I haven’t published my New Year’s resolutions on this site since 2017, but each year I’ve continued to make new goals and set new targets.
However, I’m surprised — disturbed, really — that I haven’t come back to this tradition. It’s practically the hallmark of this site — resolutions and personal life updates.
And maybe since I’ve been elevated to management (and business owner), there’s less reason to be open and allow myself to be vulnerable to attack.
However, the years haven’t gone by without me trying to keep this flame going. I have, according to my drafts, prepared a post about my 2024 resolutions and I’ve written extensively in my private notes about 2023 and 2022. And each time, something or nothing stopped me from taking the last step to publish here or elsewhere.
Well, this is the year I mean to mend my good habits and break the bad ones.
My 2025 resolutions are all about me being transparent and vulnerable. I hope you don’t mind, but it’s taken some time to open back up again. Years of criticism have taken their toll. In just the last two years alone, I’ve consolidated my online activity to just two places — Threads and Bluesky. (I lurk everywhere else.) Publicly, I’ve written less. I’ve recorded fewer podcasts as a host. And I’ve done the fewest speaking engagements I’ve done in a long time.
But that started to change in the latter half of 2024, and I want to continue that momentum change for 2025.
I remain positive about my career and my family, which is why I’m so enamored with self development. I know that if I can be a better man, a better husband, a better dad, a better writer, a better producer, a better editor, and a better consultant, I can do great things. Even if the progress is small, I know I’m moving in the right direction. And I want to hold myself accountable to that. That’s what these 2025 resolutions are about, for me.
1. Start a podcast for The Baltimore Banner
There’s nothing I want more desperately for The Baltimore Banner than a high-quality podcast to amplify all of the outstanding journalism my colleagues produce. This is something I’ve been clamoring for since I began working at The Banner in 2023 and I’m finally starting to make some ground on it. But nothing is certain.
2. Position myself for director level roles
I need a raise and I need to start acting like it.
3. When it comes to exercise, stick to the schedule
I do a good job of managing my calendar for work, meetings, client projects, and even personal outings. But when it comes to workouts, I’ve somehow tricked my brain into thinking that those hours are additional free time. I can’t let that continue to happen. I’ve got health issues to address and some pounds to lose, so I have to be better. So my goal this year is to stick to the schedule, which I’ve completely revamped.
4. Appearances matter, so dress accordingly
If I want to move up in the world, I have to start dressing like it. I’ve been walking around in puff coats and sneakers, but that all is about to come to an end. I’m bringing back the sports jackets and oxfords. For the sake of office cohesion, I’ll hold off on wearing ties. My goal here is to be consistent with and upgrade my business casual attire in the office.
5. Read 24 books
I ended the year having read 9 books, a low output for me. Since finishing grad school, I’ve read less and listened to more podcasts. Part of that is the nature of my work, but I also feel like it’s directly correlated with my lack of focus — too much scrolling and streaming have left me feeling scatterbrained. So with this goal, I want to attack my concentration issues and address my social media addiction. Right now, Apple’s Screen Time app tells me I’ve been on social apps for 15 hours in the past week. I think I know where I can find the time to accomplish this goal.
6. Buy a house
This may be the most far-fetched of my goals, but I think I’m finally getting close to buying my first home after some setbacks. I certainly hope I can. It’s going to require a lot discipline on my part to save, budget, and minimize major expenses. But I’m close. And I feel more and more confident about it as I research the process.
If I can accomplish even a few of these 2025 resolutions — some of which are just about me being consistent — then this will be a great year.
If you’re interested in following me on this journey, I’m most likely to post about it on Threads and Bluesky. Otherwise, I’ll likely check in here next year.
