2025: Year in Review

Introduction

Welcome back everybody! It’s my favorite time of the year when we get the opportunity to reflect and be grateful for the year we’ve had. Overall, 2025 was a pretty great year; lots to be grateful for. And it’s my pleasure to share it with you.

2025 Year in Review Framework

The key to a great reflection is in the quality of the questions you ask yourself.

Here are the key questions:

What was the goal for the year?
What were my results?
Highs and lows?
Lessons and takeaways?

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2025 Goals & Results

What were my key goals/results for the year?

💰 Earn. Save a specific % of my income.
📚 Read. 29 books.
💭 Reflect. 27 journal entries.
✍ Write. 26 blog posts.
❤️ Tribe. 279 hangouts with Vickie, Family or Friends.
🎁 Gift. 36 gifts given or shared.

That’s it. Those were the things worth “counting” in 2025.

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2025 Highs and Lows

What were some of the highs and lows for the year?

❤️ Grateful For: Quality moments with the special ones…

🐕🥏 Dog Parks (Parque Paitilla, Cinta Costera, Ciudad del Saber, Parque Omar, El Patio, Costa del Este)
☕🥐 Cafés (Gamboa Baking Co, Mendó, Cafe Unido, Athanasiou, Miranda’s)
🎂🥳 Bdays (Grandma @Boat, Fufo @Central, Gabo @Steinbocks, Ramos’, Arturo’s @Amano, Mandru @Austin)
🍻 Cheers (Panas, Book Club, MaGa, RumFest, Quarter Reviews, Mario Party Night, Ramos, GDPs, Cofifi)
🥟 Dim Sum (Diego, MaiTe, Anna, Fer, Kevin, Niki, Manuel, Ilicena, Osi, Cubo, Cuca)
🦃 Thanksgiving (At Luispi’s, At Kevin’s)
🍻 Catchups in SFO (Vivian, Isaac, Gordon, Jonah, Denis)
🍻 Catchups in T.O. (Chris, Kaitlin, Brandon, Shane, Sunny, Matt, Grace, Ribhu, Talal, Marwan, Moe, GMO, Lorne)
🍻 Catchups in PTY (Gordon, Danilo, Ariel, Josh, Rin, Asako)
🍻 ADR (Bowling, Umami, Caminata Susie Thayer, Evento CCIAP, Evento Dreamforce 2025)
🥂 Weddings (Kevin and Nikki, Fer and Sofi, Piu + Sebastian, Raul + Gaby, Daniel + Alessandra)
🏡 Hosting (Clay, Matt, Grace)

💥Grateful For: Adventure time moments…

🌄 Valley Weekends (Carnavales, Fiestas Patrias, New Year’s)
⚽ Panama Soccer Games (El Salvador, Suriname)
🎸 Concerts (Revolution Fest, Metallica, Myles Smith, ARC Festival, Neil Young)
✈️ Travel (Mexico, Cottage, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco)
🏋️ Joy Is The Way (Went through Joy Coaching with Rey Hernandez!)
🎮 Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Finally played and finished the game. A lifetime milestone.)
🎮 Mario Party: Game Night (First ever game night with the amigos.)

🛠️ Working On: Items to fix, work on or repair…

🤧 2025 registered the most ‘sick days’ in a long time.
💔 Almost ‘zero’ video-calls or video-catchups in the year.
📱 Loads of time lost in “idle” browsing.
🤯 Multiple outbursts and explosive moments at work, at home and at rest.
😔 Opportunities missed to serve, lead and/or to add value to others.

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2025 Retrospective

What did I learn? What did I take away? What’s on my mind?

📚 On Craft
“The best investment you can make is an investment in yourself.”

Don’t be afraid to reinvent your “mastery”.
Building a diverse set of skills is not a bad idea. Expand the toolbox.
A long-term mindset is hard to beat.
You can always take a break. Doesn’t mean that others will.
Upskilling never stops. AI never sleeps.

🛠️ On Work
“You are living the life you once dreamed for.”

Start with clarity and purpose.
Be intentional in your goals.
Show up. Do your best. Every day.
Play to Win. Serve. Add Value.

