1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,640 Hello, hello, hello. 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,960 Happy New Year's Eve if you are listening to this 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:07,400 on New Year's Eve. 4 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,760 Happy last day of 2024. 5 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,940 If you are listening to this and it's 2025 now, 6 00:00:12,940 --> 00:00:14,960 happy official new year. 7 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:16,720 As I am recording this, 8 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,640 I am literally as scatterbrained as anybody could be. 9 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,480 It is a few days before new years as I'm recording this 10 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,800 and Marco and I have company coming literally 11 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,000 at this second as I am recording this. 12 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,160 They flew all the way from Munich 13 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:40,000 and I just got back from work from my office 14 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,280 and I am literally just fitting in this episode 15 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:46,420 and I have to say there are so many things 16 00:00:46,420 --> 00:00:49,720 that I wanna say, but I'm gonna do my best to cram this 17 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,280 all into a shorter period of time. 18 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,160 The title of this episode today is very fitting 19 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:59,160 of this current crazy, chaotic scatterbrained situation 20 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:03,320 when plans don't work out. 21 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:07,600 I had planned for this episode to be a video episode. 22 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,420 I had also planned on doing a completely different topic, 23 00:01:10,420 --> 00:01:12,680 which I will now be doing next week. 24 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:15,760 The holidays, as I'm sure you may know, 25 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,420 or as I'm sure you have experienced at some point before, 26 00:01:19,420 --> 00:01:23,400 maybe even this year, this is a busy time. 27 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,080 This time of the year really slapped me in the face 28 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,400 harder and faster than I really could have anticipated 29 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,360 and I did not frankly do a good job with my planning. 30 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:37,480 I woke up on Christmas day and I have to say, 31 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,740 I was burned out. 32 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:45,600 I was so exhausted. 33 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:50,120 I have been pouring in so much time, energy, hours, 34 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,280 as I'm sure many of you have been doing with your jobs 35 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,640 and hobbies and people in your lives, 36 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,660 you have just been pouring this immense amount of time 37 00:01:58,660 --> 00:02:03,160 and energy and come Christmas, come the holidays, 38 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,380 you are literally done. 39 00:02:05,380 --> 00:02:08,920 And my slap in the face came on Christmas day. 40 00:02:08,920 --> 00:02:10,440 I had to take a break. 41 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:14,040 I couldn't implement my plans the way I wanted. 42 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,920 I really had to juggle time with managing FaceTime calls 43 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:20,840 with Marco and I's friends and family 44 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:22,300 or his family in Germany. 45 00:02:22,300 --> 00:02:24,720 Also my family Christmas parties 46 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,080 and then cleaning up for our special guests 47 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:28,960 who are coming from Germany today. 48 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:33,000 So it's been a mess, but I think it's very fitting 49 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:38,000 and I think we can all relate to that feeling of burnout. 50 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:43,040 So because of my plans personally being scatterbrained, 51 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,280 I am going to be talking about some different topics 52 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:51,280 for this week and also to kick off the new year of 2025. 53 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,880 I really cannot believe that we are at this point 54 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:59,060 in the year and wow, we are literally done. 55 00:02:59,060 --> 00:03:00,980 Like what happened to this year? 56 00:03:00,980 --> 00:03:03,400 I'm sure you're listening to this and you're thinking, 57 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,800 yeah, Mary Grace, same, same. 58 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,360 What I wanted to touch upon today is a little bit different 59 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,840 than just a travel story and travel lessons, 60 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,220 but travel definitely is intertwined in this topic 61 00:03:16,220 --> 00:03:19,560 of new years and talking about lessons learned 62 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,440 throughout the year, the good, the bad and the ugly 63 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,040 and just a tad bit of gossip. 