Ep 62: Choosing Mastery Over New Year’s Resolutions for 2025

In this inspiring New Year’s episode, Lori dives deep into the transformative power of mastery and challenges you to make 2025 the year of focused commitment. Forget the overwhelming “new year, new you” mindset, and all the goals and resolutions that go along with it. Instead embrace the journey of deep engagement with one meaningful pursuit. Lori explains how mastery isn’t about perfection or accolades but about showing up consistently, learning through the process, and growing in ways that ripple across every area of your life.

Drawing inspiration from Japanese culture’s concept of shokunin, the path of the craftsman, this episode is packed with insights on the mindset shifts, courage, and resilience needed to truly transform yourself through mastery. Lori shares her personal story of committing to her art career and how that journey reshaped her identity and empowered her coaching practice.

Tune in to discover how choosing depth over distraction can lead to a year of profound growth, fulfillment, and self-discovery.

Episode Highlights:

1. Defining Mastery
   Lori suggests focusing on depth, growth, and the process over perfection or external recognition.

1. The Power of Focused Commitment
   Learn why choosing one meaningful pursuit in 2025 can lead to transformation and reveal untapped potential.

1. Mastery as a Mirror
   Lori shares how her journey in mastering art reflected her strengths, challenges, and habits, ultimately helping her grow in all areas of life.

1. The Courage to Commit
   Explore why mastery requires saying no to distractions, letting go of misaligned pursuits, and embracing vulnerability.

1. Lessons from Japanese Culture
    Discover the concept of shokunin, the craftsman’s path, and how it embodies a devotion to meaningful work.

1. The Ripple Effect of Mastery
   Understand how mastery in one area can positively influence every part of your life, from discipline to creativity to relationships.

1. Is Mastery Right for You?
   Lori shares an exercise to invite you to consider mastering one thing this year.

1. Embracing the Process
   Learn why mastery is never truly finished and how letting go of control and perfection can lead to true growth.

Reflect and Take Action:

What is the one thing you’ll commit to mastering in 2025? Share it with someone who will support you and reflect on how this choice could transform your life. Depth, not distraction, is the key to a truly transformative year.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend or on social media! Let’s inspire others to make 2025 their year of mastery.

Thank you for sharing your time with me and remember to show up in your life like the masterpiece you are because YOU are the ARTwork!!!

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Have a fabulous day!

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Transcript

Lori Gouhin: Welcome to the artwork of you, the podcast, where your life is the canvas and you are the masterpiece. I'm your host, Lori Gounin, and together we'll explore creativity, self awareness, mindset, goal strategy, and the importance of accountability so that you can paint your life's portrait. With confidence and ease.

Remember in the gallery of life, you're not just a spectator. You are the art. So let's grab our brushes and start creating the masterpiece. That is you. 

[00:00:30] Lori Gouhin: Hello, my friends, Happy New Year. I am so glad that you are here with me today because today I want to talk about a completely different way of thinking about the year ahead. I know that we're all familiar with the new year, new you mindset that takes over our social media feeds and conversations at this time of the year.

[00:01:49] But I'm also sure that you are aware that constantly chasing new goals or trying to reinvent yourself can be exhausting. So what if this year? Instead of scattering your energy across a hundred new things, you focused on mastering just one. Imagine what that could mean for your life. What I mean is not just accomplishing something, but transforming through it because mastery is not about checking the boxes or achieving external accolades.

[00:01:55]  It's about committing to something so deeply that it changes not just what you do, but who you are. So today we're going to explore what it means to make 2025 your year of mastery, why it matters, how to approach it, and what it can reveal about your potential. So let's start with the question, what comes to your mind when you hear the word mastery?

[00:02:43] I know that for some, it might sound a little intimidating, like something only experts or maybe prodigies can achieve, but mastery isn't about being perfect or even the best. It's about depth. It's about showing up consistently for something meaningful, not to prove anything to anyone else, but to yourself.

[00:03:04] In Japan culture, there's a term called shokunin, which describes the path of the craftsman. Someone who dedicates their life to their craft, not for fame or fortune, but for the joy and integrity of the work itself.

[00:03:49] In other words, mastery is a mindset, not a milestone. It's an ongoing relationship with growth and a devotion to something that matters deeply to you. And this perspective can be really freeing because it shifts the focus from outcomes to the process itself. 

instead of asking, when will I achieve this, you start asking, how deeply can I engage? That single shift in perspective can open up a whole new way of experiencing life. One where you're not rushing to the next thing. But are fully present in what you're doing now, because here's the thing about mastery.

