Letter From the Editor

Last New Year’s Eve, I found myself standing in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at the reflection of someone who had lived another 365 days. My eyes caught the gray creeping into my stubble, and my posture seemed to carry the weight of every hour spent at a desk or in the car. Behind me, faint fireworks lit up the night, as if the universe was trying to remind me that time doesn’t stop for anyone.

I sighed and said the thing people all over the world were saying at that exact moment: “This year, I’m going to do better.”

New Year’s resolutions have always fascinated me. They’re humanity’s collective declaration of war against mediocrity, shouted into the void of January 1st. For some reason, many of us believe that the flip of a calendar page holds the power to change everything. I wasn’t immune to the charm of it; earlier that morning, I’d scrawled a few vague resolutions in the back of one of my real estate notebooks:

• Get healthy.

• Make more money.

• Stop being so critical of myself.

That last goal stared back at me, almost mocking me. I’ve always been a bit hard on myself, always pushing, always demanding more. I’m all about self-improvement, but I seem to keep falling into the trap of perfectionism more times than I care to admit.

I turned off the bathroom light and walked into the living room where my wife, Gen, sat curled up on the couch, petting our needy cat Weez. She gave me a look that signalled she knew exactly what I was wrestling with.

“To another year of improving ourselves,” I said with a hint of self-deprecation. 

“Or maybe a year of appreciating the self we’re improving,” she quipped with a smile.

Her words hit me like a freight train. It was such a simple thought, yet it carried more weight than I was prepared to deal with right then. I rubbed my beard, as I often do when dealing with a complex thought, and tried to let the idea settle. When it did, I was hit with a new sense of clarity. I understood that chasing after perfection was not the point of a New Year’s resolution. It was not about fixing what was wrong. It was about improving. It was about growing. It was about honoring the progress being made and recognizing the beauty in the process itself. At that moment, I decided to let go of the idea that improvement meant reaching some mythical, perfect version of myself. 

Today, I continue to work on my short list of resolutions—not because I am broken but because growth is part of life. It is part of what makes life meaningful. I am learning to embrace the small victories: a mile jogged, a peaceful moment with my camera, a day where I let myself off the hook for the mistakes that make me human.

You can bet that this New Year’s Eve, I will be standing in front of that same bathroom mirror. This time, I won’t see someone who needs fixing. I will see someone who is learning, growing, and doing his best. And that is more than enough.

I hope that as you read the articles in this issue, you will be reminded that self-improvement is about progress, not perfection. As we step into a new year, it’s worth remembering that growth happens in the small, imperfect moments. That is where life’s real beauty lies.

May this year be the best year of your life!