For me, 2025 was the year of becoming an adult – emphasized by the evolution of my personal relationships and how i behave in intimate relationships with people due to my sturdier sense of identity.
As always, the Annual Review will answer the following questions:
- What went well this year?
- What didn’t go so well this year?
- What did I learn?
Before we begin, it is worth noting that every Annual Review is a personal process. This is simply an overview of what my year looked like, not advice for how you should live your life. (That said, you are always welcome to use this general format for your own Annual Review.)
James Clear
1. What went well this year?
SMOKING. This year I became increasingly more healthy. I started out the year smoking… a LOT of cigarettes and weed. Throughout Spring I slowed down my smoking and in April I stopped smoking weed regularly and by the end of the year now I don’t smoke cigs regularly either.
FOOD. My relationship with food this year has been the healthiest it’s ever been. I barely overeat. I eat as much as I need (and/or want). I don’t snack as much (at least not unnecessarily). I eat a lot healthier. I started cooking at home more. I even lost a bit more weight.
UNIVERSITY. I have to do a fourth year of university, however this year for the first time I was able to truly lock in and learn how to study and actually pass most of my exams – for example in May I passed 4 exams in 2 weeks.
WORK. I started working as a waiter at Wagamama and I love it. My dad always told me to try out working as a waiter because of the stuff you can learn and what do you know – he was right. The communication skills have improved. I’m able to bartend. Made some really fun friends. Helped me explore my personality with different types of people and discover more of who I can be. It has overall been a very exciting experience. (Shoutout to Sava for getting me that job.)
FINANCES. Financially I’m not exactly “well off” but I’ve been able to save more and be better at budgeting which has felt grown up as well. I think my relationship with money has changed. I’ve been experimenting with investing and learning more about that which has also made me think of money in a more…resource way that has to be used to get more of if you will.
BOUNDARIES. I had to say goodbye to some people this year due to personal reasons. As someone with people pleasing tendencies it was quite a difficult decision to make and to execute. Even so, it needed to be done and I am very grateful that I did it. Ever since, I’ve felt a lot better knowing the people close to me are more similar in terms of morals and values to live life by and to stand by the people close to me that have been wronged. It feels good to stand for something.
EXERCISING. I have been more naturally active this year. I walk more and bike more without really making a mental effort. I realized I like being active physically, so I played volleyball while the sun was out and went to gym when it was not. It wasn’t always easy but it’s become more of a character trait rather than something I “need” to do. I now enjoy going for 30 minute stretching workouts before work.
2. What didn’t go so well this year?
CONSISTENCY. I’ve been doing better in almost all parts of my life but consistency has still been something that still lacks. I think this past year I have made amazing progress and have truly found myself in the most natural way possible. However, there are still some minor consistency issues. I still have to go to gym more consistently. I still have to have a good sleep schedule for a longer uninterrupted period of time. I still have to make content on a regular basis and not just once every few months or weeks.
PHYSICAL HEALTH. I have been a lot healthier this year compared to the past but there are still the occasional slip-ups. I still want to lose a bit more weight even though I am quite content with where I’m at. I still want to develop some habits regarding taking care of my health, in terms of food, exercise, sleep, etc.
3. What did I learn?
I am very capable.
In Spring of this year I had to pass 6 courses for uni. I really wanted to so I finally pulled back my sleeves and got it done. I indeed passed all 6.
In April, I wanted to stop smoking weed regularly and I naturally did and started even being more active physically in the process.
In July I really wanted to try to do a better job at work and after a week or two of trying I became one of the best waiters at work.
In October I wanted to start posting videos on TikTok and then I just started doing so. And now I’m posting more and more.
In November I had an exam coming up and I really wanted to pass it and get a good grade. I don’t have the grade yet but I am damn sure I passed that exam.
This year I finally became the person I was working towards becoming for the past more than half a decade. I am grateful to my past self for putting the work in to get me here.
This year I have shown myself that it was not all in vain.
This year I have shown myself that I can, I should and I will.
August 