For the past few years, I’ve been enjoying life, finding my equilibrium.
Equilibrium is wonderful until it starts feeling a little too… still.
So lately, I’ve caught myself staring out windows like a restless house cat, pondering how to shake things up again. But I’m doing it on my terms.
I exited my business a while back, and while that chapter closed beautifully, I’m way too young (and frankly, too bored) to retire to a life of drinking fancy French press coffee.
After a few days of what I’ll generously call “strategic thinking“, I came up with an absurdly ambitious list of goals. I looked at that list, laughed, and did what any reasonable person would do:
I filtered it down to something I might actually accomplish without requiring a team of personal assistants and a dangerous amount of caffeine.
So here is my 2026 playbook. Seven goals that range from “totally doable” to “we’ll see how this goes.”
1. Learning Chinese
Let’s start with the obvious one, which also happens to be my top priority: becoming fluent in Traditional Chinese. Or at least fluent enough to stop nodding politely when I have absolutely no fucking idea what’s being said.
I’ve been dabbling for a few weeks now, and I even started Study Brew. An English/Chinese class where I’m both teacher and student.
The beauty of Study Brew is that it forces accountability. When other people show up expecting to learn, I can’t just ghost the language.
The class keeps me honest, motivated, and occasionally panicked in the best possible way.
2. Launching My Note-Taking & Language Learning App
What started as a late-night coding experiment fueled by frustration has somehow evolved into a viable product (kind of).
I was trying to document my Chinese learning progress, and every tool I tried felt clunky, overcomplicated, or just plain wrong for how my brain works.
So naturally, I decided to build my own. Because nothing says “balanced life” like voluntarily creating more work for yourself.
I always swore I wouldn’t build another startup. I meant it, too. But now, knuckles deep in product development. I have to admit that it feels different this time. This isn’t about chasing unicorns or impressing investors.
This is about solving my problem and helping language learners who feel the same frustration I did.
The target audience is crystal clear: people learning languages who are tired of juggling seventeen different apps that don’t talk to each other. The marketing practically writes itself.
Plus, the potential financial upside doesn’t hurt. Not in a “buy a yacht” way, but in a “fund my other slightly irresponsible ventures” way. Consider it my hedge against poor life choices.
3. Coaching & Consulting
This one sounds fancier than it is. I’m simply planning to coach a few founders and career-pivoters each month. People who need someone to tell them the truth without the corporate fluff.
The inquiries have been trickling in organically. Some are business-related: “How do I pivot my startup?”
Others are more existential: “I have no idea what I’m doing with my life, can you help?“
I love this work. There’s something profoundly satisfying about helping someone untangle the mess in their head and walk away with actual clarity.
It’s not going to make me rich, but it’s fulfilling in ways that spreadsheets never were.
I’m keeping this low-key on purpose. Two to four people a month, max. I have zero interest in becoming a full-service consulting factory.
Been there, escaped that. But a few meaningful conversations a month? That’s the sweet spot.
4. Micro-Private Equity & Micro-Acquisitions
I’ve been playing in the micro-PE sandbox for about 15 years, but I’ve kept it mostly under wraps. No flashy announcements. Just quiet deals, strategic moves, and a portfolio that quietly does its thing.
In 2026, that changes. I’m going public with it . Not in a “raising capital from strangers” way, but in a “building a brand around what I actually do” way.
I’ve reconsidered my hermit approach. Why keep valuable knowledge and experience locked away when I could build something sustainable around it?
Will I ever take outside capital? Probably not. The complexities and legal headaches alone make me want to take a nap.
But building a public-facing brand around micro-PE? That’s interesting. That’s leverage. That’s a long game I want to play.
5. Building This Blog, Because Content Is Still King
This blog is new. Like, “still has that new blog smell” new. But it’s also the foundation for everything else I’m building.
While everyone else is chasing TikTok views and Instagram engagement rates that’ll be irrelevant in six months, I’m betting on the long game. Blogging isn’t sexy. It’s not fast.
It builds something real: a reputation, a body of work, a digital breadcrumb trail that shows exactly what I stand for.
This blog is where I document the journey, the experiments, the wins, and the facepalms. It’s a pillar and a reference point.
Plus, there’s something attractive about committing to long-form content in an era of 15-second attention spans.
6. Starting A Podcast (Maybe)
This goal lives firmly in the “I’m not 100% sure yet” category, but it’s been rattling around in my brain long enough to make the list.
The format I’m considering?
A monologue-style podcast aimed at English learners. Think of it as audio training for people working on listening comprehension, with the bonus of actual interesting content instead of dry textbook dialogues about buying train tickets.
It fits perfectly with the language learning app from a branding perspective, and it gives me another creative outlet that doesn’t involve staring at code until my eyes are cooked to fuck.
7. A Zero-To-X Challenge
This is the wildcard. The “why not?” goal. The one that might be brilliant or completely unhinged.
The concept: Start something from absolute zero and document every single step. The mistakes. The pivots. The moments of doubt or when I question all my life choices. All of it, captured in blog form for public consumption.
Why?
Because I want to prove that starting from nothing is hard. Genuinely, frustratingly hard, but not impossible.
And I’m curious: Can my past experiences carry me through, or will I discover that beginner’s luck was doing more heavy lifting than I thought?
The specifics are fuzzy. What am I starting? How far will I take it? What’s the definition of “success” here?
Honestly, I don’t know yet. And maybe that’s the point. Sometimes the best adventures start with a vague idea and unreasonable confidence.
Final Thoughts
Seven goals doesn’t look much of a plan. It sounds more like a recipe for burnout served with a side of denial.
And maybe that’s true. But I’ve learned after years of building, failing, pivoting, and occasionally succeeding: Goals aren’t meant to be prisons. They’re meant to be guideposts.
Some of these will flourish. Others will quietly retire to the graveyard.
The real goal isn’t checking every box. It’s staying engaged with life. It’s choosing growth over comfort. It’s remembering that equilibrium is lovely, but so is motion.
2026 is my year to swing for the fences. Will I hit a home run on everything? Probably not, but I’ll be in the game, taking my shots.