[00:04:05] It will show you who you really are. When I think about my own journey, one of the clearest examples is when I decided to go all in on my art career. For five years, I committed to mastering my craft. I did not know how to paint professionally, let alone how to navigate the art world, but I poured myself into it.

Learning, experimenting, and really showing up every single day. What [00:03:20] I didn't expect was how much the process would teach me about myself. It revealed my impatience, my fear of failure, And my tendency to compare myself to others, but it also showed me my resilience, my creativity, and my ability to find joy in the process.

[00:05:36] And those lessons Didn't just stay in my art practice. They bled into every part of my life. Because mastery is a mirror. It will reflect back, not just your strengths, but also the beliefs and behaviors that hold you back. And that's where, the real growth happens. So let me ask you, what has your current level of commitment taught you about yourself this year in 2024?

[00:06:01] Have you discovered patterns that are holding you back or strengths you didn't know that you had? Mastery will invite you to look deeply and embrace what you find both the good and the challenging. And now let me caution you, choosing mastery is not a casual decision because it does require courage.

[00:07:18] The courage to say no to distractions, to let go of things that don't align with your deeper purpose and to face the discomfort of staying with something long enough to see real progress. And in a world that's obsessed with quick wins and multitasking, Mastery might almost be considered, I would say, an act of rebellion.

[00:04:37] Because think about it. How often do you let yourself get pulled in a thousand directions because you're afraid to fully commit? It's easier to dabble, to keep your options open, to avoid the vulnerability of saying, this is what I'm going all in on. But what if that very thing you're avoiding, that deep focused commitment, is the thing that could unlock the next level of potential for you?

[00:05:01] I want you to ask yourself, what would it mean to choose one thing and pursue it? With your whole heart this year, not because it's trendy or impressive, but because it genuinely matters to you. And just as importantly, what are you willing to let go of to make room for that commitment? Because when you commit to mastering one thing, it doesn't just change that one area of your life.

[00:05:25] It ripples into everything else. Again, when I was mastering my art, I didn't just become a better painter, I became more disciplined, more patient, and more attuned to my creative process. And those lessons carried over when I returned to my coaching practice. And honestly, they've made me a better coach.

[00:05:44] Mastery will transform your identity. It shifts what you believe you are capable of. And that shift doesn't just inspire you, it challenges and inspires the people around you, because you start to show up differently, with more confidence and clarity and purpose. And people notice that.

[00:06:03] So what if mastering one thing could quietly change everything? Take a moment to imagine that ripple effect and what it could look like in your life. How might mastering one skill or habit unlock doors and opportunities that you did not even know were there? I also want to remind you that First, that mastery isn't linear. Growth often looks like spirals, plateaus, and even setbacks. Sometimes it feels like you're moving backward before you break through to that next level. And second, the deeper you go, the more you realize how much there is to [00:06:40] learn. In other words, mastery will humble you.

[00:06:42] But in the best possible way, because true mastery is about letting go. It's about releasing your need for control or perfection and surrendering to the process. And I know this might sound counterintuitive, but the more you try to force mastery, the further it can feel. Instead, it's really about being fully present and allowing the process to shape you as much as you shape it.

[00:07:05] You must embrace the contradictions and fall in love with the fact that mastery is never really finished. I want you to visualize for a minute. And imagine it's December 2025 and you have committed to mastering one thing. What does your day to day life look like? How has this pursuit changed your mindset, your habits, and your sense of self?

[00:07:27] Who have you become in the process? And so as we wrap it up, I will leave you with this challenge. Choose one thing. To master in 2025, reflect on how mastering this will redefine your personal narrative. I suggest sharing your choice with someone you trust and who will support you to solidify your commitment 

[00:08:00] And ask yourself, what if 2025 became the most transformative year Of your life because you chose depth over distraction. Mastery isn't about the end goal. It's about becoming the person who shows up fully for the experience. You are capable, you are deserving. Make 2025 the year you master something meaningful. That's a wrap for today. My friends, thank you for sharing your time with me and remember to show up in your life, like the masterpiece you are, because you are the artwork.

Please subscribe and leave a five star review. Have a fabulous day.