ins & outs: 2025

gen alpha approved—what is in, and what is out, for the year of the snake

For a long time, at least the last 13 years, since I was suspended my sophomore year of high school, I have followed a straight and narrow line, maintaining a set of loose opinions, and opting to live an outward life that mostly resembled pleasing those who I felt I owed some sort of debt to: my parents, my coaches, my professors, my bosses, etc. I then doubled down on that by working to prove others wrong, even if that meant abandoning my true self and losing my inner child.

Well, I think that chapter is coming to an end. That lifestyle and those thought patterns no longer serve me, “I want to be me, is that not allowed?” (thx Lola Young)

Without further adieu the ins and outs of 2025.

in

• having strong opinions about art: you like what you fucking like and if you don't understand something, you don’t have to like it because the rest of the world seems to act like they do (they don’t). Nobody is forcing you to like Rothko, Staney Kubrick, or The Beatles; 2025 is about doubling down on what already feels good and if that happens to be Yeat and Playboi Carti then good for you.

out

• politics: politics was never really “in” but in 2025 it is especially out, in lieu of politics, grassroots movements, community engagement, protests, and volunteering are absolutely in, caring about causes you support, is always in. Get altruistically curious; go volunteer at the soup kitchen, you know you’ve been thinking about it.

in

• family dinner (at the table): twice a week, you and your loved ones should be gathering around a table, either to eat takeout Chinese or a home-cooked meal by the host. It’s also very trendy to invite some others to dinner to grow your local friend group (the barista from the coffee shop, the fellow newbie at work, the friend of a friend that lives in town) the worst they can say is, no. Also, tipping the host is mandatory, we love our friends lets spend on them! Don’t give them cash, but instead bring the host a gift: wine chiller, olive oil, serving bowls, joints, you get the point.

  

  we all want to live in the friend’s universe

out

• tight pants: they have been out for a while, but maintaining that they will not be back in 2025

in

• tea: matcha lemonade, sleepytime, ginger, ginseng, turmeric, lemon balm, echinacea… tea is so good for you, it is calming, focusing, energizing, relaxing, water with plant properties, and promotes hydration and longevity. We are drinking more tea this year. Tea has been a big rediscovery for me recently.

out

• career grind: unless you are a small business owner or building something for yourself (go you) the career grind we have seen on social media is no longer “in” anymore, let it plateau, it is simply not worth sacrificing your health and happiness EVER. Climbing a ladder seems more a matter of patience, boundaries, nepotism, and politics than any sort of grind or effort/hours-based statistic. If you know someone talking about working 60-80 hour weeks… tell them you feel bad for them. 80 hours means you are taking somebody elses job… FOR FREE! There is no glory in being burnt out, all you are doing is setting a sad precedent for the rest of your life. By no means am I saying give up or slack off, have work ethic, but have dignity and self worth as well.

in

• passion projects: 2025 is the year of transformation into a truer version of ourselves. Write that book, code that app, record that song, sign up for the improv class, record that YouTube video, sew that pair of pants, buy that kiln. Start the projects that you want to be doing for the rest of your life now BE A LEARNER.

  

out

• long workouts: unsustainable, there is a time and place for the occasional therapeutic long (2-4 hour) workout, but consistent multi-hour workouts whether that be running, biking, lifting, etc are out. Get-in & Get-out; your time is too valuable, be efficient and be consistent, the 45-minute cross-fit/HIIT/steady cardio/targeted/functional workout is back.

in

• workout classes: make it easy, make it elementary, have someone lead you, try something new that speaks to you: Barre, Pilates, Spin, Hyrox, you name it. Caveat; in 2024 run clubs were hot, they were in, but in 2025 run clubs are now, out. I’m not a hater, they were a great fad and they served a purpose, but running is hard to sustain, tough on the body, and unless you are a professional runner or an influencer it’s expensive to do while maintaining muscle and staying healthy.

