Goals for 2025: Am I Hitting Them?

In a previous blog, I laid out all my goals for 2025. Just a quick reminder.

Physical: Run a marathon, get under an 8-minute mile, lose 15 pounds, play in a pickleball tournament.

Mental: Limit anxiety, replace doom scrolling with chess, take some breaks of constant stimulation, do more things I enjoy.

Financial: Max out Roth IRA, Max out HSA, Make $5,000 outside of 9-5.

Giving Back: Volunteer at an animal shelter, volunteer at a local food bank for 52 hours, sponsor a family for Christmas, help eight people with finances.

Relationships: Date night every week creatively, ask more personal questions to family members, monthly shake it up event to get out of routine.

Business Goals: $5,000 in revenue, constant marketing channels, saving money, 2026 Disney pricing guide.

The second Friday in January is quitter’s day where all resolutions go out the window. When I wrote this, it wasn’t the second Friday of January yet and I don’t really have a resolution. I had a fantastic year last year, so I just wanted to have enhanced success doing similar things as I did last year.

Let’s see how it’s going. First, we have physical goals. My marathon is about to hit me hard in a week. I am excited, scared, nervous, anxious, and happy for it to be done. I have prepared the last six months in a slow beginner plan that has led me to have success for this moment. This training stage has been an awesome journey. It has opened my eyes to running and how incredible it is. Peaceful, difficult, and even fun as you get to see your progress.

The goal of losing 15 pounds has been going well, I have exercised 5/6 of the first days, ate right and should be on the right track.

The Pickleball tournament is my big goal of the year, similar to a marathon. To train hard, see improvement, and have it all come together for a final day where I can use all my training for hopeful success. I took my first step on Saturday where I switched sides from recreational pickleball courts over to the competitive pickleball courts. And I got destroyed. Four losses. 2-11, 6-11, 5-11, 6-11. None were extremely close. My typical strategy in pickleball is to just get it over the net, make the other team make mistakes. It became clear very quickly that I was missing some zing to my game. I was playing not to lose. The first game there I played with my girlfriend, and it was the first time my opponents played down to our skill level. It was humbling, my girlfriend ran away immediately, and I still tried to win a few games, with other partners I was able to get closer, and no one played down, there was still a large skill gap. Future me here. This was the last time I played competitive pickleball. I felt useless. I felt like I needed A LOT of training, and I just don’t have the proximity to play as much as I should to compete. 45-minute drive is hard to do just to get whooped. I am hoping to move there in a couple of months so I should get more court time in. Losing is never fun. I felt like I did when I was a big strong 8th grader, turning into a tiny 9th grader. Someday, I should be able to compete over there, but it was a harsh jump.

One Mental goal was to limit the doom scrolling. Just basically a time waster, no value added to my life or to the life of others. I replaced it with chess, which I would play with my friends and my family and would whoop them, but then once again, a humbling experience when a 250 ELO beat me sometimes. It was a tough pill to swallow, losing that ego and realizing I suck. Similar to running 3 miles used to tire me out, the start is always slow. Embarrassing. Humbling. Which I find to be a beautiful and fulfilling process. After a few days I could take down the 550 ELO robot and have won up to 1000. In a couple more weeks, I would take down a 1500 ELO bot and my game review was 1550 ELO. No blunders, no mistakes, just a couple misses. Issue being, I can’t replicate it. I lose to opening mates when I play online. I have still learned a little bit. The wake-up call thinking you’re decent at a game just to lose on turn 4 is very humbling. It stings. The improvement is what I find so fulfilling.

My anxiety has been small for me, only showing up from time to time.

I take some walking breaks to escape the constant stimulation of life, and I should do more. I feel like I am living well. Learning, growing, loving.

 Financial Goals

I logged into my Roth IRA and put $122 in automatic investments weekly will max out my account for the year. With my HSA being auto, 401(k) being auto, my brokerage being auto. My financial goals are now on autopilot. Out of sight, out of mind. Several expenses will hit in January, but I believe it will work out with proper planning.

Giving Back

I have hit a point in my life where I want to give back. It makes me feel incredible. I have received and created so many blessings that I have time, talent, and treasure to give back to the world who might not be as far as me. The enjoyment of volunteering came when I volunteered in a baseball game for disabled kids. Some of the happiest kids I had ever met. Who were happy if they hit the ball hard, tapped the ball, or even struck out. I would remember if I struck out, I would be so mad at myself, sometimes even cry when I was younger. I haven’t been back to the food bank yet this year, so 52 hours seems pretty far out.

Business wise I have not made a consistent posting schedule. Nor have I done much of anything. It has been a disappointing few weeks in this area. I haven’t been as excited to begin the travel agent social media launch. Doubt has crept into my head. Is It something I actually want to do? It is all selling the most expensive package for the highest commission. Just a lot of fear, what if I fail? Also, I am just more tired than usual. No matter the sleep hours I am just tired. I think tis just been a busy end to the year and been going going going and then a marathon next weekend, school starting, all these habits I’m trying to bake in, plus I need to go see my niece who hopefully is born healthy and happy in the next week as well, also, a plane ride is looming which makes me a bit anxious. My routine hasn’t landed yet and I doubt it lands for another couple of weeks.

School

I have a few assignments staring me down. I just don’t want to bite the bullet and do it. I feel this way in almost every area. Spinning my wheels. Tired.

The year is still brand new. Overall, I have lived pretty good, but tiredness is being an issue. My routines have been turned upside down and I am trying my best to get all of them back. I just have a to-do list 10 miles long and the busiest time at work. How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time, lets do this.