How Reflecting on Wins Will Change Your 2025 Game

This week, though, the cold was impossible to ignore. I had flown to Charlotte on Monday for our Vision Day at the office, and it was just as freezing there. For those who don’t know, Vision Day is when we come together to map out our goals and objectives for the coming year. This time, we were focused on 2025, but we also took the opportunity to reflect on 2024—what we did well as a firm and the areas we want to improve. It’s such a valuable process, not just for setting targets but also for aligning everyone’s vision. We discussed how individual department goals tie into the bigger picture and broke down what we want to achieve in Quarter 1 and Quarter 2.

Something I always emphasize during these meetings is the importance of looking back at what we’ve accomplished. It’s so easy to fixate on the things we didn’t do—unfinished projects, unmet goals—but we often forget to celebrate the wins. This applies to life in general, not just business. For example, maybe you didn’t stick to a workout program for the whole year, but you made progress for six months—that’s still an achievement! Or perhaps you strengthened relationships with loved ones—that’s something to be proud of too. I try to remind myself to take stock of those things, whether they’re big or small.

I remember a particular year when my son was a senior in high school. I made it a priority to spend as much time with him as possible before he left for college. We did more family activities and created memories together. It was such a meaningful time, and I’m grateful I was intentional about it. Those moments of reflection, where you pause to acknowledge the good, can really put things in perspective.

During my time in Charlotte, I stayed at a little Airbnb in Midtown through Thursday. The place was nice, but I couldn’t escape the cold—it felt like the chill followed me everywhere. In addition to Vision Day, I had several one-on-one meetings with senior team members and attorneys. We reviewed their 2024 performance, discussed their goals for 2025, and talked about areas where they wanted to see improvement within the firm. We also dove into some of their more complex cases, which is always an interesting discussion. On Thursday, Andrew joined me, and we worked on wrapping up a few things before flying back to Georgia. And guess what? It was still freezing when we got home!

Getting back into the groove after the holidays has been a bit of a challenge. There’s always that period where you’re ready to hit the ground running, but it takes time to fully get back into “work mode.” I’ve been focusing on setting up a video studio in my home office. We have a great setup in Charlotte, but I didn’t have a dedicated space in Peachtree City, so I decided to build one at home. It’s been a process, to say the least. Every time I think it’s ready, I find something else I need—a new camera, a better mic, upgraded lights, blackout curtains to reduce glare. I’m calling it version 5.0 at this point, but it’s coming together, and I’m excited to have a functional space for creating videos.

At home, it’s been nice spending time with Holly and our dog, Teddy. Teddy has a habit of getting a little too close to rolling chairs, which can be dangerous. The other day, we were explaining this to a family member who didn’t quite believe us. Sure enough, we looked down, and there was Teddy’s paw right under the chair. Thankfully, no one moved the chair, but it’s a good reminder to always be cautious when you have pets around.

On the entertainment front, I was thrilled that UFC is back! Saturday’s pay-per-view event was exactly what I needed after a long week. I loved the third fight on the main card—Gary Pachinko won with a knockout against Jamal Hill. I’m a big fan of Gary, so seeing him dominate like that was exciting. The co-main event was incredible too. Merab’s stamina was off the charts; he just kept going and going, completely outlasting his opponent. You could tell his cardio training is on another level. And the main event? Absolutely dominant performances by the champs. It was a fantastic night of fights.

On a funny note, I had ordered some heavy dumbbells for the basement while I was out of town. I told Holly we might get a couple of packages, but I didn’t elaborate on what was in them. When the boxes arrived, they were so heavy that even the delivery guy struggled to bring them inside. Holly texted me, asking what on earth I’d ordered because she had to wrestle them inside from the porch. I found it hilarious—her, not so much. But hey, I’m glad they arrived!

That’s been my week in a nutshell—trying to stay warm, getting back into the swing of things, and tackling projects one step at a time. I hope everyone else is staying warm too. Always remember, if you are in pain, call Shane! Talk to you later!