I’m finishing this annual review from Nosara, Costa Rica, in the first week of a four-week trip exploring the country. It’s a journey I’m so excited to kick this year off with.
This is my sixth consecutive year doing an annual review, and I’ve tried many different methods over the years. This time, I followed the ARC Method from Tiago Forte’s upcoming book, Life in Perspective. (Full disclosure: I work with Tiago, so I’ve had a front-row seat to this method taking shape.)
ARC stands for Appreciate the Past, Reflect on the Present, and Create the Future. It gives the annual review a clear structure, which I really appreciated. Without it, the process can feel overwhelming and spiral in too many directions.
This year, I followed along together with over 600 participants in our Annual Review program, and it was a joy to move through it alongside such a committed community.
I’m really glad annual reviews are becoming more of a thing. Here’s how mine turned out.
1. Appreciate the Past
The first stage is about celebrating what happened, honoring what you accomplished, and reconnecting with moments you might have already forgotten.
One of the exercises Tiago recommends is creating a photo book with the 100 best photos of the year. Since I’m traveling, that wasn’t the right option for me. Instead, I created a collage of my favorite photos using Canva.
Work Wins & Highlights
- Managed three cohorts of Second Brain Enterprise (now EMPOWER Labs) – Supporting leaders and teams through complex AI and knowledge-work transformations sharpened my facilitation and systems thinking.
- Launched the Second Brain Notion Template – The template sold over 2,000 times and generated close to $100K in revenue.
- Launched our BASB app (via Circle Plus) – We also grew our Circle community to over 13k members.
- Hosted another cohort of the Annual Review program – With beta access to the manuscript of Tiago’s upcoming book, Life in Perspective.
- Partnered with PressPlay – Bringing our BASB Foundation course to Asia and creating another income stream.
- Met with the team for a company annual review in Mexico – A wonderful opportunity to connect in person and redefine who we are.
- Appeared on a podcast: Alt Marketing Summer School – A small but meaningful step in sharing my work and perspective more publicly.
Personal Wins & Highlights
- Became a Canadian citizen – This felt like officially choosing—and being chosen by—this place I now call home.
- Earned my Krav Maga Black Belt – Four years of disciplined training culminated in one of the hardest and most meaningful achievements of my life.
- Started teaching Krav Maga – Stepping into a teacher role shifted my relationship to the practice.
- Achieved Muay Thai PC Kru status- A meaningful progression in my Muay Thai journey. I’m planning to spend some time in Thailand next winter to train there.
- Hit a hip thrust PR: 330 lbs for 3 reps – Three years into my strength training program, Booty by Brett, and still going strong.
- Doubled down on Art of Accomplishment work – I was part of the year-long Old Student Program (which I’m continuing in 2026), the Great Decisions Course, Master Class, and the in-person Reunion and Groundbreakers retreat. Love this community!
- Started running longer distances (up to 12 km so far) – Prepping for the half-marathon in May 2026 in Toronto.
- Completed the Advanced Open Water Diver certification in Mexico – A big thank you to my friend Jarna for organizing everything!
- Checked skydiving and paragliding off my bucket list – Just pure fun.
- Spent two weeks exploring Hawai‘i – And made a video about it.
- Got really into coffee – Invested in a semi-automatic espresso machine, took a barista course, embracing this new daily ritual.
- Started reading physical books again – A standout this year was All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert.
- Experimented with glucose monitoring – Inspired by the Glucose Revolution, I became more curious and data-literate about my own health and energy.
- Made new friends in Toronto – Through running groups and communities like 222, I built new friendships that made the city feel more alive and connected.
- Started volunteering – Supported the WWF CN Tower Climb and the Toronto Marathon, asking myself: Why haven’t I done something like this earlier?
- Moved into a new apartment – And immediately subleased it to travel for 5 months, starting Dec. 2025, haha.
Disappointments
Not everything I hoped to do this year came together. And it’s important to name this. These weren’t failures so much as signals about attention, energy, and limits.
- Building a consistent meditation practice – This is something I’ve been wanting to do for years. I tried using Headspace and managed about two weeks before it quietly dropped off. It wasn’t resistance so much as lack of integration. It never became part of my daily rhythm.
