It blows my mind to remember the year started living in a different house. Unexpectedly, and while my partner was recovering from an equally unexpected surgery, we were told the owner of our current place wanted to move back in. Being the first time this has ever happened to me, my sense of stability was shattered.
Navigating everything was a real test. And I’m glad to say I passed. I’m proud of myself for spending hours in front of spreadsheets, rating housing options, and just doing what needed to be done.
The move changed the tone of the year. It meant starting again halfway through – learning a new area and reestablishing my routine. As someone with multiple jobs, my routine is vital to keep things ticking over.
Between the choice of staying in our current area and trying something new, I opted for the latter. Unfortunately, I soon questioned if I had made a mistake. Our new area is full of mansions and luxury cars, and is so close to a major shopping centre that it’s more congested than quiet. And there isn’t any sort of community feel like I had in Hawthorn – where I first lived when I moved to Melbourne in 2016.
I’m aware of my habit of seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses. Where the move sounded good on paper, it didn’t end up that way. When I shared this with my friend Naaz, she consoled me. Even stating that it might be a good thing. That this might be the catalyst to push me to take the leap and buy a house for myself.
Deep down, I know she’s right. Our previous place was great. So much so that leaving it by choice would have been hard. So buying a house is definitely on the list for next year, which is my cue to get into the meat of this post.
2025
Where 2024 was about enjoying myself – going overseas to walk the Camino De Santiago and see Europe and the UK – 2025 was about knuckling back down with the same mentality that made that huge holiday possible.
Even with the interruption, I’m happy with how everything went. In a previous solo podcast, I spoke about my goals for the year through several distant categories, so I thought I’d revisit them as I break down what was and what’s to come.
If you’d like to download this template and play along, here it is. If you’re after more tips on goal setting and routine, check out the podcast linked above.
Financial
My goal was to “keep doing what I’m doing”. Though fatigue started to set in towards the end of the year, I did this plus more. I was able to secure an additional shift per fortnight in my youth work role. With several changes to the team, my commitment and impact over the last three years was noted and I was given the option to secure the shifts that work best for me.
I also implemented some habits, such as reviewing my expenses at the end of each month against the budget I actually set. This is quite tedious, but it’s effective. You can’t manage what you don’t measure! It is also eye-opening and pushes you into unescapable accountability. This process has highlighted areas that could do with some cost trimming.
My main focus for 2026 will be purchasing a house, paying off my HECS debt, and maintaining my current savings rate. If there’s room, I’d like to look into small amounts of ethical investing and putting out a digital product that could earn me small amounts of passive income.
Health
My goal was to go a bit easier on the weight training. What ended up happening was I doubled down! After a blood test raised some concerns about pre-diabetes (which runs in my family), I decided to take care of business the best way I know how.
With a new local gym (Anytime Fitness) giving me membership to multiple 24/7 gyms around the country, it’s been easy to fit in sessions. Of course, I’m also blessed to WFH for my main job, so morning or lunchtime sessions are never an issue.
To date, I’m down around 7kg. The little belly I had is now a flat stomach, and ripped abs shouldn’t be too far off. As I’ve written about, my relationship with training is complicated. I try not to care, but I also can’t escape the truth that how we look does impact how we feel.
So, I just try not to care too much. I’ve noticed other signs of ageing, such as greying and thinning hair, so having a strong and fit body is something I can control. There’s also the mentality that being healthy means a better quality of life and remaining active as I grow even older. Since losing the weight, my partner has pointed out that my sleep apnea has also improved! So I’m looking at my efforts as an investment, with health my primary focus and looks just being a welcome bonus.
For my mental health, I wanted to keep up a practice of journaling and meditation. I’ve journaled for 15 years, so that’s never an issue. But my meditation practice did fall off a bit. I’ve just signed up to the app Waking Up to keep up my meditation and mindfulness practice in 2026.
I also spoke about reducing my phone use. This was done using ‘focus mode’, which blocks certain apps. But I have to say I did fall back into bad habits of brain-rotting myself. Given that I stay connected through friends with memes, it’s hard. Reading the book Stolen Focus, which is about technology and overstimulation, has been helpful.
What I am happy about, though, is stepping away from pointless conversations. These are with racist boomers on Facebook and a particular person from my past who is suffering from SkyNews Syndrome. I can get emotionally derailed for a few hours, so getting to a point where I can say ‘this does not serve me’ has been quite liberating. After all, as I’ve learned from reading Stolen Focus, algorithms are rigged to enrage us because we will spend more time online.
Business and career
My biggest win of 2025 was showing up online and breaking through my initial resistance. I signed up for the Socially Sands Creator Challenge, which, with money on the table, forced me into action. It was a bit messy. It was a learning process. But I did it!
I posted daily for 15 days with my face in front of the camera and spoke about my services as a therapist. I also did a bit of work behind the scenes, compiled a social media strategy of sorts, and set up some templates in Canva to make more engaging posts. I wasn’t as consistent with the posts, but I did complete my goal of releasing a second podcast season!
Along with the content, I did intend to step more into the marketing side of things, which I didn’t do. But despite that, I still hit 90% of the goal for private practice sessions. I’m happy with that! For 2026, I plan to start dabbling with paid ads and making more moves on my networking. I’m already part of a community called Practice that Pays.
I’ll also reach my target of 750 client hours, which will upgrade my therapist accreditation and open up other opportunities. Speaking of which, I ventured into working with teenage clients after I was personally recommended twice. And I added ADHD coaching and youth mentoring to my services on my website.
