Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025

Happy end year to you.

Today is December 30, 2024 and this will be my last email to you until 2025.

I’ll be spending some time with my family in my home town on the island of O’ahu, and visiting my 95 year-old mother.

She has many wonderful stories, including where she was during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I’ll see if she can remember a few stories I haven’t yet heard.

A new year = A fresh start

There’s a psychological phenomenon known as the Fresh Start Effect. It’s a temporal landmark you can use to kickstart a change in your life. It’s the reason some people make new years resolutions. A fresh start promises transformation that may seem difficult without a specific marker in time.

Some key elements of the Fresh Start Effect:

1. Psychological Separation: The new year creates a mental distinction between your “past self” (who may have had shortcomings or failed to achieve goals) and your “present/future self,” who is perceived as more capable of improvement.

2. Renewed Motivation: Temporal landmarks like New Year’s Day serve as a reset point, giving you a sense of a clean slate and encouraging you to strive for self-improvement.

3. Goal Framing: Starting fresh allows you to reflect on past failures in a more detached way, making them feel more optimistic about achieving new goals.

4. Increased Awareness: The cultural emphasis on resolutions and new beginnings enhances awareness of personal growth opportunities, making you more ambitious and motivated.

My plans for 2025

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to 2025 and I have many ideas for new D&D videos and a few ideas for mini-products.

Here are some of the videos I have planned:

• D&D Adventure Module B3: The Palace of the Silver Princess (Orange Cover by Jean Wells)

• Magic Systems: Roll to Cast in RPGs

• GM Tip: Using the Butterfly Effect in your campaign

• GM Tip: Inspiration from corporate logos (Joe’s seeing things again)

• Artist Spotlight: A Jim Roslof tribute

• Old school D&D Jargon Glossary

• My top 10 favorite adventure modules

• Movies that can help inspire your campaign

• D&D: Materialism versus mysticism

• Pact Magic (idea from Matt D.)

• Great DM advice found outside the DMG

• And more…

Saving the best for last

Last, but not least, I want to thank you for being here on this journey with me. It’s because of you that my small channel I started because I lost my day job, has now reached more than 1,000 subscribers. It blows me away.

I had no expectations of what 2024 would bring me and it blew me away because of your support. Thank you!

Imagine how awesome 2025 will be if I pay more attention to the possibilities of my YouTube channel and this newsletter?

I’d love to know what you have planned for 2025. Reply to this email and let me know.

It’s going to be an amazing 2025.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

-Joe