Inside out – come alive in 2025
Karen Allen’s slogan for the forthcoming New Year is ‘Come Alive in 2025’ and she shares some insights to help you to make 2025 your best year ever
As a mother of five, it can be challenging to get quality time alone to rejuvenate and recuperate. One of the things I love to do is go to the cinema. Alone. People often question how do I find the time and the answer is simple: I make the time. Throughout the years, I have watched countless movies with my children. It would be safe to say I have probably watched every Disney cartoon ever made! The exaggeration may be slight, but definitely most of them.
We recently went to see Inside Out 2, an animation about life inside the mind of a teenage girl. It was brilliant. One thing I love about most animations aimed at children is the simplicity of the message, which usually contains some profound truths and thought-provoking insights. Inside Out 2 enabled the audience to get a practical glimpse into how emotions work and how those emotions in turn impact our beliefs, choices and consequences.
A New Year can be both daunting and exciting, simultaneously. On the one hand it evokes feelings of joy, hope and anticipation, presenting us with a fresh start, new opportunities, and a world of possibilities. On the other hand, many people grapple with feelings of anxiety, fear, and a sense of hopelessness due to dreams that have been dashed in the past. Gone are the days where people are convinced by slogans, such as “NEW YEAR, NEW YOU” –people want more – but what many are still failing to realise is that, in order to have more, you must first be more and do more. This is an inside-out job.
‘Come Alive in 2025!’ – I just wanted to throw a slogan in there – may sound corny, but this is genuinely my hope and prayer for you this year. I want you to give yourself the permission to truly come alive in 2025. However, this can only happen if you take the time to discover who you truly are from within and do the necessary work. This often begins with the internal dialogue you are having with yourself about yourself. Inside us all we have ‘little animations’ that are trying to dictate how we think, feel and behave. Oftentimes we fail to realise that those ‘little animations’ are subject to us and that we are in control. If you are not happy with the life you are living… change it! If you feel your life is boring and mundane… shake it up! If you think you should have more love, more peace or more joy… do something about it!
2025 is about you doing the inside work, so that you can experience and enjoy the manifestation of that work on the outside. We live in a culture where people spend so much time, money, energy and effort on their external appearance that they fail to realise that the true value is within them. This may sound corny or repetitive, but truth is truth. There will be nothing new about your life in this new year if you do nothing different.
So how can we do this, practically? It’s all good, me motivating you with words, but motivation without instruction leads to frustration. (I just came up with that, that was good!) It’s so true, I have been to so many events and conferences that have motivated me to the point of frustration, because I have no idea how to implement the information given. So, here are three simple steps that only you can take to make 2025 one of the most memorable years of your life.
1. Inside your HEAD
There are thoughts, dreams and ideas inside your head and you need to take a minute to simply WRITE THEM DOWN. Don’t overthink it, just write them down. Once you’ve done that, write down the answer to this question: “What’s stopping you?”
2. Inside your HEART
Your heart may have been bruised or broken due to discouragement, disappointment or a devastating series of events. Your heart needs to be healed so you can live again. You stopped trusting, hoping and believing because of the pain. It’s time to exchange your mourning for dancing; it’s a divine exchange. Allow God to heal your heart by simply asking Him to do so.
3. Inside your HANDS
Everything you need is either within you or within your reach. There is nothing you need to come alive in 2025 that you do not already possess or have access to. God has given you possessions (gifts and talents) and people who are within arm’s length. USE WHAT YOU HAVE and watch what God will do.
Here’s to 2025! What a wonderful time to be alive!
KAREN ALLEN
Minister, personal development coach, and activist, changing the narrative for young people and Black men
