As a fellow musician, traveller (Nicola and I are in our third month of living in France) and videographer, I love this. Reminded me to keep drawing from all kind’s of sources for creative inspiration. Art, music, architecture, beautiful France, people, dogs etc. I just picked up some of my guitars in Marseille from the shipping container and now I can play again. I love how your b roll is not the typical stock footage but real shots you’ve done. But what I really appreciate is that sound on your videos is perfect. We’ve watched every video from the beginning and continue to be amazed how you’ve built your channel to over 70k subscribers with only 17 videos. In my view, it’s because you really understand storytelling, tension, contrast and flow in your editing. Nicola and I hope we cross paths some day. Looking forward as always to the next one. Thanks, Peter
Thank you, Peter, for your lovely words! It puts a smile on my face to hear that my work lands this way. Here’s to an incredible 2025 full of more amazing stories for all of us! :)
You and your videos continue to be inspiring, and I love how you come at them from a place of humility, learning and growth (rather than: "Hey everybody, look at me! I've got it all figured out!"). Happy New Year to you and your family! I look forward to following more of your adventures!
I like your plan. It feels like it will serve you well. I used to have resolutions, but now I have a theme for the year (my resolutions never seemed to get done). Last year my theme was: Connection. I worked to improve my connections to friends and family (calls, time together, travel and visiting, etc.), my connection to my physical body through exercise (Pilates, strength training, walking, etc.), my connection to the environment (hiking, spending time in nature, decluttering and curating my spaces), connections to my mind and emotions (meditation, study - Spanish and philosophy, reading, book club). By choosing a theme each year, I have found something that works for me. I get some perspective and personal growth, and it's a nice way to live. I feel like I'm using my "wild and precious life" well. Every year has also given me a few habits that I continue to do. Feliz año nuevo!
Sounds wonderful to me. I guess my theme then after all is travel. Great focus for me since it packs in so much. Great way to approach it, thanks for sharing. And a most amazing 2025 to you!
I think your plan is a good one. Looking forward to seeing how your year unfolds. Over the past couple of years, I've worked on being consistent. Consistent with things that benefit me such as physical activity, healthy eating, study and leaning, and creativity. I've worked to build routines that allow these things to happen without a lot of drama. As I roll into 2025, I want to continue with consistent and add intention. Intention being that I'm allowing myself to recognize a desire and making a plan to get from here to there. Less stumbling into opportunities and lucking out with great experiences and more earnestly attempting to do the thing.
I’ve been following your journey from Le Havre (France) for a while now and … je suis très impressionnée de très bon niveau de français seulement après 2 ans dans le pays ! 😜🥳 French is a difficult language to learn ! The best way for learning a language is to live in the country. I wish you both the very best for 2025 ! BONNE ANNÉE ! 😜🥳🥳
I am so glad you enjoyed Amsterdam, the city of my birth and the first 40 years of my life. At 89 I love watching all your video’s as I can no longer travel. I live in California,how I would love to live in France. Love your family ! ❤❤❤
Your videos are always so thoughtful. I think about traveling but I have to wait for someone to go along with me. I need to just venture out on my own.
For MANY years now, I have not made resolutions. My reasoning has been because I am someone that is constantly working toward "improving" my life throughout the year...I don't need to wait until Jan. 1st. Your video has inspired me. 2025 feels like it's going to be a big year...not just for me, but for everyone! I know I am a powerful manifester, so now I'm going to sit with this and come up with a couple of resolutions. Thank you. Let's do this!!
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT The one big one is easy. It's the one I have been living towards for about 12 years... Creating a life of Liberation. All of the others/tentacles come from that one. ☺
Love this video. Travel is very important to me as well. I have been traveling in south east Asia for the past couple of months and I am loving the experiences that I am having and the people I am meeting. Definitely doing a lot more this year
@ I have been to Hong Kong; Thailand; Japan; Vietnam; presently in Malaysia; then heading to Indonesia after this. It has been an amazing experience thus far.
Beautifully articulated❣️ You are very similar to my husband’s mentality. I will be sharing this video with him in hopes that your peaceful clarity brings his jumbled thoughts to a more fluid forefront.
I absolutely adore your self awareness and honesty. I relate to so much of what you said and funny enough have made very similar resolutions for myself. Here's to living life fully!
I appreciate how intentional you are versus just drifting. Listening to you motivates me to write down some goals--thank you. Your French sounds fantastic!
You have a great life. Enjoy. Oh wow to be financially able to live well AND travel must be so wonderful. Unfortunately my life is all about trying to survive 😢
I love all of your videos. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and resolutions for 2025. Happy New Year to you and your lovely family. Wishing you all good health, peace, and joy.
Life is an adventure so be impulsive , responsive to an idea or thought ..... Go with the flow by listening to your heart . Don't you find that last minute ideas usually work out the best. It's all about INTENTION so whatever you desire enjoy the moment. There are no mistakes only experiences❤❤❤
Yesssss 5 stars for your French, your prononciation is spot on really. Congrats! Once one is more or less settled this is the goal , travel more even if it is to do more local tourism always find somewhere interesting even if it is a small place to make your soul smile and get out of the routine I needed to hear that and I am sure that you will manage to put in place this " music language and travel mix :) I manage to put my thoughts and goals into motion when I m inspired by people usually this is my fuel.
I see an explosion of even greater content coming can't wait for you to share your travels ( l hope you add Spain to your list) & interviews .So exciting !! Happy New Year this video is a great start and inspired me !Merci beaucoup🙏
Loved this vlog! I am currently in the process of planning a trip to Japan and South Korea with our daughter for this coming October and in the past few days working on this has felt like an escape! So looking forward to this trip! I agree with you that traveling in pairs with our family is wonderful! I do make resolutions, and this year I have them written them on my kitchen wall chalkboard where I can see them daily! I can take an inventory at the end of the day to make sure I'm on track to achieve my goals for 2025! Wishing you and Cecilia a very happy New Year!
I'm strolling into retirement this year. For me it's reconnecting with all the joyful pursuits I had as a child. I am re-programming (so to speak) my thought process/mindset with very deliberate action at change to bring me back to my place of wonder and enchantment. I've gone so far as to create a tracking sheet to mark the consistency of my actions. It's not to force myself to do these things, it's more of a way of holding myself accountable for taking the action with my intention. Perhaps I'm reverse engineering a way to reach my desired result. By seeing the tracking I'm more aware of the things I let slide, but are important for making the changes stick. I have a general monthly task list and then specific quarterly list for other goals. I dont know if this makes sense but it’s the first time I'm feeling optimistic about making real lasting change. Thanks for the video and continuing to share your insights. Blessing in 2025.
My #1 resolution is also to travel more in 2025. I feel like I always make so many excuses for not traveling.. "oh, but it's busy at work", "oh, but I don't want to spend money", "oh, but so and so might be able to come with me, but I'm not sure". If I keep waiting for a perfect time.. it'll never happen. No more waiting!
