How to Plan your 2025 Adventure Goals: A Step-by-Step Guide
In 2025, it's time to seize the day and live your best life. If you're craving more adventure and are ready to make it happen this year, this guide is for you. Many of us excel at creating bucket lists and setting goals, but translating those ideas into real-world outdoor experiences can feel overwhelming.
“Set a goal to achieve something that is so big, so exhilarating that it excites you and scares you at the same time.”
- Bob Proctor
This step-by-step guide will teach you how to plan and execute your 2025 adventure goals. My proven method for adventure planning will take you from daydreaming to living your dream.
The SMART framework forms the basis of this goal-setting system. SMART is an acronym used to establish effective criteria for establishing goals and objectives.
This structured approach allows you to organize your adventure goals in a more specific and targeted manner.
To provide helpful context, I will use one of my personal 2025 adventure goals as an example while explaining the 5 steps.
Step 1: Identify the Goal
Define methods and outcomes for goals.
What is the significance and purpose of your efforts?
Identify the objective and the steps required to accomplish it.
Activity: Sport Climbing
Location: Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado
Duration: All Day Adventure
Season: Summer
Objective: Lead climb a multi-pitch sport route in 2025.
Big MOFA (motivating factor)
Step 2: Measuring Your Success
Determine how you will record progress and measure success with it.
Complete a multi-pitch sport climbing route by August.
What is the value of tracking your progress and measuring success with results.
The purpose of my goal is to push myself outside of my comfort zone in a sport I’ve been holding back from pursuing.
Use metrics to set measurable goals.
Climbing gym 2x/ week, with an increased focus in dynamic exercise and weight training to strengthen my body.
Step 3: Actions
Make sure short-term goals and long-term goals are attainable.
Short-Term: Climbing gym 2x week.
How can you appreciate the impact of goals on your aspirations?
Single Pitch lead climbing.
Brainstorm your available time, resources, and skills.
Long-Term: Sport climb a multi-pitch route in Clear Creek Canyon Summer 2025.
Step 4: Relevant and Realistic
Set relevant goals that are realistic and help you in some way.
What skills do I currently have that align with this goal?
I have been climbing on and off for many years and have taken a rock climbing course.
Understand how feasible goals are.
What skills do I need to learn in order to align with this goal?
Hard Skills: Lead climbing, rappelling, knots, and building anchors.
Soft Skills: Climber etiquette, risk management specific to climbing outdoors, and developing a strong relationship with climbing partners.
Consider your current abilities, desired skills, and available resources.
How can you implement a strategy to effectively help you achieve your goal?
As a Colorado resident, there is ample opportunity to connect with fellow climbers and develop these skill sets.
Step 5: Time-Bound
Give yourself a time-frame to routinely assess progress and implement new strategies for each month.
When is your monthly checkpoint date for your goal?
Check in on the 1st of every month.
Attach deadlines or check in points to create urgency and integrate goals.
When is your monthly checkpoint date for your goal?
Check in on the 1st of every month.
Create new milestones to facilitate organization and efficiency.
What is one sub-goal you can focus on for the next month?
Climb top rope 5.10+.
Mindset Evaluation
Being intentional with your “why” is a crucial component of manifesting your desired outcomes with your 2025 adventure goals. Just as a ship needs a clear destination to chart its course, you need a well-defined motivating factor to guide your actions and decisions.
Big MOFA aka “Big Motivating Factor”, serves as your North Star, illuminating the path forward even when the journey gets challenging. By regularly checking in with yourself and evaluating your mindset, you can ensure your Big MOFA remains at the forefront
To uncover your Big MOFA, ask yourself a series of questions that dig deeper into your core motivations and “why.” Continue questioning “why is this important to me?” until you discover the root of fulfillment within the goal itself.
What will accomplishing this goal do for me?
Achieving this goal will increase my confidence, physical strength, mental resilience, expand my community, and open new doors for future adventures.
Why is this important to me?
Challenging myself in the outdoors aligns with the energy I aim to embody in my professional life.
Why is this important to me?
When my actions align with my core values I feel a profound sense of fulfillment and connection to my higher calling.
Why is this important to me?
When I can embody the principles I teach others, I feel more connected to my soul’s purpose.
My Big MOFA: I feel more connected to my soul’s purpose.
Are you ready to take your goal setting to the next level and make real progress towards achieving your dreams? We invite you to join our upcoming live virtual goal-setting workshop on Sunday, January 19th.
In this immersive and interactive session, our expert coaches will guide you through a deep dive into proven goal-setting strategies and techniques. You'll gain valuable insights into how to craft clear, compelling goals and develop a roadmap to reach them.
Through hands-on exercises and personalized coaching, we'll help you apply these powerful concepts to a meaningful goal in your own life or career. You'll come away with a renewed sense of focus, motivation, and the practical tools to turn your vision into reality.
Don't miss this opportunity to invest in yourself, connect with a supportive community, and unlock your full potential. Register now to secure your spot—we can't wait to goal-set with you!
2025 Adventure/Wellness Goal Examples:
Learn a new skill
Navigation
Rock Climbing
Become the leader and develop trip planning skills
Lean into the things that scare you and excite you!
Solo
First solo backpacking trip
First solo summit
Sign up for a guided trip or retreat
Exercise: switch it up and try something new
Take some fun group classes
Check out a new yoga studio
Sign up for a barre or pilates class
Community
Seek out forward thinkers and find your people
Join local group meetups and hikes
Enroll in online workshops that align with your interests
Create the community and lead the movement
BOOK THE TRIP
Sign up for the class
Enroll in the retreat
Book the plane ticket
COMMIT and know joy is your birthright
