'24 Recap, '25 Goals

I wrote this in November 2024

Oddly enough, I’m being quite proactive with this post. Perhaps it is a combination of free time, a desire to write something, and a pride of what I’ve done in the past year. We’ll flesh out this post further but it’s nice to get it started while I can.

2024 Things I’m Proud of

• Had my best baseball season ever. I exceeded nearly every expectation I set for myself coming into the season, and I made my league’s all-star team. I was more conscious about my hitting, played defense across a multitude of positions, and had some of the best games of my life while friends were attending.

• I made baseball cards for my adult league team. I was thrilled with how they turned out. I designed them based off of 2022 Topps sets and made one for each team member that I could photograph.

• Wrote a memoir comprising of two essays (Masculinity, and Happiness), 30 quotes I find interesting, and 10 years worth of film photography that I curated

• Met with my grandma and recorded conversations about her and my mother growing up. Took her portrait.

• Attended the NYPL Library Lions Gala with a blind date. I love dressing up in Black Tie attire.

• Canvassed in Pennsylvania for the Election. Something about feminism, getting involved

• Donated more money this year than I ever have in my life. This was an intentional effort coming into this year, giving to more causes that I found worthy or invested in. Including friend’s running goals, church tithing, mission trips, and small ways to help my community

• Took home my largest earnings ever. Mostly due to Spotify stock, but I’m really proud of the number I earned, even if it’s superficial.

• Advanced my photography to a greater level by photographing sports games and and travels.

• Officiated the wedding of my two closest friends in New York. I was honored to officiate their wedding in the Bahamas on a cruise.

• Attended weddings in four states, intentionally sought out time with friends across the USA.

• Obtained one of what I believe to be the best baseball cards of the 21st century.

2025 Goals

• Photography project capturing MTA conductors pointing at the signs

• Photography of friends in boxes

• Monthly passport pictures at Eliz Digital

• Video curating my fall outfits

• More usage of B&W film photography

• Cooking/hosting monthly themed dinners with friends

• Surpass six figures in revenue with sportscards

• Commit to a Core group through church

  • Meaning I actively, intentionally, and mindfully show-up at least 25 times over the year

• End the year in/having been in a romantic relationship

• Start, consistently use, and end the year on a GLP1, goal of losing 40 more pounds (already down 10!)

• Find 20 instances of invested rejection throughout the year.

  • This means I’m challenging and pushing myself in things that matter

• Attend 4 black-tie events because dressing up is fun

• Mindfully use my Google Calendar to keep track of my life more

2024 Goals

In Progress. So far:

Put significant effort into a significant romantic relationship. Maybe it’s a couple months, maybe it’s longer, it could even be shorter. I’ve found that in 2023, my romantic relationships, while painful, have been life-giving and something I am excited to put effort into moving forward

Be okay with losing at sports. I can be a hyper-competitive person on a field. When I lose, I can become sulky. I try not to take it out on others but unfortunately have found myself quicker to anger/resentment on the field. I take a lot of pride in my athletic abilities, especially despite my physical stature, and when I’m let down by myself or others, I get frustrated, which, in a meta way, frustrates me. I don’t want to lose at sports, but I will challenge myself to be better at losing when I do.

Look better. It’s a combination of being insecure of my weight and appearance, combined with a desire to take advantage of my physical peak during the lifestage that that is possible.

Feel more. I think this one’s easier. I want to add a “feels wheel” on my door such that, everytime I leave my apartment, I consciously take stock of how I’m feeling.

Earn a promotion and raise. I was actually more intentional about my wording in this one. I don’t want to be given a promotion. I want to feel the accomplishment in earning a promotion, by succeeding at what I do. I’ve lied to myself about taking my career seriously for, frankly, a lot of my career. I don’t need to be an Executive, but I want to take the next step. That being said, I’m okay letting this one go if other priorities take precedent and more time/effort/energy than I expected.