Thank you for creating such a calm 12-minute visual that allowed me to take a breathe with the overload of expectations I put upon myself on what I desire to achieve annually. Each year I aim to always reflect & plan my year ahead the day after my birthday, which falls at the end of October. This I find alllows me to take the time i to make such big decisions in comparison to what the mass do & start in January
Como artista me siento identificada con lo que mencionas de expandir tu creatividad y explorar nuevas formas y posibilidades. Creo que eso definitivamente enriquece tu trabajo. Últimamente quiero aprender muchas cosas, incluso un instrumento, pero tengo que lidiar con ese dicho que se viene a mi mente: “el que mucho abarca, poco aprieta” 😒. Es un boycott a la creatividad, porque considero que mientras más variedad de cosas haces, mayor es la estimulación a tu creatividad. Gracias por un contenido tan acogedor y cercano. Por un 2025 lleno de creatividad!! Saludos desde Chile 🤗🇨🇱
Mil gracias por tu apoyo y por compartir tu perspectiva. Estoy completamente de acuerdo con vos, en que la variedad en nuestras experiencias alimenta la creatividad y nos ayuda a crecer como artistas. A veces el equilibrio entre aprender cosas nuevas y profundizar en lo que ya hacemos puede ser un desafío, pero como bien lo decís, explorar nuevas formas y posibilidades siempre nos enriquece (es cuestión de "monitorearlo" constantemente!). Deseándote un 2025 lleno de inspiración, creatividad y proyectos que te hagan feliz!
Happy new year! I agree with all the „tentacles“ you talked about. I really need to do these things more and benefit from them. All the best for this new year to Cecilia and yourself.
I love that you want to travel more. My goal is to actually spend more time in the place that I love - home! When one has a 'traditional' job that we have to go to every day, spending time at home really IS a goal! My husband and I planned & customized our home together with the plan to be here the rest of our lives, now I can't wait for 'the rest of our lives' to actually begin! Retirement is only a few years away but it feels so much longer when you want to get there. I remember my grandmother saying to stop wishing your life away - so true. So I guess I want to move more in 2025 (difficult with a sedentary job) and to enjoy my home time more. Your resolutions are wonderful and very actionable - I'm thinking this channel could be a cattle prod for you. With so many people subscribed, you may have people mentioning your lack of travel if it's not documented here. That could be quite the impetus for you!! Be careful what you wish for...!! Happy 2025!!!!
Indeed. I was very intentional in making this public so that I can be held accountable for it. So we shall us... pressure's on. In any case, love your approach for the year. Hope you get to enjoy a ton of lovely time at home enjoying what you guys have built! All the very best in 2025. :)
Hey Josh, thank you for your video, and Happy new year. I am a 57 old French guy who moved to the US in 2012, tired of the political shenanigans in France. I have seen the decline of my country since 1981 and it was too difficult for me to see it crumble. But I like your vision on things and in fact, I have taken similar resolutions for 2025… Travel to South America and Asia, Creativity with some books I am working on, languages, and most importantly enjoying life. We are here to have joy and I have forgotten for many years how to be joyful. Now that I have let go all attachments to form, my joy has raised to levels I remembered having when I was 20, and it is very special to find that kid spirit back…. My wife and I have lived in Europe, in Africa, in the Indian Ocean and now in North America and we would be happy one day to interact with you in the physical. We have 3 boys, and not one of them want to go back to France…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Interesting how France entirely stopped working for you (the same as us in the US). Goes to show you how subjective the choice of where to live is. In any case, sounds like it was the right move for you and your family. Wishing you a most wonderful 2025! :)
Thank you for sharing. The way your goals intertwine I think will support you. I am currently finishing a long overseas holiday where I have found my love of photography again. You are so right when you say how travel sparks your vision for content to capture and it is exciting. All the best to you and the family in 2025.
How they intertwine is a perfect way to say it. I absolutely love that about travel and what it does for me. Great to hear about you and photography! Wishing a wonderfully creative 2025. :)
I never set resolutions. I celebrate a bit of a new year at the solstice, when the light starts to come back. But after a triple trauma of losing three persons I became a hermit, I should get out more often, maybe that’s a good idea. Happy 2025, cheers from Ireland!
Thanks your videos are thought provoking. I normally don't set new year resolutions. But this year I guess you could say I have. Sort of... Let's go back to last September in the emergency room. Sharp back pain. Thought it might be kidney stones. ( history of them) turns out just my back flairing up from my roofing accident. But in the mri/ cat scan I mix the two up. They found Fatty liver, and plaque in my arteries. 6ft and over weight at 242lbs. Jump to Oct I start the carnivore diet dropped to 210lbs now. Take half my blood pressure med once a week instead of a full dose every day. ( Only foods from animals. Cream, butter, and cheese are ok) My cheat is morning coffee with 2 teaspoons sugar and organic half and half. So now I'm starting a program called the "75 hard" on Monday. Workouts: Complete two 45-minute workouts per day, with one workout taking place outside Diet: Follow a diet of your choice, but no cheating or alcohol is allowed Water: Drink a gallon of water per day Reading: Read 10 pages of a self-help or educational book per day ( No audio books) Progress photos: Take a progress picture each day Tracking: Track your progress to see how far you've come Would you say my new year's resolution started in October?
Definitely. Great work, and what a reminder that it's always a good time to resolve to do things differently, independent of the New Year. If it helps, great. But sometimes we need to take action NOW. Of course, you have to be ready for it, and you certainly were. All the best to you in 2025!
Hello from Sicily(never visited in your life?that's an idea,you 2 should come!)this summer i'm going to visit for 1 month Albania,Montenegro,North Macedonia and Kosovo and this project is my secret garden.Every summer I stay away visiting 4 or 5 countries with my teenager daughter:precious memories i'll treasure one day.Thanx for inspiring us
That sounds so great, good for you. I want to visit those countries one day, most definitely. And as for Sicily, sooner than later. Absolutely love Italy and now it's so near by. Hope to explore it a lot more in the coming years. A wonderful 2025 to you and yours! :)
Could not have picked a better resolution to expand on! Although, I had not made any formal resolutions, more travel has been on our minds. Happy New Year and thanks for for sharing!
Your French is coming along very nicely. I am close to your age and heard how hard it is so it's very encouraging as I am very interested in moving to france someday in the not so distant future.
Thank you, thank you- I’m going to France in May and clearly want to get into the French language. Merci Beaucoup :) love your videos and your speaking the language is awesome 👏
Same… getting out of the house. Because I can’t travel the way I want to, exploring nearby is good. Currently spending 3 months in Portugal. When I’m home in Canada I feel stuck. I don’t get out often at all.
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT YES. I've been wanting to do it since 2018. Had my Mum to take care of and then since Covid, had to figure some things out... because of the visa changes a year ago, I'll now have to wait for retirement likely. For now visits will do. I'm in Setúbal this time... it's OK but I know it's not for me, long-term. I prefer the Silver Coast. Like you, the quieter aspect and still close to Lisbon and the ability to travel. :) Happy New Year, Feliz Ano Novo e Bonne Année. I'm Canadian so must drop a bit of French in there ;-)
Excellent. You are in the perfect place to explore everything: the whole of Europe! You and your wife seems to be very intelligent and excellent manifesters so I believe your 2025 will be full of adventures. But I relate to what you say about "just sitting around waiting and hoping" .. I did that a lot, I try to now to become better to actually take action, plan it out. Acting as if its really is happening and act accordingly. Is there something missing you ask?, well yeah, you need to help you son with renovation 😂😂😂 Just kidding. Wish you all the best 🙏
Love all of your goals! Well done on the French language so far! I love how you frame all of your intentions for the year. Gives me some food for thought in how to categorize my own. Looking forward to all of your videos this year! I love both what you have to say as well as how you say/show it. Keep up the great work!