64 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,360 And of course, what is going to be in store for 2025 65 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,320 in terms of travel and the podcast itself. 66 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,400 We'll go ahead and jump right into this. 67 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:39,480 And hopefully with some of the lessons 68 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,240 that I have personally picked up 69 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,040 from my good and bad experiences, 70 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,000 I hope that you can take some of these lessons yourself 71 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,520 and implement them into your new years 72 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:54,320 refresh and strategy in making this a whole brand new, 73 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,820 beautiful year, however that looks for you. 74 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,680 The first thing that I learned this year 75 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,360 that I will not be taking into 2025 76 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,160 is putting too damn much on my plate. 77 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:13,600 I need and really want to create a more balanced plate. 78 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:15,520 Like I said at the beginning of this episode, 79 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,240 I woke up on Christmas day, burnt the fuck out. 80 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:20,920 It was just horrible. 81 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:23,920 And I just was kind of in this rut. 82 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:26,040 I was literally reflecting and I was like, 83 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:28,080 oh my gosh, it's Christmas day. 84 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:32,400 I didn't spend that much time with my friends this season. 85 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,640 I didn't plan as many big milestones this year. 86 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:39,220 I wanna do that this next year with planning some big trips, 87 00:04:39,220 --> 00:04:41,680 which I'll get into in a little bit as well. 88 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:43,360 Not only with the podcast, 89 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:47,160 but I was also previously teaching English on the side. 90 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:48,880 And that just got to be too much, 91 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:50,920 but I'll get more to that in a little bit. 92 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:53,480 I was so busy learning new skills 93 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,640 in the Adobe Creative Suite to produce content 94 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:00,080 that I didn't even feed Marco and me properly. 95 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:04,960 Like literally, I was cooking the same basic meals. 96 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:07,920 I would forget to do like some little chores 97 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:10,120 and it was just not good. 98 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,320 I was not spending enough time on self care 99 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:15,640 and in nurturing my relationships. 100 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:17,160 And for what? 101 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:21,480 Like literally, I was trying so hard to push my contents, 102 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:23,800 trying so hard to be a perfectionist. 103 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:25,840 I have been learning and it's been valuable, 104 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:28,800 but I really just think that I need to step on the break. 105 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,040 I wanna make more time for learning and self care 106 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,080 and in the little joys of people in life. 107 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,240 I really don't wanna come back this time next year 108 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,120 and to say, oh, I didn't focus enough on people. 109 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:42,260 I didn't go out at Christmas time. 110 00:05:42,260 --> 00:05:44,800 I didn't do anything that I really remember. 111 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:45,620 What did I do? 112 00:05:45,620 --> 00:05:49,240 I made Instagram content and I published podcast content, 113 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,080 which I love, but there just needs to be more of a balance. 