This is a submission for the 2025 New Year Writing challenge: Compiling 2025.
At the start of the year, it’s common to hear about resolutions: going to the gym, learning a language, programming in a new language, earning a certification. I view new years as mere calendar resets and believe that goals shouldn’t depend on them—some objectives will take weeks, months, or even years, often requiring detailed and incremental strategies.
The classic example of New Year’s goals is the gym. In January: it’s impossible to find available machines. By March, the story is different. This reality shows us that during tough times, when everything becomes uphill and the journey hurts, only the persistent persevere.
This year, when I saw the writing challenge ‘My Roadmap to 2025,’ I decided to participate. I believe in SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. So, I told myself, why not set them out and share them? As you’ll see, some of these goals date back one or two years, but I have faith that I can complete certain phases before 2025 ends.
Goals and dreams should motivate and inspire us. I believe professional and personal goals should be balanced, and as my eldest son Edgar says: _“Goals and coffee both require focus.” _
In general, I think goals shouldn’t be impossible feats that stress us out instead of motivating us. We should have one big goal and milestones that we achieve over time, gradually bringing us closer to it. The philosophy would be to get better every day—micro-habits that move us toward those goals, leading us to a greater purpose.
Specifically, I like to think of best practices grounded in solid foundations. I’ll call them growth pillars (perhaps influenced by reading manga). For my holistic development, I’ve identified four fundamental pillars:
The goals set can satisfy criteria from various pillars, as objectives often intertwine. What matters is finding a balance between what we must do, what we want, and what we need for our well-being.
Defining my Smart Goals
For a goal to be truly beneficial, it must have certain characteristics. SMART Goals help us define them effectively—the name itself guides us. Let's analyze it with an example that is special to me, far from the technical, a goal that connects with my mental well-being and personal growth.
🧐 S (Specific)
The goal must be clear and concrete, answering the what and why. In my case: to create a master copy of the painting "Collecting Hazelnuts" by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (I love his works). I have never done a master copy of a classical artist, so to ensure it is beautiful, I will create it in a large format using high-quality materials, and the technique I will use is oil painting.
📊 M (Measurable)
Without measurement, there is no control or progress. How much have I advanced, how far am I? How will I know if I don't have a way to measure my goal? In my case, I have defined clear stages: canvas preparation, initial sketch, painting the clothing, developing the background, and final details. I will dedicate 3 hours a week to the project.
💪 A (Achievable)
A goal should be challenging but achievable. I have previous experience with still lifes, portrait exercises in oil, and other various projects (I even painted The Mandalorian!). That’s why I have some metrics that give me confidence that a project like this is achievable—challenging, yes, but I can do it.
🎯 R (Relevant)
The goal should align with our personal objectives and make sense in the present moment. This project serves multiple purposes: it’s my space for relaxation, concentration, and I would say total disconnection from the technical world and the daily routine. On the other hand, it could have a secondary benefit, as it could potentially be sold, and at the same time, it enriches my artistic portfolio.
⏳ T (Time-bound)
Every goal needs a defined time frame. Based on previous projects, I set 7 months as the maximum deadline—enough time for quality work without turning it into an endless project.
What I really want to achieve in 2025
The first step to thinking about my goals was finding what is truly relevant to me. Let me share: in my professional journey, I’ve discovered that learning can be incredibly fun, and I want to convey this feeling to my children. If learning causes stress, then something is wrong.
I love when a goal connects with multiple pillars of my growth. The goal is to achieve the best possible mix, and in my opinion, multipurpose goals are a success. And once again, the background plan, always, is to have fun in every aspect.
In recent years, my journey with AWS has been transformative. I can honestly say that it is the technology I am learning with the most pleasure and motivation. I feel completely identified. I’ve worked from cost optimization to security, and my favorite topic: artificial intelligence. This feeling led me to apply to become an AWS Community Builder and to co-lead an AWS User Group. The most gratifying surprise? Discovering that those who teach, learn twice.
While navigating the tech world, I maintain my balance through art and family. I greatly enjoy time with my children, and I find peace in drawing and oil painting. Writing articles, even technical ones, fosters my curiosity.
Now, given the context above, I want to share that I have set a goal to dive deeper into the world of Artificial Intelligence. It’s clear that it will change the way industries work, and I want to be part of it. I don’t want to be told about it; I want a concrete plan. Let’s see:
🧐 S (Specific)
I want to master, immerse myself, understand, and study AI, specifically to improve processes. You know, those things that steal our valuable time. I want to create solutions that solve concrete problems.
📊 M (Measurable)
My plan is to experiment with the tools AWS has made available to us: Bedrock, model evaluation, doing labs, and developing three proof of concepts that I can apply in my daily work. I will write at least 3 articles on the subject, which I’ll share with the available tools for Community Builders.
💪 A (Achievable)
As a co-leader of the AWS User Group, I already have a solid foundation in cloud technology. I’ve studied a lot recently, and honestly, I spend quite a bit of time exploring these tools. I’m not starting from scratch.
🎯 R (Relevant)
This goal is a 2-in-1 (or rather, a 3-in-1!): I improve my technical skills, optimize my daily work, and the best part is that I can share all of this with my community in the User Group and as a Community Builder. It’s gratifying to see how knowledge multiplies.
⏳ T (Time-bound)
By the end of 2025, I want to have implemented my three automation projects and given at least two talks about my findings in the User Group.
Another Goal: Becoming an AWS Ambassador
On the other hand, one of my goals is to become an AWS Ambassador, so here I document my firm commitment.
🧑💻 S (Specific)
My goal is to reach the level of AWS Ambassador. This involves increasing my participation in the AWS community and strengthening my certifications. Specifically, I need to:
- Keep my AWS certifications active (I need two more),
- Increase my presence as a speaker,
- Create valuable content for the community, and
- Obviously, strengthen my technical experience in AWS services.
📊 M (Measurable)
Measurement will be through concrete activities:
- Give at least 6 technical talks at AWS events,
- Write 8 technical articles on AWS (including those from the previous goal),
- Keep my current certifications updated and earn two more,
- Actively participate in at least 10 community events.
💪 A (Achievable)
I consider this goal achievable because:
- I am already an AWS Community Builder,
- I have experience as a Co-leader of the User Group,
- I already have some certifications and speaking experience,
- And, of course, I am fully identified with AWS.
🎯 R (Relevant)
This goal aligns perfectly with my current context because:
- It strengthens my professional profile,
- It expands my impact on the community,
- It keeps me updated (crucial for me), and
- I can share knowledge.
⏰ T (Time-bound)
The maximum deadline is December 2025. I require one new certification by February and another by May at the latest.
Conclusions
After this journey through my goals for 2025, I realize that the key is not in quantity but in quality. Three well-defined goals: my master copy of Bouguereau for the soul, diving deeper into AI to grow professionally, and the path to becoming an AWS Ambassador to impact the community. Each one represents a different aspect of growth—who says balance doesn’t exist?
As I mentioned at the beginning with the gym example, it’s not about starting with all the enthusiasm in January and abandoning it by March. It’s about persistence, about small, consistent steps, and enjoying the process. I refuse to let my goals be just a wish list; I want them to lead me to where I want to be.
There is a fundamental point in all of this: everything connects, and we are the result of our experiences. We must add taste, flavor, and passion to life.
Thank you for joining me in these reflections on 2025. I invite you to passion, persistence, fun, and to growing together.
Top comments (1)
Wow! Hope you win, but the AI image at the end is not something I would recommend to add.