I love watching your videos, I recently started following your wife’s channel, both of you have so much talent❤ your videos are so inspiring ! today I was feeling a little bit under the weather.. but after watching this video I feel so much better 😊 and more inspired to do push my self to go out there and to know that it’s ok to be alone and to follow my dreams and to create goals ( just like you to travel more ) Btw your French sounds amazing 🤩
Congrats on your French coming along so well. I have not been as successful with learning Portuguese. I do still have a child in the house so I use that as my excuse for not dedicating myself.
Looking forward to your music. I don't do resolutions but focusing more on my creativity is definitely a priority for me this year and for me that is music.
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT I play trumpet. I do write. I have SO MANY songs in my voice notes that I need to sit down and get properly framed out and recorded! Your video came at the right time to remind me to DO IT!
I'm 100% a homebody and are always thinking of reasons NOT to do something outside the walls of my home. When I do actually make the effort I'm super inspired by the experience. A side of me comes to life that I really like and not nearly spend time with enough. 2025 for me means joining a Botanical Art Class (not online, but in person 😂) and learning how to make own clothes (also by attending physical classes 😂).
Your scoop is great, and yes, i have to get out and about too, as much as I love my home and family. But you forgot to mention your actions create a mirror image too...how do you being out there affect and touch people's lives or places, they may learn from you or take a lead or be inquisitive ,ask you questions, meet a new friend and as always it creates new conversations for you , your lovely wife and sons or maybe for just you , its a win win win😊 Enjoy enjoy enjoy
Very nice personal goals based on deep introspection. Since you asked for possible holes, it would be nice to add goals for what you'd like to contribute to your viewers, your community, and your family. I'm thankful for the videos you've already contributed.
Indeed. Thanks for pointing that out. Honestly, all of what I said will contribute majorly to my video work, so you can definitely look forward to a lot of rich content in that regard. I leave a lot of that to the Universe... to surprise me with unimagined experiences. An incredible 2025 to you! :)
I have a small camper and I like to travel in. I have a list of places I want to visit and things I want to do. I did one of these solo in December and it was great! I tend to hesitate if I don’t have someone with me but I’m just going to plan it and go!
I love this video, and the fact that you’re exploring your creativity and actively seeking inspiration. Often people expect the inspiration to just come to them without proactively looking for it. I hope your travels are full of discovery! Oh, and I often refer to my ‘tentacles’ too, maybe we’re fellow aliens 👽
Haha, you made me laugh. :) What are your tentacles, please share. And so true that we have to seek inspiration. Hoping for an amazing 2025 and wishing you one as well!
@ My tentacles are my sensitivity to information in the field. They pick up information which then gets turned into intuitive insights and inspiration. Kind of like a radio picking up waves and translating them. Does that resonate? 👾
Hi Josh (or Mr. Drew) 👋, I hope you and your family had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas and New Year’s together (if you guys did)! I know it’s a little late, but better late than never, right? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I think what I would want for myself this year is to honor my inner voice and allow my creative spirit to guide me as I embrace the exposure to more life experiences (especially since I’m in the same age group as your boys). Cheers to another year of UA-cam videos from you (as well as Nathaniel and Sky)! Sending you (and your family) lots of love (as always)!!! ❤️❤️❤️🫶🤗 Amor Fati, Ritchie
Wow ... I ve been following you for a long time, you ve been an inspiration. I have to say your French is very good, your accent is great... keep iy up !! Trip suggestion: Spend's a few days in Lyon, you ll love it !!
Vous faites du beau progrès avec votre français. Excellent resolutions. I am actually sitting at my desk and looking out the window working on what I want to do, change, resolve this year. Happy New Year, Bonne Année from/de Montréal.
Salut Josh! J’ai etudié le français il y a longtemps et je parláis très bien. Mais maintenant cela fait des années que je ne parle plus français et j'ai commencé des cours pour retrouver ma fluidité en français. Moi aussi, j’ai un niveau B1 et j’utilise Lingoda. J’apprécie beaucoup les cours. Je suis plus âgée que toi et retraitée. Comme toi, je suis également bilingue anglais-espagnol. Je visiterai la France et l’Espagne plus tard cette année. J’ai l’intention de me sentir à nouveau à l’aise pour parler français. Tu peux le faire aussi !
My goal is also to be at the B2 level by the end of the year. My iTalki teacher tells me I'm around that level now, but I want to make it official and take the exam. Aside from that, read a book a month (same as every year), and take some courses from Great Courses (Audible) on European History and important events of the 20th century.
The title of your video includes two examples of what I am striving to change in 2025: language that implies destruction = success. I believe all things, including words, carry energy that can shift the effectiveness of our intentions. I am curious to see what, if any, impact my language choices have on results. And, I love your videos and the way your mind works! 😊
Wow, I think you could teach French, too. I like how you pronounce each word as if speaking English, but with proper French rhythm and intonation. You're not slurring or running your words together, which can make French hard to understand. For 2025, I am making a transition towards retirement, by ways of entrepreneurship without much assistence. New connections will be key to any success. Do you have any suggestions? Good luck to you and your family in 2025.
Haha, thank you. My goal is to sound as French as possible by the end of the year, so some slurring is in my future. 😁 I would say to you be very intentional and be open to attracting what you want in your life (lots of sitting quietly and connecting with yourself). Wishing you all the very best in 2025!
I write down my goals in a journal (idea book) on the first page and revisit it multiple times a year. Travel is one of them, but I have kids so it's not the same as your travels. No peace...lol.
Bonjour from Perpignan. "Imaginer, c’est choisir." - Jean Giono Travel became our theme after visiting Ukraine last year (Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 💙 💛). Now travel is bringing my wife and me into dialogue with many languages and nationalities. The construct of social class in the States is challenged as we meet with people in Lisbon, Toulon, and now Perpignan. For example, a retired Math professor from Morrocco, Abdullah, who has lived in Italy, Spain, and now France operates a corner market with his daughter and granddaughter. Despite my years in LA (60+), I have never learned a language from a colorful 75-year-old Morroccan while buying groceries. What fun!! A mixture of Spanish (I worked as a waiter and learned some Spanish there), some French (college-required language courses), and familiar teaching pedagogy. My resolution is to "open the door," a phrase we use now after staring at the walls of a train station in Przemyśl (near the Ukraine border) only to discover 2 hours later the wall was a door to a warm and wonderful cafe. Enjoy the process! Dean & Cindy
✨️I love your videos, however I have a hard time aligning the words killing and crushing a future with creating a loving prosperous and successful life.
I walk every day about 10k steps mostly with my dogs and/or on treadmill… but I too love to travel and I need to get away from Houston to my pied a terre in France, near Poitiers, as often as possible. I grew up in Europe and got the itch to live overseas again in my retirement. My life in Houston is fraught with work from home fulltime, caregiving both aging parents, pet care, and the daily routine. 😊 Enjoying your videos. I will be heading to Paris soon. Yay!!! 😀PS-Bravo! Your goals are good - as is your French, pas mal du tout, tres bon debut!
Bonjour, I am French living in the Netherlands (also living on the boat many months traveling on the Mediterranean Sea). Can you let me know which sushi place you went to and what was the name of the B&b in Amsterdam? I am following you & your wife on UA-cam. I like the way you both express yourself (and your honesty about how you feel 😊). You seem happy to be in France (but wondering if so easy for you to meet French people). Meilleurs vœux et bonne continuation.
We are quite happy here. And don’t really crave meeting people to be honest. We are homebodies who travel when we need to take in the world. That’s just how we work. By the way, as mentioned, the links to what you asked are both in the description. A very happy new year to you!