🫶 On Tribe
“The quality of your relationships determines the quality of your life.”

Relationships are at the heart of life, business, and society.
Keep in touch. A little effort goes a long way.
Always give, more than you take.
Set your healthy boundaries. Stay away from toxic.
People love a “good vibes” guy.

💪 On Health
“Fuel quality matters. What you eat is how you feel.”

Sleep is the foundation of health. (Sleep ➡️ Body ➡️ Mind)
A dehydrated body is a foggy mind and a frustrated human.
Daily dogwalks are a movement hack.
A 48 hour water fast is a hard-reset.
Stop eating before you are full.
Don’t swap food for therapy.

💰 On Wealth
“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.”

Keep it boring. Time rewards the patient.
Keep it simple. Very simple. Complexity kills.
Save upfront. Spend the rest.
Stay clear of the get rich quick schemes. (and the schemers too!)
First, focus on increasing your income. Then, focus on reducing your expenses. Finally, widen the spread.
It’s ok to “hold cash” if it brings you mental peace.
Play “your game”. Ignore the “noise”. Ignore the “hype”.
Never ever, “Bet on Zero”.
Consistency. Simplicity. Earn + Save + Invest.
Compound. Let time do its work.

🧘 On Mind / Spirit
“Anger is a way to signal as strongly as you can to the other, that you are capable of violence.”

Feeling cloudy / turbulent? Take a break.
Feeling stuck / unclear? Take a step back.
Feels complex? Simplify.
Feeling focused? Lock-in.
Music is an emotional regulator.
Mindset is an energy amplifier.
Set the stage. Set the tone.
Pick your battles. Wisely.
Play a long game. Extend the “consideration” horizon.
Think of consequences in 2nd and 3rd order.
Slow down. Breathe. Regain control.
Save yourself. No one will save you.
Pursue the right goals and righteous ambitions for worthy reasons.
You can’t buy love. Stop shopping. See who stays.
There is, usually, no better moment than the Now. That’s because the Now is all that exists.
But I do it anyway.

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2025 Reflections

📖 A Quote to Ponder

What a privilege it is to be tired from the work you once begged the universe for.
What a privilege to feel overwhelmed by the growth you used to dream about.
What a privilege to be challenged by a life you built on purpose.
What a privilege to outgrow the things you once settled for.

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✍ A Reflection on Family

“Build them up. Be there for each other. Be the fun uncle. Play. Laugh. Have fun with your siblings. Like in old times, when you were kids. Support your parents. Emotionally. Financially. They’ve done their share. Give back. Love them all.

This is your safe space. Be kind with and to each other.”

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✍ A Reflection on Wealth

“It’s nice to have it. It’s fun to build it. It’s comfortable to know you’ve built freedom from a series of troubles that you don’t have to worry about anymore. Happy hour freedom. Restaurant freedom. Techno-gadget freedom. A certain ‘level’ feels just above a safe threshold.

Remember why you do it in the first place. To retire early. To support someone. To create options/flexibility. To raise a family. To fund a business. To donate. For whatever reasons or causes that matter to you. Remember that $ is the means to; not the end in itself.”

Disclaimer: I am not wealthy. These are thoughts on money and wealth creation.

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✍ A Reflection on Friendships

“Nurture them. There are a handful of true friends who truly enjoy you as you are, who want to see you grow, who don’t mind your follies, who will be there for you when you need them. To these select few, know what they are and be grateful for them.

Be there for the moments. The little things. The big things. The birthdays. The baby showers. Their ‘kid’ moments. Let them know how much they mean to you. They might not say it back. They might not comment. Don’t do it for the recognition. They’ll notice. They know.”

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2026 The One Thing

What is the One Thing to keep in mind for the upcoming year?

To practice kindness.

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2026 Gratitude

For those of you that know me personally, you know this essay post is one of my favorite things to do every year. I share it with the goal that it might inspire one or many of you to carry out your own personal reflections, notice what you’re grateful for and build a sense of clarity and purpose in your lives.

If you’ve read, enjoyed or even followed these posts throughout the years, I just want to say… I am grateful to all of those who have made this year such a special one, and am glad I can continue to share these reflections with you: