2025: What’s the Best That Could Happen?
2020 was a remarkable year for many reasons. Way, way down on that list is the tipping point for the phrase “Well, I didn’t have that on my Bingo Card.” Global pandemic. Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Pentagon releasing videos of unidentified flying objects. Murder Hornets. It was almost funny, until it definitely wasn’t. In fact, if you look back at this 2020 McSweeney’s post, I bet you won’t remember some of these. I honestly didn’t even remember that we impeached a U.S. President in 2020. It was that kind of year.
The other night, I was scrolling on Instagram and saw that an account called @prettyokaydotcom created a sample bingo card for small business owners. The post cover said, “What’s the Best That Could Happen?” and I was drawn in. From the Instagram post caption: “I decided to make a bingo card filled with goals I’d love to achieve this year to make it fun to check things off along the way. I don’t expect to meet them all but that’s ok!! Getting at least one bingo on here feels way more doable than a full itemized list for me and I’m excited to give it a try!”
If you’re anything like me, you haven’t been feeling great about 2025. There are a lot of reasons for feeling anxious, cynical, or downright paranoid. The devastating California fires that started on January 7th, 2025 certainly didn’t help my mindset. In times of uncertainty, our brains are wired to fixate on potential threats and worst-case scenarios. It's a survival mechanism that served us well when we were avoiding predators, but it’s less helpful when we're trying to navigate complex modern challenges and the 24/7 news cycle. We know why our brains act like this and we know that reframing our internal monologue can help combat this instinct, but how do you actually do that?
I like the idea of a “What’s the Best That Could Happen?” Bingo card. I liked it so much that I created a version to share with my best friends on our latest Zoom call. I plan to do some blue-sky thinking about my personal and professional life in 2025. My besties and I decided to fill out our cards, then reconvene to share. I’ve also thrown out this challenge to the group: how will we celebrate as a community when one of us gets a Bingo?
Click the link below to download a PDF version of this Bingo Card.
So, I’m making my Bingo card available to everyone to download. Feel free to use this as an exercise in self-exploration, as a team-building tool, or a group activity with family and friends. My hope is that you’ll let your imagination roam beyond the usual constraints about performance metrics and resolutions. I’d really love to hear your answers to this specific question: what’s the best thing that could happen in 2025?
Play helps us bypass our inner critic and access more creative thinking. When we frame future-thinking as a game rather than a high-stakes planning session, we open ourselves to possibilities we might otherwise dismiss as unrealistic. And I suspect that as you share your hopes for 2025, you'll likely discover unexpected connections and opportunities to support each other's dreams.
Download my 2025: What’s the Best That Could Happen? Bingo Card. This is not a lead generation tool; you don’t even have to give me your email address. However, if you’d like to get more content like this in the future, you can sign up for my new email newsletter, where we’ll attempt to fight off the Doom together.
The future isn't something that just happens to us – it's something we actively shape through our expectations, actions, and the stories we tell ourselves about what's possible. And, if you’d like to share your bingo card, I’d love to see it. Just be sure to tell me if it’s for my eyes only or if I have permission to share publicly.
