A Quiet End to a Loud Year

I haven’t sent a newsletter in about three weeks.

Part of it was travel. Part of it was review. And part of it was planning—slow, deliberate planning, the kind you can’t do when you’re constantly producing.

I needed the space.

This time of year always does that to me. It pulls me inward. Makes me want to look back before I look forward. So instead of forcing myself to write something “useful,” I sat with the year first.

What worked. What didn’t. What changed me more than I expected.

Before I share anything else, I'd like to offer you something practical.

I put together a simple Annual Review Worksheet—the same one I used to review my own year. No productivity theatre. No goal-setting pressure. Just clear questions to help you close the year properly before starting a new one.

You can download it here: ​Download the Annual Review Worksheet​

Now, let me tell you what showed up for me when I used it.

1. Wolo Yoga moved to the center stage

This was the year ​Wolo Yoga​ stopped being “one of the things I do.”

It became the thing.

That choice wasn’t abstract. It showed up in very real ways. We moved from Johor to Kuala Lumpur—not because it was more comfortable, but because it put us closer to the work. Closer to partners. Studios. Events. Momentum.

We also stopped pretending we could do everything ourselves.

For the first time, we hired agencies to help with parts of the business we simply couldn’t carry sustainably anymore. That alone felt like an identity shift. Letting go. Trusting others. Admitting limits.

The result wasn’t dramatic. But it was solid.

We doubled our revenue compared to last year. More importantly, the business finally felt like it had a spine. Direction. Rhythm. Something that could actually compound instead of constantly resetting.

Packing up life in Johor felt inconvenient at the time. Looking back, it was a commitment move.

2. Getting laid off was scary, but also a relief

I got laid off at the end of 2024.

Here’s the honest part I don’t often say out loud: I wanted to quit before that. I just didn’t have the courage.

So I did what many people do. I stayed. I kept building things on the side. I told myself I was being “responsible,” even though deep down I knew I was just avoiding the jump.

Then the jump happened for me. When I got the call, it was scary. No question. But there was also relief. A quiet kind. The decision was finally made.

A few months later—about four months without a full-time income—we made another hard call. We sold our house. The house we thought was our dream home back in 2022.

Selling a house is slow. Paperwork. Waiting. Uncertainty layered on top of uncertainty. We didn’t do it because we were forced to. We did it for stability. For runway. For clean thinking.

I couldn’t have done that without my wife. We went through the numbers together. The fears. The trade-offs. Every uncomfortable conversation.

It brought us closer than I expected.

Sometimes stability doesn’t come from holding on. It comes from choosing to let go earlier than feels comfortable.

3. Relationships had to change as I changed

This year reshaped how I relate to myself, to my environment, and to the people closest to me. New city. New routines. New ambitions. The old version of me didn’t quite fit anymore.

I had to relearn how to listen to myself without turning everything into a productivity problem. To notice when something felt off instead of pushing through it automatically.

At the same time, business decisions stopped being theoretical. They affected where we lived. How we spent money. How much uncertainty we carried. That pressure could have pulled us apart. Instead, it forced better communication. Faster alignment. Deeper trust.

Some relationships grew quieter this year. Others became stronger.

I’m learning that not every relationship is meant to scale with every season of your life—and that’s okay.

4. Health and fitness became boring

In 2024, I got very lean. Around 12% body fat. In 2025, I slowed down.

This year was about building muscle patiently, improving my relationship with food, and respecting how long real physical change actually takes.

No extreme cuts. No chasing numbers. Just consistency.

Meditation still matters to me, but I wasn’t as consistent as I wanted—especially during busy periods. I see that clearly now. It’s something I’m intentionally rebuilding next year with more structure.

In December, I took my first tennis lesson (it was today!). Not to optimize anything. Just to play. To learn. To move differently.

Health feels less like a project now. More like maintenance of something I want to keep for a long time.

5. I stopped chasing clarity—and started practicing it

I read less this year. That was intentional. Instead of collecting ideas “just in case,” I focused on just-in-time information—learning only what I needed to solve the problem in front of me.

Less input. ​More implementation​.

Writing became my main clarity tool. Not writing to publish. Writing to think. When something felt messy, I wrote. When writing wasn’t enough, I acted.

I also stopped constantly tinkering with my systems. I already had protocols and recurring reviews that worked. Whenever I went off track, the answer wasn’t a new tool. It was simply to return to the process.

Clarity didn’t come from novelty. It came from repetition.

A small invitation before the year ends

If you haven’t properly closed your year yet, I’d really encourage you to do it.

Not to judge it. Not to optimize it. Just to understand it.

That’s why I made the Annual Review Worksheet—to help you slow down, look clearly, and carry the right lessons forward.

You can download it here: ​Download the Annual Review Worksheet​

I’ll be back more consistently next year.

Until then, take care of yourself. And don’t rush the ending. Some clarity only shows up when things get quiet.