My 2025 In One Word — Pivot

It’s last call at the bar, and 2024 feels like it’s ready to stumble out into the cold night, a little battered, a little wiser, and perhaps a bit tipsy on hard-earned lessons.

While sitting with a glass of something smoky and contemplative, I reflect on this year of Taoist discovery. It’s here where I determined the one word etched into the barstool of my soul for 2025.

Pivots

Or in “Braxton Miller” Buckeye lore…… Spin Move

Let’s face it folks, the world hasn’t exactly been a beacon of stability this year. Economic uncertainty, political circus acts, and cultural fragmentation have been the undercurrents of our collective reality.

But where others see chaos, I see opportunity—a chance to pivot, not with force or resistance, but with the grace of water navigating around rocks in a stream.

The Tao of Pivots: Lessons from the I Ching and Bhagavad Gita

The I Ching, that ancient manual of cosmic whispers, reminds us that life is a series of hexagrams—some luminous with possibility, others shadowed by obstacles.

This year, Hexagram 40, “Deliverance,” resonated deeply with me. It’s about letting go of the old to make space for the new, not with reckless abandon but with intentionality.

The Bhagavad Gita, meanwhile, chimed in with Krishna’s wisdom: focus on your dharma and let go of attachment to outcomes. Life pivots are inevitable, but successful pivots come when we release the illusion of control. I’ve learned to hold my plans lightly, letting them bend and twist like bamboo in the wind.

Simplifying the Playbook for 2025

In 2025, I’m throwing out the complicated playbook as my life has become too cluttered with “shoulds” and “must-dos.” My primary focus will be on building “The Chocolate Taoist” brand of nomadic wisdom for a more inner-connected and expansive life. My aim is to offer humanity wisdom on how to find stillness in the storm and joy in the journey.

As a part of this strategic pivot, I’ll be unveiling my new Nomadic Wisdom Journaling Program, a transformative journey designed to help participants cultivate inner connection and expand their life perspective.

Rooted in Taoist philosophy and inspired by the power of reflective writing, this facilitated program will blend timeless wisdom with modern journaling techniques to guide individuals in navigating life’s pivots with clarity and grace.

Through curated prompts, meditative practices, and storytelling, participants will learn to flow with life’s currents, uncover deeper truths, and design a life of meaning and intention. This will be more than a journaling course— rather it will serve as a pathway to nomadic self-discovery and expansion.

Chess Pieces and the Taoist Dance

The pivot is simple: fewer chess moves, more clarity. The King can afford to take one slow step at a time; the Queen doesn’t need to dart across the board every turn. Even the lowly pawn reminds me that sometimes progress looks like small, deliberate movements toward transformation.

It’s here where the chessboard is a Taoist metaphor for life’s pivots.

The Knight, with its quirky L-shaped leaps, symbolizes creative problem-solving. Life never moves in straight lines, and neither should we.

The Rook, solid and dependable, reminds us of the power of consistency and structure.

And the Bishop? Its diagonal movement is the epitome of thinking outside the box—an essential skill when navigating the world’s chaos.

But the most Taoist of all is the pawn. It’s humble and patient, moving forward one step at a time. Yet, when it reaches the end of the board, it transforms into whatever it chooses—a metaphor for the potential hidden in persistence.

Flowing with the Currents

As 2024 closes its tab, I’ve realized that pivots aren’t about grand gestures or dramatic reinventions. They’re about flowing with the currents of life, like a leaf carried downstream. In the Taoist way, resistance only leads to exhaustion, while surrender brings freedom.

So here’s to 2025, the year of fewer moves and bigger meaning. I’ll simplify, pivot, and pour my energy into spreading The Chocolate Taoist’s mission of inner connection and expansion.

I’ll be the Knight when creativity is called for, the Bishop when it’s time to think laterally, and the King when stillness is my strength. And like the pawn, I’ll trust the journey, knowing transformation awaits.

As the bartender wipes down the counter and dims the lights, I raise my glass to life’s infinite possibilities. The Tao teaches that every pivot is part of the dance, and the currents of 2025 will carry us to shores unknown.

The secret?

Stop fighting the river and let it take you.

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Much Love,

Diamond Michael Scott — aka The Chocolate Taoist