114 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:53,360 And if you have a hobby in your life 115 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:55,480 that you've spent an exuberant amount of time on, 116 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:57,720 you understand where I'm coming from. 117 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,160 Even if it's not a hobby, say that it's work. 118 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:05,080 Many of us don't balance our plates because of work. 119 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,400 One of our friends visiting from Germany 120 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,560 told us that she hasn't had any time to rest 121 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,280 because of traveling so much for work. 122 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:15,720 Since this year, she was on a team 123 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,640 that helped organize the Euro Cup in Berlin, 124 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:20,880 which is really cool, by the way. 125 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,400 She told us that she traveled so much this past year 126 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,120 all over Germany and also traveled 127 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:29,360 on her personal international trips 128 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:33,240 that she hasn't even gotten to explore Munich 129 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:37,480 where she lives now and that her brain has had no break 130 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:40,440 and she is so tired. 131 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,560 And I have another friend, my best friend from high school, 132 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,520 who became a flight attendant earlier this year 133 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,500 and is now based far away from home here in Georgia. 134 00:06:50,500 --> 00:06:53,200 And not having a long enough break from work 135 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,000 to be back home with her boyfriend 136 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,720 and constantly being on the road and not relaxing 137 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,560 has really taken a toll on her mental health. 138 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,600 Both of these examples, not even hobby-related 139 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,760 but work-related, really paint a picture 140 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:10,280 of what I believe a number of us in careers 141 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:14,140 and with work experience, experience, 142 00:07:14,140 --> 00:07:16,120 even without the travel. 143 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,520 It's important that we block out little pockets of time 144 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,840 in our calendar at least a few days a week 145 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,440 or whatever we can manage to pamper, rest, 146 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,380 and truly recharge. 147 00:07:28,380 --> 00:07:33,300 So take more time for yourself the next year in little ways, 148 00:07:33,300 --> 00:07:36,640 like planning a weekly or bi-weekly meetup 149 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,640 with a certain friend for coffee or dinner, 150 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:43,640 a weekly date night, planning a monthly weekend day trip 151 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,000 or even a weekend trip in general, 152 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:50,600 or even planning a virtual monthly FaceTime call 153 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:54,960 with a drink, like Marco and I will plan on doing in 2025 154 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:59,080 with our good friend Jason in Nova Scotia, Canada. 155 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,360 These sorts of little carved out dedicated personal events 156 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,200 help recharge our batteries and make us feel more stable, 157 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:09,320 balanced, and connected. 158 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:12,560 And I hope that you consider some of these same ideas 159 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,460 to balance your own plate more in the new year 160 00:08:15,460 --> 00:08:19,540 with these closest and most important people to you. 161 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:23,280 There are so many things that I've learned this year, 162 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,240 but the second thing that I have chosen to share 163 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:28,280 and that I think a lot of us can relate to 164 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,460 is a friendship point. 165 00:08:30,460 --> 00:08:33,560 The second point and lesson that I've learned 166 00:08:33,560 --> 00:08:36,780 is friendship comes in so many forms, 167 00:08:36,780 --> 00:08:41,080 but I truly saw personally in my life this year 168 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:46,080 who dedicated as much time, sacrifice, and energy as I have. 169 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,920 I have two very good friends in my life 170 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:53,280 and one of them I know regularly listens to this podcast, 171 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,000 so I think she knows who she is. 172 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:57,180 So there is her. 173 00:08:57,180 --> 00:09:00,440 And then I have this other friend from college. 174 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:03,760 And I have seen in the last year truly how true friendship 175 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:08,760 has opened up its wings and shown me its true colors. 176 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,920 The friend who I'm sure is listening to this podcast 177 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,360 has been there from day one since I started the podcast, 178 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:17,120 has always been so encouraging. 179 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,640 We've had our many seasons together. 180 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:21,520 We went to high school together. 