Winnow

For the past few years, part of my resolution-making process has been to pick a theme of the year. In 2023, it was “This Year, No Fear” to help remind me that I needed to stop avoiding unpleasant things so I could get past them. In 2024, I continued that sentiment with “New Year, New Gear” to emphasize that I wanted to level up in several areas.

For 2025, I felt the next step for me is to get very clear about my goals and cut out anything extraneous. However, I had a tough time capturing that idea in the same verbal format I’d used the past two years. I wanted my theme to be succinct, but also to pop. I mentioned this to a friend, and she laughed that I was trying to get elaborate with a them about simplifying. Her advice was to go with one word, like “Focus” or “Streamline.” Eventually, I sought inspiration in a thesaurus and the perfect word fairly leapt out at me: Winnow.

The aforementioned friend didn’t even know the word winnow, so I explained that it’s process used to separate wheat from chaff. When wheat is harvested, the kernels are encased in an inedible hull that needs to be removed. The efficient way to do it was to sift or shake the wheat so the wind or a fan could blow air across the stream. The wheat would fall into a basket below, and the lighter chaff would blow away. The metaphor is used in the Bible, so it may sound familiar. The concept is separating that which is valuable from that which is not.

As a theme for this year, I loved it because it was an elegantly simple way to express my intention. But then I noticed as I was writing it that the word itself can be separated into two: Win and Now. It was a further admonition to “Win” by working exclusively on tasks that bring me closer to my goals. It also commanded me to act with urgency “Now” because procrastination is the thief of success. Taken together, Win and Now is a reminder that I don’t have to wait for my end goal to be accomplished before I can celebrate. I can win every day, every minute, by becoming ruthlessly focused on my most important goals.

One of those most important goals is to grow Adventure-Us into the premiere social and travel club in the United States. My mission is to help people find true friendship and connection, and to facilitate experiences that enrich lives. I choose to Win Now by scheduling events, inviting people to participate, and creating a culture that supports natural, authentic interactions.

If your New Year’s Resolutions include being more active, making more memories, checking items off your bucket list, and/or making new friends, joining Adventure-Us is a great place to start!