my 2025 recap

2025 asked me to sit down, pay attention, and decide...

Dearest Gentle Reader, have you taken stock of your year yet?

For me, 2025 was a year of staying, pruning, believing harder, loving deeper, and choosing peace over noise.

I have learned that some years are loud and performative, while others are tranquil and corrective. 2025 asked me to sit down, pay attention, and decide what I was willing to carry forward and what had to be left behind. For me, this was a year for deliberate choices and saying yes with my whole chest and no without apology. Here's my recap—after a brief moment of reflection.

1. I learned how to stay.
   Not just stay consistent—somehow, I am naturally a consistent fellow—but stay present. I showed up for my work even when inspiration was absent. I stayed present for my inner life even when silence and aloneness felt uncomfortable. I stopped chasing urgency and allowed reflection to shape my decisions. This staying power taught me endurance and clarity, and a deeper respect for due process.

2. My writing matured into responsibility.
   I did not abandon creativity like I did poetry in 2024. I refined it. Bard Influence became a space where I spoke carefully and deliberately about life, men, spirituality, creative writing, vulnerability, strength, and mental health. I chose honesty over performance and feedback. I deliberately chose depth over virality. Each issue was a dose of intention and a piece of me shared with all who cared to read.

3. Tiny Fires remained a weekly discipline of precision. Wasn't consistent though.
   Every Friday, I returned to short poems that demanded emotional accuracy. Writing small sharpened my voice and reminded me that meaning does not require excess. These poems became witnesses to my inner seasons—a faint, and sometimes, glaring reflection of my struggles, thoughts, aspirations, desires, and passion.

4. My relationship with Jesus deepened in ways that reshaped my days.
   I embraced my faith more firmly than I did the year before. I prayed with intensity and worshiped with depth, often through tears. I praised and danced freely, unconcerned with who was watching. I studied the Word with hunger and reverence, shared it through my newsletter, and opened my home for a meet and pray—my favourite decision this year. Faith became both private devotion and communal practice.

5. I transitioned from freelancing to building structure.
   Loopers Creative Agency moved from idea to reality. I built systems, clarified offerings, and learned to balance creativity with accountability. I stopped operating as a freelancer and began working as an agency with intention and foresight.

6. I chose peace of mind over profit.
   I walked away from money tied to chaos, disrespect, and exhaustion. I learned that no amount is worth the erosion of peace. Saying no became an act of self-respect and long-term wisdom. I recommend.

7. I mined the power of saying no.
   I said no often, especially to distractions. I stepped away from communities that dampened my spirit. I withdrew from associations that added no value to my life and from conversations that stayed shallow and trivial. This intentional pruning created space for focus and relationships that could actually hold weight.

8. Collaboration became a lived principle, not just a talking point.
   I worked across roles, interviewed developers, partnered with marketers, and spoke about collaboration from experience rather than theory.

9. Poemify became a conscious act of preservation.
   Reviving the podcast strengthened my commitment to African stories and voices. Each conversation reinforced the belief that literature is not static. It breathes through dialogue and intentional documentation.

10. I published a book that reflected my values.
    How to Write Stories or Articles That Actually Matter was written to encourage sincerity, intention, and emotional clarity. I supported it with thoughtful promotion, video reels, email sequences, and creative assets. I treated the book both as a product and a companion to other writers.

11. I returned to video creation, imperfectly.
    I revived video content for my personal brand, Bard Influence, and Poemify Publishers and Podcast. Consistency was a struggle (because I had other priorities), but courage showed up. I allowed myself to be seen again, even when momentum was uneven.

12. I learned restraint in expression.
    Not every thought became a post. There are a handful of drafts for Bard Influence that I didn't publish because… not every emotion required an audience. I became more selective with my voice, understanding that silence can be wisdom, too.

13. I loved Eleojonigwu better.
    I loved her deeper, more intentionally, and with greater assurance and presence. Love became less about declaration of words and more about care and showing up fully.

14. I gave freely and discovered joy in it.
    I gave to the needy, shared gifts, offered time, and extended resources wherever I could. The reward was not recognition, but fulfillment. Giving softened me and reminded me of abundance beyond possession. It was rewarding too!

In summary, I did not reinvent myself this year. I refined my faith. I optimised my work. I doubled my love. I enforced boundaries. I lived.

As I step out of 2025, I do so without fireworks or grand declarations. I leave with roots deeper than before. I have a clearer sense of what matters. I leave with the confidence that comes from choosing substance over noise. If the next year builds on this foundation, then I am born ready.

— Jaachịmmá Anyatọnwụ