Are you ready for 2025? Not sure I am since I prefer to savor the Christmas holiday joys a bit longer before leaping into the new year. That's why I adopted the idea, inspired by Byrd Baylor's "I'm In Charge of Celebrations," to celebrate New Year's Eve on Jan. 31.

In the book, a boy in the Southwest desert invents "one hundred and eight celebrations," and he shifts New Year's to spring when the desert blooms.

While my year isn't fully planned yet, stories of two very different women have sparked some ideas for being ready to have a great year.

In 2013, Kristin Chenoweth picked Sarah Horn from the Hollywood Bowl audience to sing "For Good" from the musical "Wicked." Unknowingly, Chenoweth had randomly chosen a voice teacher, who delivered a flawless performance - a viral moment that skyrocketed Horn's career overnight.

In a Tedx talk, Horn spoke about her secret to success, which was two words: be ready.

How did Horn "get ready" for the performance of a lifetime? She first saw "Wicked" on Broadway in 2004 and dreamed of one day singing the famed duet with Chenoweth. Taking her voice teacher's guidance to heart about being prepared, Horn perfected her part in "For Good" through years of practice. When she joined Chenoweth onstage, the celebrated Broadway star exclaimed, "Holy crap," after Horn seamlessly harmonized with her.

Since then, Horn's life has been a whirlwind of starring roles in acclaimed productions and performances across the globe.

In 2012, I wrote a column about being in the audience to hear a dynamic speaker, Dr. Hedda Bolgar, a 103-year-old practicing psychoanalyst who still drove her Prius, saw patients four days a week and taught classes on the fifth day. I could barely keep up trying to take notes on all her words of wisdom.

What has stuck with me the most over the years is how she handled surviving the loss of her beloved husband of 33 years. After a grieving period, she realized it was time to start something new, do something different. She cited bypassing the tropical settings for a trip to the North Pole.

Bolgar also established two thriving businesses, a clinic and a teaching institute, at the age of 76 and 79 respectively. Who starts not one but two businesses when they are fast approaching their 80th birthday?

Unlike Horn, who was ready for her breakout moment, Bolgar pivoted in order to be ready for hers. Here's to being ready for a remarkable 2025 - may it be your best year yet!

Writer, editor and speaker Cheryl Russell is a Laguna Woods Village resident. Contact her at [email protected].