Gosh, you should absolutely be proud of your French! It is really good and sounds beautifully effortless, which is no mean feat. Have you tried French shadowing exercises? They can work differently at different level, and at yours, it might help shift this feeling of plateau-ing that people often reach when they arrive around B1. I see it as potentially working two ways at your level: help you sound more naturally French by adopting some of the pronunciation quirks us French have, so pushing that (already really good) accent/elocution a little further, and also help alleviate any stress you might have when you hear spoken French (again because of those funny ways we have to contract everything and add filler words everywhere). Here is the first episode I did on the subject if you think this might be interesting: ua-cam.com/video/knNRV_8gSZk/v-deo.html Aside from that, I have followed you and Cecilia on your journey pretty much since the start and always happy to see a new episode is out. Thanks for your uniqueness and perspective on the world around us, I really enjoy what I get from your channel. Best to you both, Ingrid
Thank you for sharing your video, I will most definitely check it out. I am intrigued about what you’re saying. And thanks so much for your amazing support and lovely words! Wishing you the most amazing 2025. :)
I like very much what you say But you seem to dream of experiencing the world in meeting other people ( I mean not your family ) A really enlightening experience when seeking who one is , for real , is generally found in nature Of the world yes , but by being deeply moved by the rhythm of Nature As it brings meaning to ones conscience and enthusiasm . Joy and of course creativity Thank you 🤗🎶💫
@michelemarie2499 Totally agree. Did not mean to exclude Nature in any way (in fact, I do mention it). It's a great reminder though, so thank you. I do need to strengthen my connection to it. In any case, thanks so much for watching and Happy New Year! :)
Could you possibly please recommend the airbnb you stayed in that you liked so much? Or a few of them. We are finding the quality once we arrive to some is really lacking. Thank you! 😄
I think you mean the one in the Yvelines? There was one we stayed at for a while in a town named Grosrouvre that felt a bit more like home. Let me know… And yes, Airbnbs are an absolute hit or miss. More miss these days than anything.
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT Thank you for responding. The one that felt a bit more like home... I think we will be staying in one for a time as the real estate market seems really slow at present.. Thank you kindly
Hola……me encanto tu sinceridad ❤ Puedo recomendarte que hagas el ¨camino de Santiago….solo o con tu esposa…para experimentar muchos sentimientos y experiencias diferentes. Les queda cerca, iniciando desde Francia. ……Buena suerte ❤😊
Hi, I watched Cecilia's last posting that appeared in my feed, but surprising was no longer a subscriber, so of course I re-instated the full subscriber button. Have you noticed losing any subscriber numbers? Another vlogger I watch each post, lost 2000 in one go. People found they had been unsubscribed by UA-cam.
I am not good at resolutions. The word shares its root with *resolve* which feels too permanent, constricting, constraining to me, even if I resolve to be better at something (or simply better). I want to be flexible in my life and take it as it comes. [If you knew me irl, you would laugh at that so hard as to pee!] But I cannot restrict myself to be flexible. I lost a loved one a few years ago and it imprinted on me that you cannot take it with you, so I also want to move to France, even if I use up all of my savings. {Saving for what then, if not to spend it?! For whom?} Let's be neighbors.
My resolutions forever: To save all the animals and earth. Then to die and be with my ex-husband and all the animals! Go ethical vegan, liberate the animals And earth! 🌱🌎☮️♾️
I’m with you. I have to force myself to get out. All the best to you & Cecilia in 2025!!
Thank you, and you as well! Let's get 'em this year. :)
As a fellow musician, traveller (Nicola and I are in our third month of living in France) and videographer, I love this. Reminded me to keep drawing from all kind’s of sources for creative inspiration. Art, music, architecture, beautiful France, people, dogs etc. I just picked up some of my guitars in Marseille from the shipping container and now I can play again. I love how your b roll is not the typical stock footage but real shots you’ve done. But what I really appreciate is that sound on your videos is perfect. We’ve watched every video from the beginning and continue to be amazed how you’ve built your channel to over 70k subscribers with only 17 videos. In my view, it’s because you really understand storytelling, tension, contrast and flow in your editing. Nicola and I hope we cross paths some day. Looking forward as always to the next one. Thanks, Peter
Thank you, Peter, for your lovely words! It puts a smile on my face to hear that my work lands this way. Here’s to an incredible 2025 full of more amazing stories for all of us! :)
You and your videos continue to be inspiring, and I love how you come at them from a place of humility, learning and growth (rather than: "Hey everybody, look at me! I've got it all figured out!"). Happy New Year to you and your family! I look forward to following more of your adventures!
well said
Thank you! I'm so glad it lands that way. Wishing you an amazing 2025 as well! :)
I like your plan. It feels like it will serve you well. I used to have resolutions, but now I have a theme for the year (my resolutions never seemed to get done). Last year my theme was: Connection. I worked to improve my connections to friends and family (calls, time together, travel and visiting, etc.), my connection to my physical body through exercise (Pilates, strength training, walking, etc.), my connection to the environment (hiking, spending time in nature, decluttering and curating my spaces), connections to my mind and emotions (meditation, study - Spanish and philosophy, reading, book club). By choosing a theme each year, I have found something that works for me. I get some perspective and personal growth, and it's a nice way to live. I feel like I'm using my "wild and precious life" well. Every year has also given me a few habits that I continue to do. Feliz año nuevo!
Sounds wonderful to me. I guess my theme then after all is travel. Great focus for me since it packs in so much. Great way to approach it, thanks for sharing. And a most amazing 2025 to you!
I like this way of thinking…seems more doable for me
@@ashaw6960 👍
I think your plan is a good one. Looking forward to seeing how your year unfolds. Over the past couple of years, I've worked on being consistent. Consistent with things that benefit me such as physical activity, healthy eating, study and leaning, and creativity. I've worked to build routines that allow these things to happen without a lot of drama. As I roll into 2025, I want to continue with consistent and add intention. Intention being that I'm allowing myself to recognize a desire and making a plan to get from here to there. Less stumbling into opportunities and lucking out with great experiences and more earnestly attempting to do the thing.
I like how you're framing it. Would also like to know how you made out with it as the year progresses! All the very best to you in 2025. :)
I’ve been following your journey from Le Havre (France) for a while now and … je suis très impressionnée de très bon niveau de français seulement après 2 ans dans le pays ! 😜🥳
French is a difficult language to learn !
The best way for learning a language is to live in the country.
I wish you both the very best for 2025 !
BONNE ANNÉE ! 😜🥳🥳
Merci pour vos mots adorables. Une très bonne année à vous aussi ! :)
I am so glad you enjoyed Amsterdam, the city of my birth and the first 40 years of my life. At 89 I love watching all your video’s as I can no longer travel. I live in California,how I would love to live in France. Love your family ! ❤❤❤
Thank you, Yvonne! So sweet of you. A young 89, wow! Wishing you all the very best in 2025. :)
Your videos are always so thoughtful. I think about traveling but I have to wait for someone to go along with me. I need to just venture out on my own.
Do it! Start by discovering what's out there on your own. Who knows, you might just meet that "someone." :)
I love all your ideas :) what a great inspirational video, and what an Impressive French ❤! I can’t wait for more of your sharing 😊
Thanks so much. :) Let's both make 2025 an amazing year, full of incredible surprises! Love you so much. ❤️
For MANY years now, I have not made resolutions. My reasoning has been because I am someone that is constantly working toward "improving" my life throughout the year...I don't need to wait until Jan. 1st. Your video has inspired me. 2025 feels like it's going to be a big year...not just for me, but for everyone! I know I am a powerful manifester, so now I'm going to sit with this and come up with a couple of resolutions. Thank you. Let's do this!!
