First of all, goals for 2025
Main Theme for the first 3 months in 2025
Focus & Sacrifice
Now, The End-of-Year Review
Each December, I sit down with the notes I’ve taken throughout the year to evaluate what worked and what didn’t.
I take stock of the friends who made me smile, the events that filled me with joy—and, just as importantly, the things that caused me stress or heightened my anxiety.
Below is my debrief. I hope you find value in these reflections and that they inspire you to conduct your own year-end review.
After all, as Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
My Main Takeaway from 2024 (and a Message for the Future)
The other day, I found myself lost in the endless scroll of Instagram. It was one of those weak moments when I usually catch myself and close the app. But this time, I hesitated—Instagram knew exactly how to keep me hooked. Up popped a carefully curated video, designed to grab my attention.
The video featured a man on stage sharing advice on how to reach your New Year’s resolutions. He said,
“Instead of constantly pointing out when you’re failing, try acknowledging when you’re doing something right. Focus on the good, because what you pay attention to—expands.”
And there it was, a simple but timely truth that stopped me in my tracks:
What you pay attention to—expands.
This idea isn’t just about hitting your goals; it runs much deeper. It’s woven into the bits of wisdom we’ve all heard before:
- Focus on the good.
- Keep your eyes on the prize.
- Where your focus goes, energy flows.
These sayings point to a psychological truth: our focus shapes our experience.
Some go even further, calling it a spiritual law—that life reflects back to you whatever you focus on. Whether or not that’s true, one thing is certain: it feels more relevant now than ever.
We live in a world designed to amplify whatever we pay attention to.
Every scroll, every click, every second spent staring at a screen is watched, measured, and studied by algorithms and artificial intelligence. These systems don’t care about who we are or who we want to be—they care about keeping our attention.
And they’re getting smarter and faster at doing just that. Whether we’re scrolling for inspiration, distraction, or validation, these platforms are hardwired to feed us more of what keeps us glued to the screen. They don’t care if it makes us better or worse. They don’t care if we grow or stagnate. They care about one thing: attention.
Your attention is their currency.
As we step into a new year, it’s worth reflecting on how we spend our most precious resource—our attention. We often resolve to eat healthier, exercise more, quit bad habits, or develop new ones. But perhaps the most transformative resolution is this: be deliberate about where you direct your focus.
Because here’s the truth:
What you pay attention to—expands.
In 2024, the world will mirror back to you whatever you choose to focus on. So choose wisely. Be intentional. Guard your attention as fiercely as you guard your time or energy.
And remember this: if you ever feel yourself slipping—like you’re no longer in control of how you’re spending time on your devices—pause. Take a deep breath. Put down your phone or close the laptop. Reclaim your attention.
Even more importantly, if you notice someone else falling into the same trap—lost in their phone, disconnected from the present—gently tap them on the wrist. Bring them back to you. Invite them to reconnect, not with their screen, but with the people and moments that truly matter.
Maybe the most powerful decision we can make this year isn’t about productivity or self-improvement. Maybe it’s as simple as this: close the app, turn off the screen, and choose presence over distraction.
Other Random Bits
The Quote I Reflect on the Most
“Hard Choices, Easy Life. Easy Choices, Hard Life.” – Jersey Gregorek
One Win for Happiness?
Give it.
On New Year’s Eve, I was sitting around waiting for messages from friends, and few arrived. I started to feel annoyed. Then I flipped it: whenever we spend too much time thinking about ourselves, misery follows.
So, I sat in my car for 45 minutes before heading into a party and sent 100+ messages to people I knew. It filled me with so much joy. Give thanks and set the standard, you’ll receive it in abundance. It could be letters, emails, or phone calls—any gesture of genuine connection.
A Journal Exercise: Find the Gap
Everyone wants a 10 out of 10 life…
Is mine a 10? Absolutely not.
Imagine putting your entire life into a giant blender—your work, relationships, health, hobbies, friendships—mix it all up.
Which ingredient is lacking?
Once you spot it, you can fix it. It won’t magically get better; you make it better. Start by identifying any areas below 8/10 and figure out how to close the gap to 10.
Giant Wall Calendar
Being dyslexic, I’ve always struggled with organisation and dates. I’ve tried all the apps and website calendars—none worked for me. So this year, I got a giant wall calendar.
It’s big, visual, and I use different colours for different things. More importantly, I can see everything at a glance: what’s coming up, what to look forward to, and a snapshot of the events I’ll love looking back on at the end of the year.
Schedule Things
I believe a lot of our happiness comes from the anticipation leading up to an event. Get those exciting activities in your calendar now. Otherwise, your year will fill up with routine meetings, errands, and all the other “life stuff.”
Things I’ve already put in my calendar:
- Jan: New Product Development
- Feb: 50-mile run
- March: Visit my brother in Kenya
- April: Thames 100
Chose your theme for the first 3 month
How do you want your year to start? Pick your words for the year. Here are mine.
- Excited
- Actionable
- Loving
- Kindness
- Exited
- Honest
Things to do more
- Prep meals
- One cup of coffee
- Work out every day, even if a walk
- Less time on phone
- More time reading
One Idea I have been playing around with
Check-in with your posture—are your feet forward, confidently propelling you toward opportunities? Are they flat, staying put, unsure of the next steps and missing potential? Or are they positioned back, only reacting as necessary, playing it safe?
Interesting one to play around with and be aware of how your weight moves around in different situations.
It Takes Time, a lot of time
Be patient. Experiencing temporary frustration when progress feels stagnant is a natural and necessary part of the journey toward mastery.
In fact, it’s often impatience with this frustration that causes most people to fall short of their goals. Unrealistic timelines and inflated expectations can lead to unnecessary disappointment and a mistaken sense of failure. But true achievement—especially anything extraordinary—is rarely a straightforward, linear process.
The key is simple: show up, put in the effort, and trust the process.
Think of it as a relentless work ethic paired with an unshakable determination. No distractions. No wavering from your purpose. Once you’ve made the decision to commit, stick with it. Stay firm. Refuse to compromise, no matter how challenging the path becomes.
Understand that meaningful, long-term results demand consistent focus over time. Avoid getting caught up in emotional highs and lows. Don’t let small setbacks derail you or cause self-doubt. Instead, embrace and even enjoy the journey itself. After all, you’ll spend far more time working toward your goal than basking in the fleeting moments of victory at the end.
Celebrate those victories when they come, of course. But just as importantly, treat failures as opportunities to learn and grow. In fact, if you’re not facing setbacks or challenges regularly, it might be a sign you’re not pushing yourself hard enough. Set a standard of always giving your best and refuse to settle for anything less.
Forget about rigid timelines. Progress will take as long as it takes.
When your commitment is tied to a larger, long-term vision rather than countless smaller, short-term goals, decision-making becomes far simpler. You don’t have to constantly second-guess yourself or make a series of tiny adjustments along the way. Instead, you make one clear, definitive choice—to stay the course. This clarity minimizes distractions and keeps you aligned with your ultimate purpose, removing unnecessary opportunities to drift off track. A single, unwavering decision is one of the most powerful tools you have.
Other Gems
Opal – Phone distraction
“The Most Important Question of Your Life” by Mark Manson
“Productivity” Tricks for the Neurotic, Manic-Depressive, and Crazy (Like Me) by Tim Ferriss
The Most Beautiful Game 