie; 2025 will be a year with many factors beyond my control. But there are spaces in my life where I can commit to changes that will make a difference in the next decade.

It’s about balancing business and lifestyle while embracing and enjoying new changes. It’s about returning to my roots—education and empowerment—for you and me. By focusing on these three commitments, I’m setting myself up for a more aligned, fulfilling next chapter.

Three changes are all it takes to turn a year around. What will yours be?

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