Sounds great! Let me know if you come up with one big one with "tentacles." Still curious who out there sees it the way I do...
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT The one big one is easy. It's the one I have been living towards for about 12 years... Creating a life of Liberation. All of the others/tentacles come from that one. ☺
@@jaidenlove2419 Nice! Love it. :)
Love this video. Travel is very important to me as well. I have been traveling in south east Asia for the past couple of months and I am loving the experiences that I am having and the people I am meeting. Definitely doing a lot more this year
That sounds amazing. Where have you been visiting? Dying to see Asia some day soon!
@ I have been to Hong Kong; Thailand; Japan; Vietnam; presently in Malaysia; then heading to Indonesia after this. It has been an amazing experience thus far.
@@yasminfrancis9069 WOW!!! Good for you. 👍😁
Beautifully articulated❣️
You are very similar to my husband’s mentality. I will be sharing this video with him in hopes that your peaceful clarity brings his jumbled thoughts to a more fluid forefront.
I absolutely adore your self awareness and honesty. I relate to so much of what you said and funny enough have made very similar resolutions for myself. Here's to living life fully!
Cheers to that! Thank you so much, and an amazing 2025 to you. :)
I appreciate how intentional you are versus just drifting. Listening to you motivates me to write down some goals--thank you.
Your French sounds fantastic!
Thank you so much, and so glad to hear it! A most amazing 2025 to you. :)
You have a great life. Enjoy. Oh wow to be financially able to live well AND travel must be so wonderful. Unfortunately my life is all about trying to survive 😢
I'm sorry to hear that. I wish changes for you this year in the direction you desire.
I love all of your videos. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and resolutions for 2025. Happy New Year to you and your lovely family. Wishing you all good health, peace, and joy.
Thank you so much, and to you as well! :)
Life is an adventure so be impulsive , responsive to an idea or thought ..... Go with the flow by listening to your heart . Don't you find that last minute ideas usually work out the best.
It's all about INTENTION so whatever you desire enjoy the moment. There are no mistakes only experiences❤❤❤
Nicely said. Yeah, I do believe you can plan all you want and then life happens. Thanks for the reminder!
ouaahh bravo pour votre francais deja tres bon ...bonne annee et sante surtout ..que vos reves se realisent...
Merci beaucoup et de même ! :)
Yesssss 5 stars for your French, your prononciation is spot on really. Congrats! Once one is more or less settled this is the goal , travel more even if it is to do more local tourism always find somewhere interesting even if it is a small place to make your soul smile and get out of the routine I needed to hear that and I am sure that you will manage to put in place this " music language and travel mix :) I manage to put my thoughts and goals into motion when I m inspired by people usually this is my fuel.
Thank you so much! Here's to many adventures in 2025. :)
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT Exactly!
Great video! I think it would be cool to see you create a full video speaking only in French as a part of your French resolution
That would be incredible, yes! :)
I see an explosion of even greater content coming can't wait for you to share your travels ( l hope you add Spain to your list) & interviews .So exciting !! Happy New Year this video is a great start and inspired me !Merci beaucoup🙏
Merci !! Love hearing that and yes, here's to more adventures this year. All the best to you in 2025! :)
Je suis très impressionnée par ton français, et excellent accent. Bravo :)
Merci ! C'est super de l'entendre. Ça me motive à continuer à m'améliorer. Merci encore. :)
moi aussi! super accent .
Loved this vlog! I am currently in the process of planning a trip to Japan and South Korea with our daughter for this coming October and in the past few days working on this has felt like an escape! So looking forward to this trip! I agree with you that traveling in pairs with our family is wonderful!
I do make resolutions, and this year I have them written them on my kitchen wall chalkboard where I can see them daily! I can take an inventory at the end of the day to make sure I'm on track to achieve my goals for 2025!
Wishing you and Cecilia a very happy New Year!
Great comment and very happy for you. A fantastic 2025 to you and yours! :)
I'm strolling into retirement this year. For me it's reconnecting with all the joyful pursuits I had as a child. I am re-programming (so to speak) my thought process/mindset with very deliberate action at change to bring me back to my place of wonder and enchantment. I've gone so far as to create a tracking sheet to mark the consistency of my actions. It's not to force myself to do these things, it's more of a way of holding myself accountable for taking the action with my intention. Perhaps I'm reverse engineering a way to reach my desired result. By seeing the tracking I'm more aware of the things I let slide, but are important for making the changes stick. I have a general monthly task list and then specific quarterly list for other goals. I dont know if this makes sense but it’s the first time I'm feeling optimistic about making real lasting change. Thanks for the video and continuing to share your insights. Blessing in 2025.
That sounds like a great approach to me. I appreciate your kind words and wish you a most amazing 2025! :)
My #1 resolution is also to travel more in 2025. I feel like I always make so many excuses for not traveling.. "oh, but it's busy at work", "oh, but I don't want to spend money", "oh, but so and so might be able to come with me, but I'm not sure". If I keep waiting for a perfect time.. it'll never happen. No more waiting!
Thank you for creating such a calm 12-minute visual that allowed me to take a breathe with the overload of expectations I put upon myself on what I desire to achieve annually. Each year I aim to always reflect & plan my year ahead the day after my birthday, which falls at the end of October. This I find alllows me to take the time i to make such big decisions in comparison to what the mass do & start in January
That's a great approach, planning well ahead. I always forget to do that! Anyway, would love to hear some of your plans, if you'd like to share. :)
Como artista me siento identificada con lo que mencionas de expandir tu creatividad y explorar nuevas formas y posibilidades. Creo que eso definitivamente enriquece tu trabajo. Últimamente quiero aprender muchas cosas, incluso un instrumento, pero tengo que lidiar con ese dicho que se viene a mi mente: “el que mucho abarca, poco aprieta” 😒.
Es un boycott a la creatividad, porque considero que mientras más variedad de cosas haces, mayor es la estimulación a tu creatividad.
Gracias por un contenido tan acogedor y cercano.
Por un 2025 lleno de creatividad!!
Saludos desde Chile 🤗🇨🇱
Mil gracias por tu apoyo y por compartir tu perspectiva. Estoy completamente de acuerdo con vos, en que la variedad en nuestras experiencias alimenta la creatividad y nos ayuda a crecer como artistas. A veces el equilibrio entre aprender cosas nuevas y profundizar en lo que ya hacemos puede ser un desafío, pero como bien lo decís, explorar nuevas formas y posibilidades siempre nos enriquece (es cuestión de "monitorearlo" constantemente!).
Deseándote un 2025 lleno de inspiración, creatividad y proyectos que te hagan feliz!
Happy new year! I agree with all the „tentacles“ you talked about. I really need to do these things more and benefit from them. All the best for this new year to Cecilia and yourself.
And to you as well! Wishing you an incredible 2025. :)
I love that you want to travel more. My goal is to actually spend more time in the place that I love - home! When one has a 'traditional' job that we have to go to every day, spending time at home really IS a goal! My husband and I planned & customized our home together with the plan to be here the rest of our lives, now I can't wait for 'the rest of our lives' to actually begin! Retirement is only a few years away but it feels so much longer when you want to get there. I remember my grandmother saying to stop wishing your life away - so true. So I guess I want to move more in 2025 (difficult with a sedentary job) and to enjoy my home time more. Your resolutions are wonderful and very actionable - I'm thinking this channel could be a cattle prod for you. With so many people subscribed, you may have people mentioning your lack of travel if it's not documented here. That could be quite the impetus for you!! Be careful what you wish for...!! Happy 2025!!!!
