Answering the 40 questions (2025)

27 December 2025 • retrospective, 40 questions

I can across 40 questions by Steph Ango, CEO of Obsidian via this blog post. The idea is to answer them every year. Here's mine for 2025.

What did you do this year that you’d never done before? I admitted to myself that I'm middle-aged and started acting accordingly.
Did you keep your new year’s resolutions? I don't make resolutions, but instead make commitments. However, I didn't make any at the start of this year.
Did anyone close to you give birth? No.
Did anyone close to you die? My neighbour passed away unexpectedly a year ago today, and his funeral was in January. We weren't close, but we were friendly.
What cities/states/countries did you visit? I haven't travelled as much this year, mainly for health reasons, but I did go to London (Mozilla alumni meetup, CoTech gathering), Bristol (family wedding), Nottingham (football tournament), Glasgow (client workshop), Somerset/Devon (holiday), Delft (client summit), and Barcelona (MozFest).
What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year? I don't want for material possessions, but I guess I'd like some peace of mind. I spent a lot of time worrying and ruminating in the the early hours of the morning this year.
What date(s) from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Focusing on the positives, I'll say November 10th. My flight home was late in the evening, meaning I had an extra full day in Barcelona. It was gloriously sunny, I was feeling well, and managed to visit parts of the city I hadn't seen before.
What was your biggest achievement of the year? I don't want to be melodramatic, but I'm going to say 'survival'.
What was your biggest failure? I'm sure others might disagree, but I don't think 'failure' is a word I'd use about myelf this year.
What other hardships did you face? See below.
Did you suffer illness or injury? On January 15th, all of a sudden I went from being fit and healthy, running three times per week, and going to the gym three times per week, to... not being able to walk to the end of my street without my heart rate going through the roof. I've had test after test and been told that all of my major organs are fine. Happily, my GP has found a combination of medications which means that I can get on with my life.
What was the best thing you bought? A heat pump for our house. It's cheaper to run, keeps our home warmer, and means we're not using fossil fuels.
Whose behaviour merited celebration? My son got into university and my daughter is playing in the Junior Premier League. I'm proud of them both.
Whose behaviour made you appalled? Many people on the far right, but that's to be expected. I'm more appalled by those on the centre and left of politics who think that appeasing them is a positive way forward.
Where did most of your money go? The heat pump, mortgage payments, my son's uni accommodation, and our car lease.
What did you get really, really, really excited about? Nothing. It's been far too long since I was really excited about anything.
What song will always remind you of this year? There are many to choose from, but I'll go for I Can't Wait To Get There by The Weeknd. It was one of my favourite songs from one of my favourite albums of 2025.
Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder? Richer or poorer? Healthier or unhealthier? <exhales> Sadder, poorer, and unhealthier. I've learned a lot about myself this year, though.
What do you wish you’d done more of? Regret is a wasted emotion.
What do you wish you’d done less of? See above.
How are you spending the holidays? With my family, supposedly doing as little as possible, but of course I've set up this blog and have written something most days.
Did you fall in love this year? I fell in love with my wife many moons ago, and despite some ups and downs, we've never fallen out of love ❤️
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don't hate anyone or anything.
What was your favourite show? I stumbled across Şahsiyet (translated as Persona), a Turkish crime drama and have almost finished the first series. It's magnificent.
What was the best book you read? As listed in this blog post, I found Gulag by Anne Applebaum incredible. I love Russian history and it's a meticulously-researched book, with compelling details. It's dark, though, as befits the subject matter. Very dark.
What was your greatest musical discovery of the year? I mentioned The Weeknd above, but was already a fan of his music. My greatest discovery, therefore, was Jim Legxacy, whose album Black British Music blew me away. So inventive.
What was your favourite film? Not being able to do much cardio, I resolved at the start of the year to go to the cinema more. That didn't last long, but I did greatly enjoy Nosferatu. Such an amazing vibe, and just the right level of ambiguity.
What was your favourite meal? Christmas Day at my parents' house was perfect, and the combination of my mother and my wife's cooking and baking was top-notch.
What did you want and get? My main Christmas present this year was a Le Creuset frying pan (skillet). I was sick of the 'non-stick' frying pans not lasting long enough, so I asked my wife to buy me a decent one – and she delivered.
What did you want and not get? I've wanted a remote controlled hovercraft for the last 20 years. Although I drop hints, people must think I'm not serious. I absolutely am.
What did you do on your birthday? Lay in bed before going for a walk on the beach, throwing a ball around for a bit. Then, on the way home, we went to M&S Food and everyone got something they wanted, before consuming while watching Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Not having whatever medical condition I've got, I suppose. But one can't wish one's life away.
How would you describe your personal fashion this year? Boringly predictable. Blue.
What kept you sane? My wife. Medication.
Which celebrity/public figure did you admire the most? Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (aka Mo Chara) who not only has helped produce some fantastic music with Kneecap, but uses his platform to protest against the British government's attitude towards the humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
What political issue stirred you the most? Gaza.
Who did you miss? I always miss my grandmothers at Christmas time, but I also missed Dai Barnes when I was out walking. I'm glad I finally got around to memorialising the podcast we recorded together.
Who was the best new person you met? I've enjoyed getting to know Tom Watson this year, as we're a similar age and have a similar worldview/outlook. We went for a walk a couple of weeks ago.
What valuable life lesson did you learn this year? The same I learn every year, thanks to Epictetus' Enchiridion. There are some things we can control, and some we can't. The trick is to know the difference and focus our attention accordingly.
What is a quote that sums up your year? I've had this on my desk all year and included it in a post in which I shared 45 quotations to celebrate my birthday: “Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” (Roger Crawford)

If you'd like to answer these questions, consider yourself tagged! If you do, please share a link in the comments so I can read it 🙂