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Zatsudan Room with Taiki
Hello everyone, and welcome back to my Zatsudan Room.
I'm your host. Thanks for being here.
2025年の振り返り
Well, here we are. There's about an hour and a half left until 2025 ends.
Honestly, it still doesn't feel real.
But since this is the very last episode of the year,
I thought today would be a good time to look back on 2025
and talk about my intentions and hopes for 2026.
Recently, I got a message from a coach I used to work with.
She sent me a kind of reflection checklist,
and I decided to use it as a guide for today's episode.
So, at first, this is looking back on 2025.
The first question was,
When was the moment you felt most like yourself,
completely absorbed and engaged?
For me, the answer is clear.
It was when I was able to share my thoughts both in Japanese and in English
through this podcast and also during the period when I restarted Audio Japan.
When I think about why that mattered so much,
it comes down to one thing.
I kept a promise to myself.
Of course, if you look at the results for income or work performance,
there are other things I've been doing.
But on a deeper level,
there was a strong sense of self-determination.
I decided something on my own and I followed through
that brought me a quiet but genuine sense of happiness.
I've also realized something again recently.
I'm not very good at explaining myself directly to other people.
I'm not particularly outgoing.
I don't naturally open myself up or talk about myself unless I'm asked.
So, I've come to accept that it takes time for people to really understand me.
That's exactly why I think continuing to express myself
through this kind of content is important for me.
This is something I want to keep doing in 2026 as well.
That said, I do feel a bit of frustration.
There were times when work got busy and my update stopped.
Looking back, I honestly wish I had done a little more.
So, the second question was,
what events or experiences drained your energy?
In one sentence, it was this.
I took my failures too hard.
When something didn't go well at work or elsewhere,
I tended to think too deeply into it.
2025年の振り返り
Instead of thinking,
OK, I'll learn from this and do better next time,
I often stayed stuck in disappointment.
I'm aware that I struggle with emotional regulation,
but it's still something I haven't fully figured out.
Especially in 2025,
I truly feel that this was the year I spent the most time working
since I started my career.
As the organization grew and changed,
my role and responsibilities kept shifting,
sometimes every few months.
I do accept that kind of change.
I understand that growth comes with new demands.
But preciously because I was aware of it,
finding a healthy balance,
how to emotionally come to terms with it,
it was difficult.
The third question was about values.
What values did I prioritize in 2025?
I would say responsibility,
professionalism,
and exceeding expectations.
They sound a bit intense,
maybe even much worse,
but that's honestly how this year felt.
I turned 31 this year.
Well,technically I'm still 30 since I was born in February.
But compared to my 20s,
I've been given more responsibility,
more trust,and more demanding roles.
At times,I may have felt like there was no room to fail.
Rather than acting purely based on what I liked or enjoyed,
I focused on delivering more than what was expected of me
because something had been entrusted to me.
That mindset guided a lot of my action this year.
The fourth question was,
if you could say something to yourself of working hard this year,
what would it be?
It feels a little awkward to say this out loud,
but honestly,
I really showed up.
I met expectations again and again.
Of course,I'm grateful to my company for trusting me with so many opportunities.
Some things worked out.
Many things didn't,
but I gained an incredible amount of experience.
I'm almost certain that when I look back at 2025,
5 or 10 years from now,
I'll see it as an incredibly dense and meaningful year.
That wraps up my reflection on 2025 for now.
2026年の展望
Now,let's talk about 2026.
The next question was,
by the end of 2026,
what kind of state would make you feel that you lived in alignment with your values?
So imagine December 31st,2026,
looking back from the future.
I have five main goals.
First,English podcast facilitation.
I want to be able to host a facilitated conversations in English for about an hour,
smoothly and confidently.
Using both Japanese and English,
learning discussions,
facilitating events.
That's one of my ideal future visions.
I've already taken small steps toward this by working with international teachers at the events,
but I want to raise my English level even more.
I want conversations to feel more natural,
more loved.
Second,
I want to run a full marathon under three hours.
So this is a big goal.
I ran the Kobe marathon this November and finished in about four hours and six minutes.
Honestly,I feel like I left a lot on the table.
With better preparation,
I believe I could have gone under three hours and 30 minutes.
So my plan is to run a marathon in late March next year,
aim for three hours and 30 minutes,
and then target sub-three in the fall.
The third goal is,
I want to become someone who creates spaces,
places where people connect through shared values or interests.
It could be a small reading group or something else entirely,
but I want to bring together people who resonate with each other on a deeper value-based level.
The fourth is,
and this might be the fourth goal,
I want to become someone people think of and choose.
When something comes up,
I want them to say,
let's ask Taiki.
In 2026,
I want to be personally invited,
personality chosen,
and contribute through what I'm good at.
And the fifth goal,
please take this half as a joke.
I want to be driving an Audi.
This is one of the brands.
For some reason,
Audi cars always catch my eyes.
I've driven one once,
and it genuinely felt amazing.
So half joking,
half serious.
I'll keep that image in mind.
To live in alignment with these goals,
what will I actually do?
This is the next question from Coach.
For English facilitation,
I'll keep raising my English level,
especially in business and listening comprehension through podcasts.
2025年の振り返りと目標
For learning,
I'll aim for sub-3 hour 30 minutes in spring and sub-3 in autumn.
I regularly work out twice or three times a week.
For creating spaces,
I'll start small reading articles or notes,
engaging with content,
sharing thoughts,
commenting,
and connecting.
For becoming the chosen one,
I'll continue sharing my thoughts openly on this podcast.
This is one of the chances for me.
For the Audi,
pure imagination for now.
5 to 10 minutes a day,
visualizing myself driving it.
Yeah.
The final question was,
what will you deliberately avoid in 2026?
My answer is simple.
I will not trust my emotions too much.
Whether positive or negative,
emotions can cloud judgment.
I know this is easier said than done.
I've read books about it,
and I'm still learning.
But it's something I want to be more mindful of.
As we wrap up,
I want to mention one book I'm currently reading.
Novel Thinking for Verbalization by Satoshi Ogawa.
I've read his novel,
君のクイズ or Your Quiz,
before which was fantastic.
This book explores how he writes novels,
not by starting with strong claims or plots,
but by following curiosity and thoughts by him.
One passage really stayed with me.
What matters is not the answer,
but the thought.
It doesn't have to be confident or confident.
It doesn't have to be confident or complete.
The meaning emerges through the process.
That made me reflect on this podcast.
Sometimes I feel like I'm asserting something too strongly,
especially when talking about English learning.
But maybe what I really want to do here is think out loud,
imperfectly,
and share the process.
Less perfection,
more honestly.
And with that,
there's about one hour left in 2025.
It still feels unreal that 2026 is right around the corner.
But my biggest goal remains simple,
to become someone who is chosen.
I'll keep moving forward,
step by step.
Thank you for listening.
Wishing you a wonderful new year.
This was Taiki Arai.