181 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:24,520 We didn't talk for some years, then we got back in touch. 182 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:26,760 And then I think she had some other best friends 183 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:28,040 and then she came back. 184 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:30,760 But at the end of the day, what I've seen is 185 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:33,680 this friendship is so resilient 186 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:35,880 and I never wanna give that up. 187 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:39,300 Whereas this other friend who I really do cherish, 188 00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:43,840 I feel like I was kind of pushed on the back burner. 189 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:45,400 We are very good friends, 190 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,320 but I feel like she has many, many, many other friends. 191 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,880 And that was really a harsh reality check 192 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,760 because for example, I will spill some tea. 193 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:57,560 For her birthday, I spent a pretty big amount of money 194 00:09:57,560 --> 00:10:00,140 on something she really wanted for her birthday 195 00:10:00,140 --> 00:10:02,280 that she explicitly asked for. 196 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:04,880 And even at the time, I was going through my own 197 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:07,080 like financial crunching, 198 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,180 and I still wanted to make that happen 199 00:10:09,180 --> 00:10:12,280 and buy this thing for her because she was my friend. 200 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,280 I wanted to prove and show that yes, 201 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:18,000 this is kind of hard for me to buy right now, 202 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:22,040 but I really wanna get it because you are so special to me. 203 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:25,060 And then my birthday came around in November 204 00:10:25,060 --> 00:10:28,760 and I did not get the same thing in return. 205 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:30,920 It's not so much the money that mattered. 206 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:33,440 It was the fact that we couldn't even meet up. 207 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:35,560 And when we did make plans to meet up, 208 00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:39,360 she had already had plans lined up with other friends 209 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:41,280 who she had had in her life. 210 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,120 And now I still have not seen her 211 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,400 and it's almost two months past November 212 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,720 and I can't even get a visit. 213 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,760 In her defense though, she is a flight attendant 214 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,800 and has taken a lot of extra shifts this year, 215 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,360 dedicates most of her free time these days to her partner, 216 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:00,880 as she should, and doesn't live so close to me. 217 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:04,360 But I still will say a little more effort 218 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:08,640 from those who mean a lot to us truly never hurts. 219 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:12,960 I will also spill more tea and give another example. 220 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:14,680 I had an old friend back in Turkey 221 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:17,980 who actually got married earlier this year. 222 00:11:17,980 --> 00:11:20,280 And I say old friend because I do think 223 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:22,540 that now she is an old friend. 224 00:11:22,540 --> 00:11:24,320 We don't talk anymore. 225 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:27,180 Because I could not attend her wedding, 226 00:11:27,180 --> 00:11:28,840 she stopped talking to me. 227 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:31,860 And I think that this is ridiculous. 228 00:11:31,860 --> 00:11:35,160 I truly was not able in my circumstances 229 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:38,680 to attend her wedding and she has held it 230 00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:40,520 against me ever since. 231 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,840 True friends as we know do not do that. 232 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:48,360 As we get older, friendship dynamics and priorities change. 233 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,120 But that we should dedicate more time in the new year 234 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:53,580 investing in and nurturing the friendships 235 00:11:53,580 --> 00:11:56,500 that continue to serve us as we serve them. 236 00:11:56,500 --> 00:11:59,560 Maybe have more virtual calls with these friends 237 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:02,440 or get them some little spontaneous gifts 238 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:05,360 of kindness and surprise. 239 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:06,940 I don't know, like a box of chocolates 240 00:12:06,940 --> 00:12:09,160 or a card or whatever. 241 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,020 And just practice more acts of gratitude. 