My word for 2025: Fire 🔥
Fervent. Fierce. Furious.
There’s this powerful scene in the movie Dune part 1, where Paul Atreides was tested by the Reverend Mother. Through the pain, the fire of prescience and power arose in him. Timothée Chalamet acted brilliantly in this scene:
Somehow, that scene resonated. Maybe the pain he endured made me think about my own pains of the past few years trying to get to profitability. Maybe it’s how he fired up against the pain, against his animal instincts of which he was tested against, that felt like what I need to do. Maybe it’s this line in the script and book:
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” ― Frank Herbert, Dune
In that scene, that image, I found inspiration in the most weird and tangential ways, for my word of the year.
FIRE 🔥
Fervent.
Fierce.
Furious.
That’s what I need, and want, in 2025.
Fire.
Fire is for passion, but I had loads of it before already. It helped keep me in the game, but didn’t work out revenue-wise. Maybe what I need is fire that’s harnessed and directed properly. A campfire burns bright but doesn’t get very hot. But if you know how to direct and fuel it like a blowtorch, it can cut through metal. I need to learn how to harness that fervour, that intensity, that consistency better. Exactly like what I learned last year about consistency – consistency directed on a product with PMF equals success.
Fire is for destruction. In my case, creative destruction. Ruthless, fierce destruction of old, unhelpful ways and limiting beliefs. Like how firefighters do backburning, to intentionally set fire to controlled areas, in order to contain a larger forest fire.
“The urge for destruction is also a creative urge.” — Pablo Picasso
I’m tired of all the very good and legitimate reasons I’m playing indie hacking in hard mode – expensive city, industry recession, loss of main income stream, family responsibilities, kids. Reality be damned. I going to succeed, despite the odds. I don’t care anymore. I want to fire them all, destroy all these things holding me back. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get it. Ruthlessly.
Fire is for anger. Righteous anger. Crazy wisdom anger. Anger is an emotion. All emotions are valid and ethically neutral. They arise as a response to stimuli. It’s our interpretation and responses to emotions that determine its morality. Anger is first and foremost, a protector. Anger tries to protect you from things or people who breach your boundaries or tie you down. That’s all its trying to do. We don’t have to fear using anger. We can use anger for good, for growth. And I’m furious for sure. Furious at everything holding me back, myself included. I want to stare at all the pain right at the face, and from it, rise even taller and bigger, with a comeback: “Is that all you’ve got?” I’m going to rage win.
So… FIRE. 2025.
Let’s fking burn.