AS 26, 2C - New York Joshua

I almost always take a redeye from SEA->JFK on Alaska, usually flight AS 26 which departs at 1130pm and arrives at both an ungodly early hour if I’ve adjusted to Pacific Time, and a normal morning if it’s an Eastern Time. I tend to get lucky with the upgrades, as the flight isn’t too in-demand and I end up in Premium, or often First Class. Regardless of seat assignment, I find the space, physical, mental, and emotional, ripe for digesting my feelings. Alas, as I type this from 2C on a 737Max, I reflect on my current state, and journey. This one will be more scattered than usual, as I’m a feeling a bit frazzled.

Looking back at my previous blog posts and taking stock of my memories and values, I’ll travel to Seattle for someone that matters to me. Whether that’s celebrating for a wedding, finding time to see specifc people, cheering on a beloved team with friends, or something else, I’ve only recently realized the level of intentionality I put on my trips to Seattle. I will always, always try to maximize my trips with multiple interactions. This trip was to see a friend’s newborn, amongst other things.

I don’t know if I have ever truly associated myself with New York City, until now. I was not born here, and though I have fallen in love with the bustling nature of the city, it’s only been 2.5 years since I said, “Welcome to New York”. When someone asks me where I’m from, I proudly say Issaquah (or sometimes, Bellevue, to make myself seem more high class and affluent than I am). All of the sports teams that I affiliate myself with are from Seattle. My alma mater is Washington, perhaps more than just literally. But for the first time in my life, someone else labeled me as “New York Joshua,” at which I chuckled at. A new character in my story and I in theirs, they only know me as someone who lives in New York, yet I hesitate to accept the sobriquet. Am I a New Yorker? Maybe it’s the endless quality food options, the diversity of people I meet, or perhaps the haute Style? My heart may be Seattle, but that hasn’t stopped me from loving New York.

To start this upcoming February, I’ll be headed down south for a Royal Caribbean cruise, ironically on the same cruise line my sister performed shows on. I’m headed to, you guessed it, the Caribbean. I am so, so proud of my sister. She continues to push herself in her Wushu career, accomplishing and achieving beyond my Wildest Dreams. Some good friends whom I met in my church community group in NYC are getting married, and asked me to officiate their wedding. I don’t think I’ll ever say “no” to participating in a wedding as, in my eyes, it marks a monumental relationship either past or present. I’m flattered, honored, and thankful for the times someone asks me to be in their wedding, whether it’s a friendship that has sprouted in the past few years, or longtime buddies who shared impactful stages of life with me. I’ve never officiated a wedding before.

I’m grieving over something that, although not established, nor lengthy, nor labeled, I cared about. Is It Over Now? Grief is a tough feeling to have. I was going to say it’s one of the worst feelings, but having something to grieve over means you’ve appreciated and valued something, and in this moment, while that’s an upsetting feeling, I’d also argue that having those things that matter to you (whether kept or lost) is a core tenet to living. I put a lot of effort into things I care about, and I’m sad when things don’t work out in the way I dream about. The existential questioning of what and why I care about things is beyond my capacity right now, but I know I’m feeling sad about loss.

This week is Spotify’s Wellness Week, which they give employees off to “be well”. Many people use the week to take a free vacation; last year I used the time to get my medical, dental, vision, etc. checkups. This year, I’ll do the same, but am hoping to take some time to really feel what my goals in this upcoming year are. I regret not setting more goals in 2023, as I felt like I fell short of things I wanted to do and the person I wanted to be.

Below are some questions I hope to think about during this week. I doubt I’ll ever find true answers, but at least they’ll spark some conversations and thoughts.

• What am I looking for in a relationship? I’ve been on quite a few dates in the past years, but some meant significantly more to me than others. I would like to have some stronger sense of a checklist. I suppose step one is identifying How You Get the Girl.

• What makes a good friendship? What nurtures a healthy one? What kills one?

• Who do I want to be in 2024? What do I want to achieve? How do I want to treat people? What will make a “successful” 2024?