242 00:12:12,020 --> 00:12:15,320 Or if they're farther away, like some of my friends are, 243 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:18,220 go and even visit them on a long weekend 244 00:12:18,220 --> 00:12:20,980 or plan a long weekend trip together elsewhere. 245 00:12:20,980 --> 00:12:25,360 Keeping our friendship strong in turn, keep us strong. 246 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:29,260 I see where my attention is going to be dumped more into 247 00:12:29,260 --> 00:12:31,480 in the new year and I hope you do that too 248 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:33,160 with your friendships. 249 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:36,080 This next point has to do with travel. 250 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:41,080 So after Marco and I traveled to Columbia with his friends, 251 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:44,080 his friend group, or some of them at least, 252 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:48,120 I realized and learned truly bigger group traveling 253 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:49,420 is not for me. 254 00:12:49,420 --> 00:12:53,760 This is not to say that it was a bad trip. 255 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:58,080 Actually, for the most part, we had very little drama come up 256 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:00,100 but there was one person in the group 257 00:13:00,100 --> 00:13:03,040 who really, really got under my skin. 258 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,120 I won't get too much into that for now 259 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:08,780 but it just takes one person to ruin a trip 260 00:13:08,780 --> 00:13:10,760 and to really dampen the mood. 261 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:13,960 And I have learned that traveling, I think in a group 262 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,860 of higher than four, again, is just not for me. 263 00:13:16,860 --> 00:13:19,720 I was a solo traveler for a number of years. 264 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,600 I love traveling even with one other person, 265 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:24,160 even two and even three, 266 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:26,680 if there's a similar compatibility 267 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:28,400 in terms of travel and values. 268 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,440 If you have ever traveled in a big group, 269 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,400 I think you know where I'm coming from with this. 270 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,560 It can be hard to compromise and hard to release, 271 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:37,680 enjoy the trip as much as you could 272 00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:39,120 if it was a smaller group. 273 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:44,120 Also, my travel priorities and values over time have changed 274 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:47,600 and I'm honestly more spoiled now than I'm older 275 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,960 and make more money than I did in my early twenties. 276 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:52,880 I don't wanna stay in hostels. 277 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:54,320 I don't mind splurging. 278 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,160 I just, I'm different now. 279 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:59,560 And so I was doing some travel planning also 280 00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:01,680 with this same friend from high school 281 00:14:01,680 --> 00:14:03,640 who I'm sure is listening right now. 282 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:05,640 And at one point earlier this year, 283 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,880 we were originally planning a trip to Colorado. 284 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:12,640 And I remember she mentioned wanting to stay in hostels 285 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:14,220 and really doing this on the cheap. 286 00:14:14,220 --> 00:14:16,560 And I love doing stuff on the cheap. 287 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:17,680 I really do. 288 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:19,880 But I do think that if it's a vacation 289 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:22,040 and you don't have a lot of vacation days, 290 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:23,880 I think that you should cherish your time 291 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,560 a little bit more and spend a little bit more money. 292 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:28,520 But that's a whole other conversation. 293 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:29,680 Not that big of a deal, 294 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,600 but it's just something that I think we all go through also. 295 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:35,520 As we get older, we kinda want more luxury 296 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:38,000 and that is completely okay. 297 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,320 The takeaway here is that even though I've realized 298 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:43,720 bigger group travel isn't for me, 299 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:46,480 I'm so glad that I have at least tried 300 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:48,960 and that I learned from experience. 301 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:51,940 You never know if you don't try. 302 00:14:51,940 --> 00:14:55,400 It's also okay to embrace change in values and preferences 303 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:57,520 as we continue to get older. 