Hello 2025

Ah yes, a new year has arrived, and with it, I suppose I can never help but start setting goals. One of those goals is to write more, as there’s so much I experience that I want to document here. Yet, as I look back, I see a single blog post for all of 2024. I won’t waste a whole post lamenting my lack of effort; instead, I’d rather keep things upbeat and optimistic as I set my sights on the coming year and what I want to achieve. There’s plenty to recap from 2024, which I plan to write about in future posts, but here’s a summary of my vision and goals for 2025.

Health and Wellness

Last year, I set a goal to complete a Spartan race in March. While I hoped that event would inspire me to take my health more seriously, it didn’t make a lasting impact—beyond getting a gym trainer at the time. I continued eating poorly, drinking too much, and neglecting mindfulness about my health, which showed in my weight. At my highest, I reached 235 pounds and felt awful.

I plan to write a separate post about what changed for me, but I’m happy to say I’m now down to 172 pounds and feel amazing. My clothes fit better, I feel better, I’m drinking less, and I’m still working with a personal trainer twice a week, slowly building strength.

My goal for 2025 is to embrace this maintenance phase and find the right balance. I’ve only lost this much weight twice before, and both times I treated the number on the scale as a finish line, giving myself permission to indulge once I crossed it. This time, I want things to be different. This is the healthiest weight I’ve ever been, and I want to look back on 2025 knowing I maintained it while growing stronger. I’m committed to my personal trainer, eating mindfully, and conducting regular, honest check-ins to stay on track.

Reading and Writing

The fact that I’ve dusted off this blog is proof of my desire to write and reflect more in 2025. There’s so much I encounter daily—whether it’s running the arcade or pursuing personal interests—that deserves to be documented. In addition to writing, I want to cultivate the habit of reading more. Over the past few months, I’ve spent too much time on the mindless social media scroll. It’s time to focus on books and give my eyes a break from screens.

I’m committing to reading one book a month, and I’d love recommendations! As a kid, I loved reading, but it’s a habit that fell by the wayside in adulthood. The last book I read was a few years ago after watching the Waco miniseries. It was Stalling for Time by Gary Noesner, the FBI negotiator involved in Waco and other incidents, including the DC sniper shootings (fun fact: his daughter attended UMW at the time!).

What draws me into books these days often ties to shows or movies I’ve seen. Recently, I’ve enjoyed Silo, Severance, Earth Abides, Landman, Bad Sisters, and Matlock. Based on that, hit me with your best book recs!

Organization and Planning

This is more of a guiding principle than a standalone goal, but so much of what I want to accomplish this year hinges on better time management, organizational skills, meal planning, and scheduling. At its core, it’s about mindfulness and taking the time to plan effectively.

I know organization is a weak point for me. I tend to take a scattershot approach to tasks—creative, personal, or professional. This year, I want to use my calendar not just for meetings but to block out time for the things I want to achieve. I also need to explore tools that can help with project management. While I’ve relied on basic apps like Notes or Google Docs, I don’t want to go overboard with software like Asana, where the tool itself becomes the project.

Relationships

I’m the guy people have to message to check in on. I forget birthdays, neglect gifts, and focus so much on my own life that I often fail to invest time in cultivating friendships. It’s not malicious—it’s just something I’ve justified by saying, “I’ve got a lot going on; the phone works both ways.”

This year, I want to be more intentional. I aim to be the one reaching out, not just wishing someone a happy birthday because Facebook reminded me, but inviting them for coffee or sending a card.

With both my wife and me in better health, it’s also an opportunity to nurture our family relationships through more mindful activities, like eating together and planning outings. In fact, as I write this, we just took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Richmond to see the lights at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden with our new family membership there—a Christmas gift I gave my wife. More of that in 2025!

Craftsmanship

This goal speaks to my desire for a hobby that isn’t tied to running Reclaim Arcade. While I love pinball and play in tournaments, I need a personal hobby that doesn’t constantly remind me of work.

Over the years, I’ve improved at home repair, largely thanks to YouTube and owning an arcade where things break. However, I lack tools and a proper workspace at home, which is my first step. I also want to set regular, ambitious project goals. My ultimate aim is a basement remodel that includes building a bar, ripping out carpet, painting, and more. Along the way, I hope to develop skills in woodworking and craftsmanship to confidently tackle projects like that.

Closing Thoughts

So, that’s what the next year looks like for me. Kudos to you if you’ve made it this far—this post turned out longer than I expected! I think it captures my goals and plans for 2025, and this blog will help keep me accountable. Welcome along for the ride!