Year in Review

And a vision for 2025

My main focus for 2025 was to broaden my opportunities by opening lots of new doors.

As the year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting-not just on what went well or what could have gone better, but on the deeper patterns shaping my life. This year, more than ever, I’ve felt the weight of change and the clarity that comes with intention.

Vision Board 2024

For the past few years, I’ve started each year with a vision board-a mix of words, images, and ideas that capture how I want to live. It’s not just about goals; it’s about intention. Friends and I share our boards over Zoom, and though I suspect they do this mostly to humor me, this practice has sincerely changed my life. It helps me get more intentional about how I’d like to live my life and navigate the existential dread that sometimes accompanies early midlife.

Reflecting

Reflecting has been part of my lifestyle for as long as I can remember. I got this from my dad. When cleaning out his desk after he passed away, I found dozens of lists of goals, to-dos, and reflections. I don’t know if he explicitly taught me this strategy or if I developed it on my own, but it’s been an invaluable tool.

Over time, I’ve created a simple system for reflection that works for me: quick reviews at the end of every week, month, quarter, and year. It’s straightforward enough to provide clarity without becoming overwhelming or time-consuming. As I reflect on 2024, here’s what stands out:

2024 in Review

What went well:

• Got into materials creation and instructional design.

• Launched Love to Lingo. 🤍

• Published laguage learning notebooks and even sold some!

• Launched a podcast.

• Created new memories with my brother’s family.

• Broadened my interests: golf, history, photography, and videography.

• Learned a lot: tools, approaches, French, and more.

• Defined Love to Lingo’s mission.

• Experimented with new systems.

• Spent quality time with loved ones.

• Wrote extensively-not the kind of writing I had envisioned, but writing nonetheless.

What could’ve gone better:

• Overcommitted myself at times.

• Avoided writing personal essays or going on a writing retreat. Fear?

• Let systems get sloppy, allowing self-sabotaging patterns to creep in.

• Spent too much time in front of screens.

• Did not make time to start with Italian.

Priorities for 2025

2025 feels like the start of a new era. I want to focus on behaviors and actions that ground me while staying flexible and adaptive. My vision board for the year is inspired by the theme of mycelium, which symbolizes connection, resilience, and growth.

I connect. I continue building a network of people who learn and teach languages, prioritizing genuine, authentic connections. A major goal for early 2025 is to bring Love to Lingo Connect-language exchange sessions-to life.

I communicate. I continue writing, both professionally and personally. Perhaps this is the year I finally attend a writing retreat. I also plan to grow the Love to Lingo podcast, improving its quality and expanding its reach. I’m open to creating video content when it aligns with the message and hope to engage in public speaking within the language teaching community.

I decompose. I let go of what no longer serves me or my community. This includes clearing away outdated ways of thinking about communication, language, and connection.

I nourish. I cultivate spaces for laughter, deep rest, creativity, exploration, quiet reflection, reading, nature, food, and music. Nourishing myself and my community is a priority.

I collaborate. I carefully choose symbiotic relationships that are mutually beneficial, including podcast collaborations, speaking events, language exchanges, and guest writing opportunities.

I deepen. I focus on deepening personal relationships, especially with my family in the US. I want to intentionally craft and cultivate experiences with them and weave these connections into my daily life.

I embody. I live my mission every day. As a learner, I continue with French and start Italian as a beginner, focusing on meaningful connection. As a guide, I provide support, guidance, and opportunities for organic connections to emerge.

I expand. I expand my knowledge, network, opportunities, reach, and offerings-slowly, from a grounded place.

I ground. One of my challenges is living too much in the clouds. I spend a lot of time envisioning amazing futures but sometimes struggle to take the steps needed to make them real. While I value dreaming, I want to cultivate a more grounded approach, taking things slowly and building solid processes.

This also applies to my language practice. Over the past month, I’ve let things slip and deluded myself into thinking I’m fine. I know I’m not alone in this, but I’m setting the intention to start fresh in 2025.

Fresh Foundations

This brings me to Fresh Foundations, a space I’ve created for starting anew in language learning. It’s about helping you rebuild and strengthen your language practice with clarity, purpose, and consistency. It’s free and will start with a post on Substack on the 1st of January, 2025.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, I invite you to join me. I’ll share a bit more about it next week before we get started.

Thank you for being part of my journey this year. Here’s to fresh beginnings.