304 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:01,920 Prioritize yourself and get what you want most out of travel 305 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,040 and adventure this next year. 306 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,720 Be more daring, be more open to trying things 307 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:08,040 you normally don't try. 308 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:10,000 And even if it's a bust, 309 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,480 you once again gain some more wisdom 310 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:14,660 and experience out of trying. 311 00:15:14,660 --> 00:15:19,380 And the last and honestly most important thing 312 00:15:19,380 --> 00:15:22,020 for me personally that I have learned this year 313 00:15:22,020 --> 00:15:26,300 is truly realizing my worth and time. 314 00:15:26,300 --> 00:15:28,940 And what I mean by this is this year, 315 00:15:28,940 --> 00:15:32,940 I truly realize the importance of giving up putting energy 316 00:15:32,940 --> 00:15:37,100 into activities that no longer serve me like before. 317 00:15:37,100 --> 00:15:38,580 I mentioned a little earlier, 318 00:15:38,580 --> 00:15:42,240 I previously was teaching English on the side. 319 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:46,100 That had been my job actually for five years. 320 00:15:46,100 --> 00:15:48,620 And this year, I just got to a point 321 00:15:48,620 --> 00:15:51,380 where I really evaluated my time 322 00:15:51,380 --> 00:15:52,780 and the way I was spending it. 323 00:15:52,780 --> 00:15:55,980 I was really not getting the same dopamine 324 00:15:55,980 --> 00:15:58,500 and the same benefits with teaching English 325 00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:00,120 like I was before. 326 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:02,400 I had no opportunity for a raise 327 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:03,980 on the platform that I was on. 328 00:16:03,980 --> 00:16:05,580 I was never going to get a raise. 329 00:16:05,580 --> 00:16:08,180 That's not part of the structure of the platform. 330 00:16:08,180 --> 00:16:10,820 The taxes are a bitch to file every year. 331 00:16:10,820 --> 00:16:13,340 And honestly, over the last couple of years, 332 00:16:13,340 --> 00:16:17,700 I have only taken home about $4,000 from doing that. 333 00:16:17,700 --> 00:16:20,940 And I have paid 1500 in taxes. 334 00:16:20,940 --> 00:16:24,780 So you can see why this is not worth my time anymore. 335 00:16:24,780 --> 00:16:28,420 I really have made great friendships on this platform 336 00:16:28,420 --> 00:16:30,180 and I still have these friends today, 337 00:16:30,180 --> 00:16:33,380 but it's not for almost 30 year old, Mary Grace. 338 00:16:33,380 --> 00:16:36,800 Just no, I was pouring in so much energy into this 339 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:39,780 and getting very little out of it and I was over it. 340 00:16:39,780 --> 00:16:42,020 My time is more valuable than that. 341 00:16:42,020 --> 00:16:45,140 I just decided that if this activity wasn't something 342 00:16:45,140 --> 00:16:47,500 that was going to serve me and help me grow and learn, 343 00:16:47,500 --> 00:16:51,180 then I wasn't gonna continue to do it if I didn't have to. 344 00:16:51,180 --> 00:16:54,780 Time is the most valuable asset that we have 345 00:16:54,780 --> 00:16:56,820 because we can truly never get it back. 346 00:16:56,820 --> 00:16:58,420 You can always get more money. 347 00:16:58,420 --> 00:17:00,980 You can always go and do something on the side 348 00:17:00,980 --> 00:17:03,980 and you can find a way to get more money in your account, 349 00:17:03,980 --> 00:17:06,380 but time does not come in an account. 350 00:17:06,380 --> 00:17:09,540 Time is what it is and that's it. 351 00:17:09,540 --> 00:17:10,900 That is all you get. 352 00:17:10,900 --> 00:17:13,900 And for me personally, I am in a point in my life 353 00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:18,140 where growth and growth trajectory mean more to me 354 00:17:18,140 --> 00:17:20,340 than short-term gains financially. 355 00:17:20,340 --> 00:17:22,600 So if you are in a position in your life, 356 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:24,220 pouring your energy into cups 357 00:17:24,220 --> 00:17:27,040 that are not poured back in return, 358 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:28,900 you really should consider revisiting 359 00:17:28,900 --> 00:17:32,140 and prioritizing activities, people, 360 00:17:32,140 --> 00:17:34,620 and goals most crucial to your best self 361 00:17:34,620 --> 00:17:36,420 and wellbeing in the new year. 362 00:17:36,420 --> 00:17:39,340 You'll only thank yourself later for that. 363 00:17:39,340 --> 00:17:43,220 With those lessons divulged and shared, 364 00:17:43,220 --> 00:17:46,540 I will go ahead and just review very briefly 365 00:17:46,540 --> 00:17:50,860 about what we have in store in 2025 for travel 366 00:17:50,860 --> 00:17:54,300 and the podcast, and then we will wrap this up. 367 00:17:54,300 --> 00:17:57,740 So for the podcast, it will still be the same structure, 368 00:17:57,740 --> 00:18:00,300 unless I say differently, once a week. 369 00:18:00,300 --> 00:18:03,800 I will still be publishing travel story reels on Instagram 370 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:05,340 if you're really into those 371 00:18:05,340 --> 00:18:07,400 because those are very short and easy to take in 372 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,380 and they reach a good number of people. 373 00:18:09,380 --> 00:18:14,100 I will work on publishing some more advanced video content 374 00:18:14,100 --> 00:18:17,260 and graphics and hopefully get more on YouTube, 375 00:18:17,260 --> 00:18:20,860 but that will be a process throughout 2025. 