Reflecting on My 2025 Bingo Card
Using micro goals to live by my values
It’s almost the end of 2025, so it’s about time to dig my 2025 bingo card out of my junk drawer to see how much of it I’ve accomplished. I created the bingo card at the start of the year in lieu of more formal New Year’s resolutions to see if I would feel more fulfilled as a result.
Each blank on the card contained a goal to complete at any point in 2025. Most were micro goals, which are small, actionable steps to live by my values. For example, “go to a LGBTQ2S+ meeting” is a micro goal in service of my value of community, while “make a song cover” represents my value of musical creativity. Each of these steps on its own is ‘enough.’ At the same time, these micro goals can be low-pressure launchpads to live out my values in other, larger ways.
On my bingo card, you can also find more intimidating items I included for fun, such as “listen through a whole podcast series” or “start a new fulfilling relationship.” These items were not about completion but rather important reminders to reflect on certain areas of my life throughout the year — knowledge-building and social life, respectively.
Without further ado, here are my reflections on each of my 2025 micro goals. Goals are complete unless otherwise indicated. Stay tuned at the beginning of 2026 for my new bingo card and tips for creating your own!
1. Write and produce a new song (INCOMPLETE)
This was a big swing — and, unfortunately, a miss — for me. Nevertheless, it wasn't a pointless inclusion. I worked on music throughout the year, which is valuable even if it is incomplete. With creative pursuits, the journey is often just as, if not more, important than the destination. If anything, I am all the more motivated to complete some of my works-in-progress in 2026.
2. Get another tattoo
I got my biggest tattoo yet, and I love it. They are a fun way to express myself, and I have already started saving for the next one.
3. Drink herbal tea when I feel anxious
When you are feeling anxious, it can be easy to forget what helps. Tea is no cure, but it can ease physical symptoms like stomach discomfort. The best thing for my anxiety has been naming and accepting it when it appears, which makes me less anxious about the anxiety itself, even if it doesn't completely get rid of it.
4. Incorporate weightlifting into workout routine (INCOMPLETE)
Some people experience runner's highs and work out easily every single day. I am not one of those people. I haven't started weightlifting, but I have managed to start doing pushups each day. It's a baby step, but at least it's a step forward.
5. Keep up with my Notion organization for two weeks in a row
(I am not sponsored by Notion.) Having a place to track my weekly to-dos, long-term goals, and social media post schedule has been immensely helpful. The “two weeks” time stipulation definitely helped me stick with the goal, and I found it easy to continue well beyond it because of how organized I’ve become.
6. Play piano once a week for a month
Having a creative outlet to turn to during a busy week can help relieve stress and regulate emotions. For me, that outlet is music, whether it is listening to it or playing it myself.
7. Reflect on what self-care looks like for me
We talk a lot about self-care these days: taking care of physical health, engaging in hobbies, communicating boundaries, and spending time with people who calm or energize us. But something we often forget is how to know when we need self-care. Tracking my mood, one of my other goals, was helpful, along with tuning into physical sensations. My next step would be to create a self-care menu, providing options for taking care of myself based on situation, context, and feelings.
8. Go see a friend in the city
Toronto is not an insignificant distance from the town I live in, but Toronto is so much fun, and I still have friends there. Not only did I get to connect with a friend, but I also explored more of the city, appreciating parts of it I hadn't taken the time to admire before.
9. Do a favour expecting nothing in return
In a world that feels increasingly dark, acting compassionately can feel pointless. At the same time, it's something you can do when you don't have the power to do anything else — and I've learned it absolutely can make a difference.
10. Read three physical books (INCOMPLETE)
In retrospect, this micro goal was probably not ‘micro’ enough. I did not take into account how hard it would be to start reading after avoiding non-academic books for years. On the bright side, I did read one physical book and can rework the goal for next year.
11. Start a new fulfilling relationship
I marked this goal as complete, not because I finished it in any measurable way but because I made choices throughout the year that prioritized fostering relationships. Interestingly, through completing other goals — performing onstage, attending LGBTQ2S+ meetups, meeting a friend in the city, doing favours, and more — I consequently developed stronger relationships of many types.
12. Make a song cover
Not much to say about this one other than that it was so fun to record a cover. I chose a song that was partially in Korean, so I honed my songwriting skills by rewriting some verses in English. My official reason for this goal is the value of creativity. However, it is also important to remember that goals can just be fun, too.
13. Listen through a whole podcast series (INCOMPLETE)
This goal seemed like a good idea when I wrote it, but I learned that I am simply not a podcast person. It is not my preferred method of getting information. I did watch many informative video essay series, though.
14. Draft a potential business plan
I ended up launching my solo practice instead because the timing felt right. You are currently on the website I created for my practice this year! I wrote a checklist for building a business beforehand, which helped me sort tasks based on urgency and importance.
15. Write a gratitude letter to a non-relative
It feels nice to do good things for others, and it also feels nice to acknowledge when people do good things for you. Gratitude is one of those values that nicely dovetails into others, such as connection, compassion, and community.
16. Go to a LGBTQ2S+ meet-up
I've been to quite a few this year (picnics, brunches, bar nights, and more). I've been wanting to get more involved with the community for a while now, and it has felt fulfilling to start putting myself out there a bit more.
17. Discover and become a fan of a new artist
In my mid-year bingo card review, which you can find on my Instagram here, I talked about DPR IAN. I've only listened to him more over time, and he holds the spot for my number one most played song on Spotify, “Dope Lovers.” I still highly recommend giving him a listen!
18. Perform onstage
I've been acting in local community theatre, which has been a great outlet for my creativity. Meeting people from all walks of life with varying interests has also been cool.
19. Watch a show with my sister
We share a similar taste in TV shows, and it’s been great to set time aside in our busy schedules to watch these shows together.
20. Choose salad instead of fries at a restaurant
It is typically hard for me to complete health-related goals, but this one was manageable. I noticed I felt much better physically when I opted for salad instead of fries, so I ended up doing this multiple times.
21. Track my mood for two weeks
I mentioned accepting and naming anxiety for my herbal tea micro goal, and being in tune with my mood has been an ongoing project. I fall off that wagon sometimes, but I did keep up with it for a while. It does help me regulate and have better control of my actions.
22. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule for two weeks (INCOMPLETE)
Sometimes, there are reasonable goals that you simply don’t complete — and that is okay. It doesn’t say anything about you as a person if you don’t complete them. This incomplete goal just tells me that I should reflect on why sleep is not a higher priority for me and figure out if there is anything I can do in the future to prioritize it.
23. Write a reflection for each resolution I complete
It can be helpful to reflect on goal-setting to determine whether completing each micro goal fostered positive change or made life more meaningful. It can also be interesting to compare your goal completion expectations to the reality of how many you complete.
24. Listen to five albums all the way through
Listening to albums track by track is a lost art that provides insight into how artists conceptualize their work. It also tests your ability to really sit and be present with a piece of work, almost like a meditative or mindful exercise.
If you are new here, my name is Diem Morriswala (he/they), and I am a therapist who also enjoys writing. Here, I model personal self-reflection, but I also write more informative pieces on topics like perfectionism, gender, and coping with the winter blues.
As a therapist, I serve clients virtually in Ontario and Quebec and work with all sorts of people, including LGBTQ2S+ and racialized folks, as well as anyone dealing with anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, burnout, and overwhelm. I would be honoured to sit with you through life as we know it and collaborate with you to work toward what life could be. You can book a free 15-minute consultation with me by completing my contact form here.