Indeed. I was very intentional in making this public so that I can be held accountable for it. So we shall us... pressure's on. In any case, love your approach for the year. Hope you get to enjoy a ton of lovely time at home enjoying what you guys have built! All the very best in 2025. :)
Hey Josh, thank you for your video, and Happy new year. I am a 57 old French guy who moved to the US in 2012, tired of the political shenanigans in France. I have seen the decline of my country since 1981 and it was too difficult for me to see it crumble. But I like your vision on things and in fact, I have taken similar resolutions for 2025… Travel to South America and Asia, Creativity with some books I am working on, languages, and most importantly enjoying life. We are here to have joy and I have forgotten for many years how to be joyful. Now that I have let go all attachments to form, my joy has raised to levels I remembered having when I was 20, and it is very special to find that kid spirit back…. My wife and I have lived in Europe, in Africa, in the Indian Ocean and now in North America and we would be happy one day to interact with you in the physical. We have 3 boys, and not one of them want to go back to France…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Interesting how France entirely stopped working for you (the same as us in the US). Goes to show you how subjective the choice of where to live is. In any case, sounds like it was the right move for you and your family. Wishing you a most wonderful 2025! :)
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT Merci pour vos voeux et felicitations pour votre Francais!
@@co-creatv6540 Merci beaucoup ! :)
Thank you for sharing. The way your goals intertwine I think will support you. I am currently finishing a long overseas holiday where I have found my love of photography again. You are so right when you say how travel sparks your vision for content to capture and it is exciting. All the best to you and the family in 2025.
How they intertwine is a perfect way to say it. I absolutely love that about travel and what it does for me. Great to hear about you and photography! Wishing a wonderfully creative 2025. :)
I never set resolutions. I celebrate a bit of a new year at the solstice, when the light starts to come back. But after a triple trauma of losing three persons I became a hermit, I should get out more often, maybe that’s a good idea. Happy 2025, cheers from Ireland!
Sounds like a plan. A very Happy 2025 to you! :)
Thanks your videos are thought provoking.
I normally don't set new year resolutions. But this year I guess you could say I have. Sort of...
Let's go back to last September in the emergency room. Sharp back pain. Thought it might be kidney stones. ( history of them) turns out just my back flairing up from my roofing accident.
But in the mri/ cat scan I mix the two up. They found Fatty liver, and plaque in my arteries. 6ft and over weight at 242lbs.
Jump to Oct I start the carnivore diet dropped to 210lbs now. Take half my blood pressure med once a week instead of a full dose every day. ( Only foods from animals. Cream, butter, and cheese are ok) My cheat is morning coffee with 2 teaspoons sugar and organic half and half.
So now I'm starting a program called the "75 hard" on Monday.
Workouts: Complete two 45-minute workouts per day, with one workout taking place outside
Diet: Follow a diet of your choice, but no cheating or alcohol is allowed
Water: Drink a gallon of water per day
Reading: Read 10 pages of a self-help or educational book per day ( No audio books)
Progress photos: Take a progress picture each day
Tracking: Track your progress to see how far you've come
Would you say my new year's resolution started in October?
Definitely. Great work, and what a reminder that it's always a good time to resolve to do things differently, independent of the New Year. If it helps, great. But sometimes we need to take action NOW. Of course, you have to be ready for it, and you certainly were. All the best to you in 2025!
Hello from Sicily(never visited in your life?that's an idea,you 2 should come!)this summer i'm going to visit for 1 month Albania,Montenegro,North Macedonia and Kosovo and this project is my secret garden.Every summer I stay away visiting 4 or 5 countries with my teenager daughter:precious memories i'll treasure one day.Thanx for inspiring us
That sounds so great, good for you. I want to visit those countries one day, most definitely. And as for Sicily, sooner than later. Absolutely love Italy and now it's so near by. Hope to explore it a lot more in the coming years. A wonderful 2025 to you and yours! :)
Could not have picked a better resolution to expand on! Although, I had not made any formal resolutions, more travel has been on our minds. Happy New Year and thanks for for sharing!
Thank you and Happy New Year to you all as well! :)
Happy New Year. I love your channel and am looking forward to any adventures you share with us. Best of all. M.
Thank you so much! Looking forward to lots of visually-stimulated (and stimulating) stories in 2025. Wishing you all the best. :)
Always inspiring!
Thank you, thank you! Wishing you all the very best in 2025. :)
Your French is coming along very nicely. I am close to your age and heard how hard it is so it's very encouraging as I am very interested in moving to france someday in the not so distant future.
Sounds like a great plan to work towards. Wishing you an amazing 2025! :)
I really enjoyed watching your video and hope to see more this year cause your content really resonates with me. Happy new year!!
Thanks so much and will do! :)
Thank you, thank you- I’m going to France in May and clearly want to get into the French language. Merci Beaucoup :) love your videos and your speaking the language is awesome 👏
Merci à toi, Diane ! :) Une très belle année 2025 !
I enjoyed this video. Thanks and Happy New Year 😊 Ciao from Italy
Thank you so much and all the very best to you as well! :)
Same… getting out of the house. Because I can’t travel the way I want to, exploring nearby is good. Currently spending 3 months in Portugal. When I’m home in Canada I feel stuck. I don’t get out often at all.
Three months in Portugal sounds fantastic to me! Perhaps consider moving there?
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT YES. I've been wanting to do it since 2018. Had my Mum to take care of and then since Covid, had to figure some things out... because of the visa changes a year ago, I'll now have to wait for retirement likely. For now visits will do.
I'm in Setúbal this time... it's OK but I know it's not for me, long-term. I prefer the Silver Coast. Like you, the quieter aspect and still close to Lisbon and the ability to travel. :)
Happy New Year, Feliz Ano Novo e Bonne Année. I'm Canadian so must drop a bit of French in there ;-)
@@JenShea Love it. Great thinking in progress. Thank you and all the same to you! :)
Excellent. You are in the perfect place to explore everything: the whole of Europe! You and your wife seems to be very intelligent and excellent manifesters so I believe your 2025 will be full of adventures. But I relate to what you say about "just sitting around waiting and hoping" .. I did that a lot, I try to now to become better to actually take action, plan it out. Acting as if its really is happening and act accordingly.
Is there something missing you ask?, well yeah, you need to help you son with renovation 😂😂😂 Just kidding.
Wish you all the best 🙏
Thank you! And yeah, on the topic of renovating, I'll pass. 🤣 All the very best to you. I know you can do it! Wishing you a truly amazing 2025. 😁
Love all of your goals! Well done on the French language so far! I love how you frame all of your intentions for the year. Gives me some food for thought in how to categorize my own. Looking forward to all of your videos this year! I love both what you have to say as well as how you say/show it. Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much. All the very best to you in 2025! :)
I love watching your videos, I recently started following your wife’s channel, both of you have so much talent❤ your videos are so inspiring !
today I was feeling a little bit under the weather.. but after watching this video I feel so much better 😊 and more inspired to do push my self to go out there and to know that it’s ok to be alone and to follow my dreams and to create goals ( just like you to travel more )
Btw your French sounds amazing 🤩
Thank you so much, Claudia! Lovely words and so glad to hear that you felt inspired. Wishing you the most amazing 2025! :)
Your French is excellent! Bravo!