376 00:18:20,860 --> 00:18:23,980 Another thing that I really, really wanna do, 377 00:18:23,980 --> 00:18:26,860 and probably the biggest change or biggest advancement 378 00:18:26,860 --> 00:18:30,180 in the podcast is to have more guests 379 00:18:30,180 --> 00:18:34,220 from diverse backgrounds and experiences on the podcast 380 00:18:34,220 --> 00:18:37,120 to share their own travel stories and tips 381 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:39,060 and things that they've seen and et cetera. 382 00:18:39,060 --> 00:18:41,300 Like for example, I have a friend slash colleague 383 00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:43,580 who grew up in Benin, West Africa, 384 00:18:43,580 --> 00:18:46,620 who I would love to have on to talk about her life 385 00:18:46,620 --> 00:18:48,260 and upbringing in Africa. 386 00:18:48,260 --> 00:18:50,980 I would also like to have my best friend from high school 387 00:18:50,980 --> 00:18:53,740 who herself has also been to several places in Africa. 388 00:18:53,740 --> 00:18:57,340 We have our Canadian friend, Jason from Nova Scotia, 389 00:18:57,340 --> 00:19:00,380 who has been to some very adventurous places 390 00:19:00,380 --> 00:19:04,260 that I have never been to, like Uzbekistan, Australia, 391 00:19:04,260 --> 00:19:05,620 to name a couple of those. 392 00:19:05,620 --> 00:19:07,380 I think that would be fun to hear. 393 00:19:07,380 --> 00:19:10,240 And I have a Russian friend now living in Australia 394 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:12,860 who has lived in Turkey and Serbia 395 00:19:12,860 --> 00:19:15,400 and also an Italian friend who used to live in Brazil. 396 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:16,780 So you get the point. 397 00:19:16,780 --> 00:19:18,420 I wanna have these people on 398 00:19:18,420 --> 00:19:22,140 and they can share their own culture and travel experiences. 399 00:19:22,140 --> 00:19:26,140 So stay tuned, hopefully we can get that rolling and going. 400 00:19:26,140 --> 00:19:30,360 And in terms of travels, I have made a point to Marco 401 00:19:30,360 --> 00:19:33,780 that for my 30th birthday in November, 402 00:19:33,780 --> 00:19:37,220 because I will be 30 in November, 2025, 403 00:19:37,220 --> 00:19:40,980 I wanna go somewhere very, very big for my 30th birthday. 404 00:19:40,980 --> 00:19:43,540 And I know exactly where I wanna go. 405 00:19:43,540 --> 00:19:45,360 I won't reveal it for now. 406 00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:47,220 You'll have to stay tuned to figure out 407 00:19:47,220 --> 00:19:48,460 and learn what that will be. 408 00:19:48,460 --> 00:19:51,860 But I wanna go somewhere very, very far away from the US. 409 00:19:51,860 --> 00:19:56,080 That takes forever to get to, so use your imagination. 410 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:58,860 We have our friend Jason again from Nova Scotia 411 00:19:58,860 --> 00:20:02,940 who we would love to go visit up in Canada the next summer. 412 00:20:02,940 --> 00:20:04,980 Fingers crossed that that can happen. 413 00:20:04,980 --> 00:20:06,740 My best friend from high school again 414 00:20:06,740 --> 00:20:08,780 is now based in New Jersey for her job. 415 00:20:08,780 --> 00:20:11,040 And I wanna go visit her at some point 416 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:12,960 when the weather is warmer here. 417 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:16,500 And I also wanna go to New York at Christmas time next year. 418 00:20:16,500 --> 00:20:18,540 Last but not least in my perfect world, 419 00:20:18,540 --> 00:20:21,380 I would love for us to go to Germany next Christmas. 420 00:20:21,380 --> 00:20:25,660 But with the way our paid vacation days are here in the US, 421 00:20:25,660 --> 00:20:27,500 I don't think we'll get to do all that, 422 00:20:27,500 --> 00:20:29,080 but at least it's a start. 423 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:32,780 And at least I think in 2026, we can make that happen. 424 00:20:32,780 --> 00:20:37,180 So that is basically a rundown of 2024 in a nutshell 425 00:20:37,180 --> 00:20:41,340 or semi nutshell, and also what is in store for 2025. 426 00:20:41,340 --> 00:20:46,220 I would absolutely love to hear your goals and dreams 427 00:20:46,220 --> 00:20:48,980 and beyond for 2025 as well. 428 00:20:48,980 --> 00:20:50,740 If you have any travel plans, 429 00:20:50,740 --> 00:20:53,780 if you have some specific goals that you're trying to reach, 430 00:20:53,780 --> 00:20:56,640 if you wanna make some changes that you've never done before, 431 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:58,900 or if you have some valuable lessons 432 00:20:58,900 --> 00:21:01,300 or some really, really insightful points 433 00:21:01,300 --> 00:21:03,020 that I did not mention here, 434 00:21:03,020 --> 00:21:04,420 if you have any requests, 435 00:21:04,420 --> 00:21:06,900 if you have any comments, suggestions, whatever, 436 00:21:06,900 --> 00:21:11,180 please do message me on Instagram at onceuponatrip.pc 437 00:21:11,180 --> 00:21:16,180 or message me on my host ighandle at marygracecroffert. 438 00:21:16,420 --> 00:21:19,420 And please let me know what is on your mind. 439 00:21:19,420 --> 00:21:21,580 I would really love to hear your stories 440 00:21:21,580 --> 00:21:22,980 and what you have in mind 441 00:21:22,980 --> 00:21:24,860 because it's not just a one-way street. 442 00:21:24,860 --> 00:21:27,120 I wanna hear what you are gonna be up to 443 00:21:27,120 --> 00:21:30,100 and what you will be embarking on in the new year. 444 00:21:30,100 --> 00:21:31,780 So with that being said, 445 00:21:31,780 --> 00:21:34,940 I will go ahead and wrap up this episode. 446 00:21:34,940 --> 00:21:38,140 I hope that you took something away from this 447 00:21:38,140 --> 00:21:40,620 and I hope that you can apply one or two 448 00:21:40,620 --> 00:21:42,780 or maybe all of the points to some degree 449 00:21:42,780 --> 00:21:45,400 in your new year life coming up. 450 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:47,580 I look forward to being back here next week 451 00:21:47,580 --> 00:21:51,480 for another fun, adventurous trip of an episode. 452 00:21:51,480 --> 00:22:00,480 I will see you then.