- Sending my personal newsletter – This one is simple and uncomfortable to admit: I didn’t really try. It stayed in the realm of “someday,” overshadowed by work priorities and a reluctance to commit to yet another publishing cadence.
- Publishing consistently on LinkedIn – I made a real start here by investing in the LinkedIn AI course and managed to update my profile at least. But once other responsibilities ramped up, this was one of the first things to fall away. And I never quite returned to it.
- The performance of the Second Brain Membership – After a relaunch with monthly themes at the beginning of the year and great initial traction, engagement kept dropping. Attendance of office hours and guest workshops was often low (even though the members who did show up where engaged). On top of that, churn increased, with many members sharing that it felt overwhelming, wasn’t a priority, or they simply couldn’t find the time. Even when the reasons made sense intellectually, it still felt discouraging.
My 2025 Interpreted by ChatGPT
2. Reflect on the Present
The second stage shifts from looking back to tuning into what’s alive right now—your current energy, what excites you, and where you’re feeling friction or dissatisfaction.
Excitement Maps
For this stage, I created two Excitement Maps—one for life, one for work. It’s a simple mindmap exercise where you branch out from a central word to capture whatever is exciting or enlivening to you right now, then dig deeper into why each thing resonates. The patterns that emerge often reveal what wants to happen next.
What advice would you give yourself for this exact moment in your life?
This was my favorite journaling prompt, and I want to share my answers:
- No overthinking. Act on the first impulse. You’re most likely making the right choice, and acting faster will get you ahead. If you’re wrong, you can course correct quickly.
- Aim for lightness. Don’t hold on too tightly. Don’t take things too seriously. Let go quickly.
- Follow the fun. If it’s not enjoyable anymore, stop. You don’t have to do things for the sake of other people. Pay attention to the natural energy that arises.
- Say it. Don’t hold back. You’re not too much. People want to hear what you have to say.
- The voice in my head has good intentions, but you don’t have to believe it. You can shut it up anytime you want and enjoy the peace inside.
- You don’t need all the answers. Act on your best guess.
3. Create the Future
The final stage is where everything comes together: turning reflection into intention. What projects do I want to commit to? What do I want my year to look like?
Work Projects for 2026
- Release the Notion Template 2.0
- Revamp the Second Brain Membership (again)
- Support the launch of Life in Perspective
- Update the Forte Labs and BASB websites
- Hire two new contractors
- Enhance self-paced courses with personalization
- Develop and run two AI cohorts
- Host a Wholesome Mastermind / mid-year team retreat
- Plan and execute the Annual Review 2027
Personal Projects for 2026
- Complete my 2025 taxes
- Finish the LinkedIn AI course
- Continue with mobility and flexibility training
- Redesign my personal website
- Participate in the Great Decisions Course
- Continue the Old Student Program Year Two
- Run a half-marathon in Toronto in May
- Spend next winter in Thailand to train Muay Thai?
- Attend Burning Man?
- Take salsa/bachata lessons?
- Go on a Jhana meditation retreat in the second half of 2026?
My Intention for 2026: Living Lightly
I actually arrived at this even before starting my annual review, as I was preparing for what’s turning into five months of travel. It kept showing up in my journaling, in the advice I gave myself, in what I’m craving most right now.
As I write this, I’m in Costa Rica for four weeks. From here, I’ll travel onward to Arizona, then Texas, then back to Germany, and spend extended time in Amsterdam before returning to Toronto in May.
This season is both an experiment and an adventure: a way to experience what it feels like to live and work as a digital nomad, to travel lightly, and to trust my ability to create home wherever I am. I want to interrupt the patterns that make time blur together and instead fill my life with diverse, vivid memories.
I’m practicing letting go of attachment—to routines, possessions, and fixed ways of doing things—and cultivating flexibility, openness, and spaciousness instead. By the time I return to Toronto, I want to feel grounded in the knowledge that I can adapt anywhere, and that freedom can coexist with stability.
Here’s to living lightly—a season of freedom, lightness, and self-trust.