Congrats on your French coming along so well. I have not been as successful with learning Portuguese. I do still have a child in the house so I use that as my excuse for not dedicating myself.
Thank you. It does take dedication. I hope you can find the time!
Looking forward to your music. I don't do resolutions but focusing more on my creativity is definitely a priority for me this year and for me that is music.
Nice. What do you play? Do you write a lot?
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT I play trumpet. I do write. I have SO MANY songs in my voice notes that I need to sit down and get properly framed out and recorded! Your video came at the right time to remind me to DO IT!
@@IamArloFischer Right on! Let's share results as the year progresses. :)
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT exciting! yes!
I'm 100% a homebody and are always thinking of reasons NOT to do something outside the walls of my home. When I do actually make the effort I'm super inspired by the experience. A side of me comes to life that I really like and not nearly spend time with enough. 2025 for me means joining a Botanical Art Class (not online, but in person 😂) and learning how to make own clothes (also by attending physical classes 😂).
Your scoop is great, and yes, i have to get out and about too, as much as I love my home and family. But you forgot to mention your actions create a mirror image too...how do you being out there affect and touch people's lives or places, they may learn from you or take a lead or be inquisitive ,ask you questions, meet a new friend and as always it creates new conversations for you , your lovely wife and sons or maybe for just you , its a win win win😊 Enjoy enjoy enjoy
You're right. I never think about my effect on others that way when I travel. Thanks for pointing that out. :)
Very nice personal goals based on deep introspection. Since you asked for possible holes, it would be nice to add goals for what you'd like to contribute to your viewers, your community, and your family. I'm thankful for the videos you've already contributed.
Indeed. Thanks for pointing that out. Honestly, all of what I said will contribute majorly to my video work, so you can definitely look forward to a lot of rich content in that regard. I leave a lot of that to the Universe... to surprise me with unimagined experiences. An incredible 2025 to you! :)
I have a small camper and I like to travel in. I have a list of places I want to visit and things I want to do. I did one of these solo in December and it was great! I tend to hesitate if I don’t have someone with me but I’m just going to plan it and go!
Nice! Many fun adventures to you in 2025... :)
I love this video, and the fact that you’re exploring your creativity and actively seeking inspiration. Often people expect the inspiration to just come to them without proactively looking for it. I hope your travels are full of discovery! Oh, and I often refer to my ‘tentacles’ too, maybe we’re fellow aliens 👽
Haha, you made me laugh. :) What are your tentacles, please share. And so true that we have to seek inspiration. Hoping for an amazing 2025 and wishing you one as well!
@ My tentacles are my sensitivity to information in the field. They pick up information which then gets turned into intuitive insights and inspiration. Kind of like a radio picking up waves and translating them. Does that resonate? 👾
@MariaJMcMahon I get what you’re saying. Not quite that advanced for me, but it sounds amazing.
Hi Josh (or Mr. Drew) 👋,
I hope you and your family had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas and New Year’s together (if you guys did)! I know it’s a little late, but better late than never, right? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I think what I would want for myself this year is to honor my inner voice and allow my creative spirit to guide me as I embrace the exposure to more life experiences (especially since I’m in the same age group as your boys).
Cheers to another year of UA-cam videos from you (as well as Nathaniel and Sky)!
Sending you (and your family) lots of love (as always)!!! ❤️❤️❤️🫶🤗
Amor Fati,
Ritchie
Thank you, Ritchie! A most amazing 2025 to you too!! :)
Wow ... I ve been following you for a long time, you ve been an inspiration. I have to say your French is very good, your accent is great... keep iy up !! Trip suggestion: Spend's a few days in Lyon, you ll love it !!
Thank you, and yes! Definitely part of my travel plans. Happy 2025!
I feel the same about travel...I love it.🎉
Nice! Wishing you a 2025 full of travel then. :)
Ouiiiiii bravo pour votre français !!! En plus votre accent est vraiment bon. ^ ^
Merci beaucoup ! Génial de l’entendre. Ça me fait sourire. Une très bonne 2025 à vous !
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT Meilleurs voeux également ! ^ ^
We love your videos thank you for creating awesome content for us. Sending you guys our love from Rutland. MA 🎉
And thank you both right back! A very Happy New Year to you guys. :)
Vous faites du beau progrès avec votre français. Excellent resolutions. I am actually sitting at my desk and looking out the window working on what I want to do, change, resolve this year. Happy New Year, Bonne Année from/de Montréal.
Merci, et bon courage à vous, Caroline ! Un très joyeux 2025. :)
Super!! J'espère qu'on se recontrera un jour 😊👏🏾
Merci, et un très bonne année à toi ! :)
You have inspired to write my resolutions today!
Nice! Share if you'd like! :)
Salut Josh! J’ai etudié le français il y a longtemps et je parláis très bien. Mais maintenant cela fait des années que je ne parle plus français et j'ai commencé des cours pour retrouver ma fluidité en français. Moi aussi, j’ai un niveau B1 et j’utilise Lingoda. J’apprécie beaucoup les cours. Je suis plus âgée que toi et retraitée. Comme toi, je suis également bilingue anglais-espagnol. Je visiterai la France et l’Espagne plus tard cette année. J’ai l’intention de me sentir à nouveau à l’aise pour parler français. Tu peux le faire aussi !
Merci pour votre encouragement. Très bon français de votre part ! Je vous souhaite un merveilleux 2025 . :)
Bon ton français 😊 du Québec, voyager est très certainement une de mes résolutions 2025.
Merci. Je te souhaite plein de voyages en 2025 ! :)
My goal is also to be at the B2 level by the end of the year. My iTalki teacher tells me I'm around that level now, but I want to make it official and take the exam.
Aside from that, read a book a month (same as every year), and take some courses from Great Courses (Audible) on European History and important events of the 20th century.
Great work! Let's get there together then... :)
The title of your video includes two examples of what I am striving to change in 2025: language that implies destruction = success. I believe all things, including words, carry energy that can shift the effectiveness of our intentions. I am curious to see what, if any, impact my language choices have on results. And, I love your videos and the way your mind works! 😊
Thank you. 🙏 Wishing you all the best in 2025!
Bravo !!!!!
Thank you! :)
Wow, I think you could teach French, too. I like how you pronounce each word as if speaking English, but with proper French rhythm and intonation. You're not slurring or running your words together, which can make French hard to understand. For 2025, I am making a transition towards retirement, by ways of entrepreneurship without much assistence. New connections will be key to any success. Do you have any suggestions? Good luck to you and your family in 2025.
Haha, thank you. My goal is to sound as French as possible by the end of the year, so some slurring is in my future. 😁 I would say to you be very intentional and be open to attracting what you want in your life (lots of sitting quietly and connecting with yourself). Wishing you all the very best in 2025!
Well I think you're French is very good, the accent is perfect
Wow, thank so much! :)
I write down my goals in a journal (idea book) on the first page and revisit it multiple times a year. Travel is one of them, but I have kids so it's not the same as your travels. No peace...lol.
Haha, indeed. Kids change everything. I like your approach! Other than travel, what else is on your list?
@BeneaththeSurfaceYT Having another kid! Becoming financially independent.
Bonjour from Perpignan.
