Hey Friend,

 

If you’ve been a reader of my newsletter for a while now you would know I have an annual practice where I write a reflection letter of the year that’s been, and then set my intentions/goals for the coming year.

 

The letter is then sealed in an envelope, and opened in 12 months time.

 

 

Reflecting back on what I wrote 12 months ago is such an insightful experience. 

 

But what’s even better is reading back on the first letter I wrote in 2020! 

 

I’ve found the ‘reflection’ component of the letter to be the most powerful. Because not only does it reveal my successes – it also reveals my struggles. 

 

My struggles are my gaps. 

 

And my gaps become my true goals. 

 

Looking back on what I wrote five years ago, I’m pleased to say the ‘gaps’ I had back then – have now been filled.

 

It fills me with great satisfaction to see how far I’ve come. 

 

And with this new awareness, it gives me peace knowing the gaps I’ve experienced in 2025, will also be filled in time (but it will likely take longer than I expect).   

 

 

This year, I didn’t feel compelled to set any big goals or intentions for my business. 

 

Not because I don’t believe they’re important, but because I’m already clear on the direction I’m going. 

 

What I want to focus on this year is being more ‘present’ in the moment. 

 

Because you can only live in the ‘now’. And what you do moment to moment, will dictate your future.

 

As one of my favourite writers Tej Dosa said in his recent newsletter: 

“I felt like goals, themes, and plans are just tools I use to remind myself of what is important in case I fall asleep at the wheel of life (and the more I live in my sleep, the more I need goals). But the more time I actually spend awake and present to my life, the less I need goals, themes, or plans.” 

 

 

Having said that,

 

On New Year’s Day, Kaci and I sat down together and had a reflective conversation about 2025, and what we would like to happen for 2026 to feel like a win.

 

We were both aligned on what that would be, and it’s pretty simple:

 

 

The interesting thing is these joint ‘goals’ were born from our ‘gaps’. 

 

The past few years have been challenging for us in terms of cashflow. 

 

Across personal and business finances, we’ve had more money go out then come in (thankfully our investments have been doing the heavy lifting!). 

 

Even if it’s just one dollar more, that will feel like a great win. 

 

Because of lower cashflow and the arrival of Florence, we knew 2025 was going to be a lean year in terms of holidays. Having gone without a proper family holiday in 2025, it’s back on the cards this year.

 

Doesn’t have to be anything crazy, maybe a week away in Bali during Winter for Florence’s 1st birthday.  

 

Since becoming parents, ‘date nights’ have been a rare occurrence. 

 

So this year we want to be intentional and create space each month for a date night (more likely ‘date day’ – we are early to bed lol). 

 

And we’re setting up a ‘Date Night’ bank account, specifically for this purpose. 

 

Finally, we both felt like our weekends had been underutilised.  

 

So this year, we want to be more intentional with our weekends – clearer boundaries for me around when I’m working, and scheduling in time together as a family or catch ups with friends. 

 

Because if it’s not in your calendar, then it won’t happen. 

 

 

Any who, 

 

You may notice that these four joint goals are quite ambiguous. 

 

The SMART goal nerds will hate me for the lack of specificity. But these days, I find life so much more enjoyable with a bit of ambiguity. 

 

Yes, I still set the direction I want to head.  

 

But I allow enough ‘space’ for life to fill in the details for me. 

 

And it’s a liberating way to live.