Strategies and Mindsets Shifts to Make 2025 Your Year to Thrive

Abe Brown, MBA, M.R.Ed, PCC I believe that 2025 is your year of permission. There’s an ancient proverb that says, “You can only be what you give yourself permission to be.” Now, I want you to think about that for a moment; you and I can only be what we permit ourselves to be in this world. We all have a permission list and a limitation list. In the base of our subconscious lies a list of things we believe we can or can’t do.?

When I Decided to Give Myself Permission

I remember years ago when I was a part of a different coaching organization, the head of that organization decided to run a sales contest. He said whoever sells $8000 of our services each month for 3 consecutive months will win the contest as well as a cash payout. I can’t even remember how much the payout was; all I remember was that I needed the money—badly.?

That’s when I looked at my own sales results so far, and I realized there was no way I could win this contest because he was asking us to sell $8000 a month when I hadn’t even sold $1000 a month at that point. I remember calling him one day saying, “Your contest is not fair.” Puzzled, he asked me what I meant. I told him, “There’s no way I can do $8000 in a month, let alone 3 months. So can you please change the contest and make it easier for me?”

He told me straight up that he wasn’t going to change the contest for me. But then he added something at the end that changed my whole perspective. He said, “Abe, if you think you can’t, then you won’t. Maybe instead of asking me to change the contest, you should work on your mindset.”?

As a result of that conversation, I realized that I had to move this contest from my limitation list to my permission list. And guess who won the contest? I did. And the best part? I actually didn’t just do $8000 for 3 consecutive months, I did 5 figures. And since then, I’ve never had less than a 5-figure month—that has been through recessions, pandemics, housing crises, and more.?

The 5 P’s of Limitation

Let 2025 be your year to take the things you want to do off your limitation list and put them on your permission list. Now, there are, of course, things that are actually a limitation like not having enough money. And that’s when we begin to make up a story. But what we need to start doing is stop arguing for our limitations and start arguing for our possibilities. But how do we do that?

I’ll tell you what: One of the things I’ve discovered is that our limitations often come from what I refer to as the 5 Ps.?

1. Problems: We often create a plan that is put to a halt because of unforeseen problems that arise when we put that plan into action. It’s like what Mike Tyson says, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
2. Poverty: One thing we have to understand is that poverty is not a number in your bank account. It’s actually about a mindset. It’s about people seeing the world through a scarcity mentality, and that’s what creates the financial limitations so many experience.
3. Pain: Pain is a great teacher but sometimes we don’t learn the right lesson. And that’s when we tend to get shut down by the pain and become less of ourselves in the process.
4. People: Often people, with their words, can build a little cage around you, “You can’t do this or you can’t do that.” And many times, for the person on the other side of that criticism, what they’re hearing is a limitation instead of your heart.?
5. Programming: This is all about the messages that were sent to you in your earliest ages. And often, they were messages that didn’t need words. Were you neglected, abused, ignored, etc?

From Limitation to Permission

We are often the victims of our limitations. So, what we have to do is recognize that we reprogram ourselves by shifting our mindsets. You need to shift your mindset from one that’s based on all these limitations to one that’s based on permission. But how do you do that? Well, the first thing that needs to shift is that you have to get out of the protective survival mindset and into a thriving mindset.?

The difference between these two mentalities is in the language you use when you speak to yourself. It’s “I can’t” vs. “I’ve got this.” That is a mindset shift that will change your life. But the second thing you’ve got to do is change your mantra. Your mantra is the thing you tell you about you and the world around you.?

So, what are you telling yourself? Are you telling yourself a story of possibility? Or are you telling yourself a story that says, “Good things will never happen to me.” Your mindset and your mantras needs to positively feed on each other. And I’ll tell you what (and this is important), a huge part of giving yourself permission is your mission.?

The Science Behind Willpower

You need to be clear on your mission, purpose, and where you’re going. I believe as long as you are purpose-aligned, you are unstoppable. Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist, talks about the AMCC (otherwise known as the anterior mid cingulate cortex). This part of the brain is involved in higher-level functions such as attention allocation (what you focus on).

It's involved in decision-making, impulse control, and emotion. And Dr. Huberman said that the AMCC is the seat of your willpower of self-control. The interesting thing about it is that it’s not a stagnant thing that remains a fixed feature in your system. Instead, you can actually grow this part of your brain that controls willpower.?

And the way we grow the AMCC is by doing the hard things. That’s why obese people will have a smaller AMCC while elite athletes will have a larger one. In fact, athletes who regularly train their bodies have AMCCs of supernatural sizes!?

Now, what does that tell me when it comes to 2025? Here is it… Stop arguing for your limitations. Give yourself permission. Shift your mindset. Do the hard thing and grow your AMCC. And as you do (especially as you go into 2025), you’ll give yourself permission to accomplish your goals and check all those boxes that you want to check in life!?

Wrapping up

You can make your dreams come true. You simply need to start believing in the possibilities, and the best way to begin that process is to start shifting your mindset and grow beyond your current limitations. And the best part is that we at Certified Flourishing Coach can help. We are a team of expert coaches and facilities.?

We operate from an evidence-based framework to create powerful and lasting change in your personal and professional life. So, if you’re ready to flourish, contact us today to learn more.

About the Author

Abe Brown, MBA, CMCT, CPHSA is the Coach’s Coach, and is an Entrepreneur, Professional Speaker, International Best-Selling Author, and High-Performance Leadership Coach. He is the founder of?Certified Flourishing Coaching??and?Flourishing Workplace. Abe is also the author of the Certified Flourishing Coaching? Programs.