"Imaginer, c’est choisir." - Jean Giono
Travel became our theme after visiting Ukraine last year (Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 💙 💛). Now travel is bringing my wife and me into dialogue with many languages and nationalities. The construct of social class in the States is challenged as we meet with people in Lisbon, Toulon, and now Perpignan. For example, a retired Math professor from Morrocco, Abdullah, who has lived in Italy, Spain, and now France operates a corner market with his daughter and granddaughter. Despite my years in LA (60+), I have never learned a language from a colorful 75-year-old Morroccan while buying groceries. What fun!! A mixture of Spanish (I worked as a waiter and learned some Spanish there), some French (college-required language courses), and familiar teaching pedagogy. My resolution is to "open the door," a phrase we use now after staring at the walls of a train station in Przemyśl (near the Ukraine border) only to discover 2 hours later the wall was a door to a warm and wonderful cafe. Enjoy the process! Dean & Cindy
Wow, you describe some incredible experiences, exactly what I'm looking for in my life. Good for you! Wishing you more of it 2025!
✨️I love your videos, however I have a hard time aligning the words killing and crushing a future with creating a loving prosperous and successful life.
Did I overdo it? Only with the best intentions, of course, but I get what you're saying. Might change those in the coming days...
You are such a deep hearted soul the words seem out of context for you. Thank you for your acknowledgement.
Love the new titles!🌟🍾
@@gabrielleparis3532 Haha, thanks! Appreciate you nudging me in that direction. 😁
I walk every day about 10k steps mostly with my dogs and/or on treadmill… but I too love to travel and I need to get away from Houston to my pied a terre in France, near Poitiers, as often as possible. I grew up in Europe and got the itch to live overseas again in my retirement. My life in Houston is fraught with work from home fulltime, caregiving both aging parents, pet care, and the daily routine. 😊 Enjoying your videos. I will be heading to Paris soon. Yay!!! 😀PS-Bravo! Your goals are good - as is your French, pas mal du tout, tres bon debut!
Thank you so much. Sounds like a very active life for you. Hope you get over to Paris a lot in 2025! Wishing you all the best for an amazing year. :)
Bonjour, I am French living in the Netherlands (also living on the boat many months traveling on the Mediterranean Sea).
Can you let me know which sushi place you went to and what was the name of the B&b in Amsterdam?
I am following you & your wife on UA-cam.
I like the way you both express yourself (and your honesty about how you feel 😊).
You seem happy to be in France (but wondering if so easy for you to meet French people).
Meilleurs vœux et bonne continuation.
We are quite happy here. And don’t really crave meeting people to be honest. We are homebodies who travel when we need to take in the world. That’s just how we work. By the way, as mentioned, the links to what you asked are both in the description. A very happy new year to you!
Ton français est excellent, so far !,
Merci beaucoup ! Très gentil de ta part. Bonne année ! :)
Gosh, you should absolutely be proud of your French! It is really good and sounds beautifully effortless, which is no mean feat.
Have you tried French shadowing exercises? They can work differently at different level, and at yours, it might help shift this feeling of plateau-ing that people often reach when they arrive around B1.
I see it as potentially working two ways at your level: help you sound more naturally French by adopting some of the pronunciation quirks us French have, so pushing that (already really good) accent/elocution a little further, and also help alleviate any stress you might have when you hear spoken French (again because of those funny ways we have to contract everything and add filler words everywhere).
Here is the first episode I did on the subject if you think this might be interesting:
ua-cam.com/video/knNRV_8gSZk/v-deo.html
Aside from that, I have followed you and Cecilia on your journey pretty much since the start and always happy to see a new episode is out. Thanks for your uniqueness and perspective on the world around us, I really enjoy what I get from your channel.
Best to you both,
Ingrid
Thank you for sharing your video, I will most definitely check it out. I am intrigued about what you’re saying. And thanks so much for your amazing support and lovely words! Wishing you the most amazing 2025. :)
I like very much what you say
But you seem to dream of experiencing the world in meeting other people ( I mean not your family )
A really enlightening experience when seeking who one is , for real , is generally found in nature
Of the world yes , but by being deeply moved by the rhythm of Nature
As it brings meaning to ones conscience and enthusiasm . Joy and of course creativity
Thank you 🤗🎶💫
“ In the vastness of space and the immensity of time , it is my joy to share a planet and an epoch with Annie “ Carl Sagan
Bravo pour votre excellent français, bonne prononciation. Depuis Troyes, nous sommes presque voisins 😁
@michelemarie2499 Totally agree. Did not mean to exclude Nature in any way (in fact, I do mention it). It's a great reminder though, so thank you. I do need to strengthen my connection to it. In any case, thanks so much for watching and Happy New Year! :)
@michelesauret7779 Merci beaucoup ! Un peu de distance, mais pas trop trop loin. :)
Could you possibly please recommend the airbnb you stayed in that you liked so much? Or a few of them. We are finding the quality once we arrive to some is really lacking. Thank you! 😄
I think you mean the one in the Yvelines? There was one we stayed at for a while in a town named Grosrouvre that felt a bit more like home. Let me know… And yes, Airbnbs are an absolute hit or miss. More miss these days than anything.
@@BeneaththeSurfaceYT Thank you for responding. The one that felt a bit more like home... I think we will be staying in one for a time as the real estate market seems really slow at present.. Thank you kindly
Hola……me encanto tu sinceridad ❤ Puedo recomendarte que hagas el ¨camino de Santiago….solo o con tu esposa…para experimentar muchos sentimientos y experiencias diferentes. Les queda cerca, iniciando desde Francia. ……Buena suerte ❤😊
Me gusta la idea! Gracias, y deseándote todo lo mejor en el 2025. :)
Always enjoying your inspirational videos… but do you really need to wear cap when inside? It is kinda funny… anyways wish you all the best 👍
Haha, thank you. It warms up my bald head and looks nice, that's why. :)
Would be willing to post any links of everything you share? I am looking for links and there is none
🤗
👍😁
Hi, I watched Cecilia's last posting that appeared in my feed, but surprising was no longer a subscriber, so of course I re-instated the full subscriber button. Have you noticed losing any subscriber numbers? Another vlogger I watch each post, lost 2000 in one go. People found they had been unsubscribed by UA-cam.
Wow, that's a bummer. No, not on my end. Subs rise and fall, but nothing like that. Thanks for your support! :)
Your proactive person, you will be always busy.
Is that good or bad? 😁
Josh- thank u for your content. I don’t have Instagram. Is there a way to make a small donation to your channel? Thanks God bless
That is so sweet of you. There is a Thanks button below the video that you can use for that if you'd like. Thank you and a very Happy 2025 to you! :)
I am not good at resolutions. The word shares its root with *resolve* which feels too permanent, constricting, constraining to me, even if I resolve to be better at something (or simply better). I want to be flexible in my life and take it as it comes. [If you knew me irl, you would laugh at that so hard as to pee!] But I cannot restrict myself to be flexible. I lost a loved one a few years ago and it imprinted on me that you cannot take it with you, so I also want to move to France, even if I use up all of my savings. {Saving for what then, if not to spend it?! For whom?} Let's be neighbors.
Sounds like you're resolved to come to France. :)
I’ve never done resolutions. Seems silly. I start things all year long.
Understand. Something for everyone. How do you keep yourself motivated and focused?
I want to read more and have the body of an instagram model 😊
Haha. Either way, can't go wrong with lots of reading and going to the gym. :)
My resolutions forever:
To save all the animals and earth.
Then to die and be with my ex-husband and all the animals!
Go ethical vegan, liberate the animals And earth!
🌱🌎☮️♾️
Sounds good to me. :)