Family and friends
Being so busy, I don’t have too much time to spend socially, so I aimed for quality over quantity. This included monthly check-ins with my friends who enjoy personal development as much as I do. In addition to catching up, this was a great way to keep ourselves accountable.
I visited Perth for a gig, seeing my cousin and friend Paul, who was passing through on his trip cycling around Australia! I caught up with Jimmy, with whom I used to work in Melbourne and last saw in Barcelona. Our friend Holly, whom we met in Spain during the Camino, also made it to Melbourne, so it was fun showing her around. And, we went up to Mt Tambourine in Queensland, staying with our friend Bruno, with whom we started walking our Camino.
2026 will also be about quality over quantity, with the addition of taking more photos. I recently purchased a polaroid camera that also serves as a printer that I can connect to my phone. I’d love to build a photo wall throughout the year that I can look back on.
PS. These three friends all featured on my podcast.
Personal development
My main goal was to finish my second book, Home. I didn’t achieve this, but I made significant progress. I’m up to the final chapters where I’m writing about walking the Camino De Santiago. I’ll soon have a draft, which means the start of the editing and design process. This is the part where things really start coming alive!
I didn’t make any moves on stepping into the Men’s Group space – nothing particularly called out to me. But I’m happy with the support I received through the check-ins with friends. I’ll keep my eyes open through 2026. It would be great to find a group of guys who are also therapists, that way it’s a two birds with one stone kind of thing.
I implemented a new productivity system in 2025 using time boxing in Google Calendar, a wall planner, and a sticker reward system, along with a little timer cube that sits on my desk so I can work in timed bursts. They all worked. I just didn’t use them consistently. So my goal is to improve my use and hopefully get more done.
Fun and recreation
I wanted to allow myself to have more fun without the guilt. One way was through gaming. I’m happy to say I’ve purchased a gaming PC – something I’ve never done before. And after 150 hours, I finally finished Doom Eternal. This was the game that got me back into gaming in 2024.
I also took my foot off the accelerator towards the end of the year when it came to working and saving. I went to Adelaide with my two mates to see TOOL and then thought: fuck it, also saw them again at Good Things festival. My rationale was that money comes and goes, but these moments are limited.
I didn’t stick to my goal of keeping up with flow toys, but since my partner is enjoying hooping, maybe 2026 will bring more opportunities. I do know we will fit in some travel. My partner purchased a van and has done amazing work in doing it up. There’s a lot in Australia to see, as I know from my 2018 trip through the outback.
Outside of the above, I’d love to read more non-fiction. It’s a good break from jamming information into my brain, and a great replacement for doom-scrolling. When I was in Perth, I came across a bookstore that had the Aliens and Predator novels. I remember loving these as a teenager.
Romance
The big news here is that I asked my partner to marry me! After 6 years together and on the cusp of buying a house, it felt right. Along with reaching this stepping stone, we did great at coming together as a team to make it through the start of this year and settle into a new routine, which included finding a new walking track. Walks and talks are one of our favourite rituals.
We also introduced a daily question book, which we’ve been filling out before bed. It’s a nice way to stay connected. I also want to find a space for us to have more formal family meeting time each week. This is something we do at my youth work job, and it might also have benefits at home. It would be a great way to keep ourselves on track with our individual and shared goals.
Contribution to society
In my youth work role, I saw two young people move on to the next stages of their lives. It’s always a point of reflection and celebration. I’d be lying if I said it’s all rainbows and sunshine – there are feelings of uncertainty and worry. But what gives me comfort is knowing we’ve given them a safe passage to this point. That’s all we can do.
Personally, I also made contributions by helping friends financially through loans and gifting concert tickets. I recognise that people are going through different circumstances and have different paths in life. If the tables were turned, I’m sure they would do the same to me. Afterall, if I’m expecting others, like billionaires, to be more giving, I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t embody the same philosophy in my own capacity.
Closing thoughts
I usually have a bit of resistance to the new year – feeling that time is going faster than I’d like. But over the weekend, as we counted down into 2026 with 3,000 other people at Tanglewood (the camping festival we’ve attended for the last 4 years), I felt excited.
Even though it comes with growing older, I’m looking forward to the next stage of life: getting a house to call our own, and moving to a new area and connecting with a community that better reflects who we are. Maybe a pet! Maybe thinking about becoming actual parents?
It’s cheesy to say, but I also want to take care of my spiritual well-being. This year I saw and absorbed a lot of dark and jarring content online (following March for Australia protests, Charlie Kirk’s death, and the Bondi Beach shooting). It really put me in the dumps at times. I want to believe in good. That there’s actually hope for our shared story.
I also had two people pass away. Oscar was someone I occasionally worked with at my youth work role over the last few years. Simon was a high school friend whom I reconnected with by chance after not having any contact for about 15 years. We got dinner together when I visited Brisbane in 2024 and spoke about our paths over the last twenty years since finishing school. I remember walking away and thinking about getting a photo together, but I told myself there would be another chance…
Both Simon and Oscar were young, and their passings were unexpected. I don’t mean to make it about me, but losing people makes you take pause and ponder all the questions that come up. I wrote about this in my last birthday post, but as I’ve become more secure in a material sense, I’ve been thinking about the deeper stuff more. Such as my legacy and how I’ll be remembered. My soul and what will happen once the curtains come down.
Perhaps something to continue another time.
Thank you for reading this little insight into my life, where you could be scrolling through 10-second reels of AI cats playing AI-generated music.