out

• fast fashion: for the love of god please stop with polyester clothing made in sweatshops. Let’s focus on natural fibers: Cotton, Hemp, Wool, Linen. Sustainably made clothes that yes, may cost more, but last longer and (we love a patina) age gracefully. FYI: We’ve created more goods in the last 30 years than the rest of history combined… low-quality goods don’t create circular economies (recycling or secondhand) for many products they just end up in the landfill. I’ve been thrifting old Chaps sweaters from Goodwill and Poshmark… they are wide-necked and oversized and they make me feel cool.

in

• freelancing & contract work: what do you love, what are you good at, what can you be paid for… that is Ikigai; in so many words a Japanese idea for lifelong happiness or “a reason for being. Start now, maybe create an upwork account or reach out to others about helping them with projects, build the skills, so down the road you have the leverage to leave the job you dislike or retire and do what you love. If you love fishing rent or buy a boat and start charting friends and family for a small fee or a referral, it’s as easy as that. More of what we love… less of what we don’t.

out

• clutter: bring that shit to Goodwill, put it on poshmark, and let it go (not everything), but those clothes you were gifted that you have never worn, the books, the board games, and the kitchen utensils taking up valuable space, get rid of them. Don’t get me wrong though, conscious maximalism is in (show your flair).

in

• daily writing: different than journaling. You can’t internalize everything, let it out, there doesn’t need to be a purpose behind each word or sentence or journal entry, but writing in general is a great way to feel more in the moment and at peace. It doesn’t need to be a memoir, write down the date and your top 10 favorite movies, just putting ideas onto paper is good for the soul.

out

• binging television: look the pandemic's after-effects were real, it was amazing to binge endless hours of new releases; the satisfaction of finishing a miniseries or a new reality dating show in less than 24 hours was sometimes more powerful than any other feeling, but those days are over. What is in then you may ask? Old-school scheduled television, even if it must be self-manufactured, resist the temptation to go to the next episode and opt for a different method of entertainment. E.g. The Ultimatum may drop in batches of 3-5, but you watch one singular episode every Thursday evening with a glass of wine and your best friends or significant other. It’s time we relieve ourselves from instant gratification and give ourselves something to look forward to.

in

• mustaches: 2024 ended with a brisk rise of mustached men. It didn’t matter if it was a dirty trashstache from the likes of Timmy Chalamet or myself, a bad hot guy mustache from Jacob Elordi, a thin Matt LeFleur style stache, or a thick Travis Kelce or Paul Mescal stache (to name a few stache styles). You rock what you can, while Movember is no longer here, there is no longer such this as a bad ‘stache, as long as you commit to the bit, the staches will stay well into 2025.

in (ending on an in)

• an unapologetic semi-unhealthy vice: going back to the first statement of living to please others, this is for yourself… now I am not encouraging anyone to kick the year off a renewed nicotine addiction (JUUL, ZYN, Baby Blue Spirits) that’s not the point. But I think there is a middle ground between total self-destruction and total health nut where a semi-unhealthy vice lives, and I don’t know what exactly that may be, but I will be searching for it in 2025. Maybe it’s a microdose of medicinal herbs (21+), maybe eating an entire bowl of cookie dough, maybe it is an hour-long bath with 2 dark chocolate bars, maybe it is a purchase of an expensive item… your middle ground may be different from mine, but I think this middle ground is where the magic happens, where the strange funny stories come from, and where future memories are created… that crazy coat, that impulse 3-day vacation, that time where you got a smidge too high and cried on the apartment floor until you realized you just needed to take your belt off. The unapologetic semi-unhealthy vice is where 2025 meets core memories.

2025: THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE

If you felt like there was a theme to the ins and outs for 2025 you were right. 2025 is the year of the snake in the Chinese zodiac. The snake symbolizes wisdom, elegance, and transformation. It encourages personal and professional growth, focusing on long-term plans, creativity, and intuition. Based on the second half of my 2024, I felt drawn to this notion of leaning into long-term plans, frustrated at the way things were going—doing things I didn’t love while still being financially frustrated; things weren’t adding up. Well, 2025 is kicking off the long-term vision and more importantly enjoying the journey.

P.S. Substack is sooo IN, I am tired of seeing “X (formerly Twitter)” so let’s move on to more appropriate media outlets that serve us and support writers/journalists.

What is IN and OUT for you? For The Love of Dog Comment Below!