12 things that changed my life in 2024
"It’s not always easy, but the rewards are profound—greater self-understanding and awareness, better relationships, and a clearer sense of purpose"
Its that time of year folks!
As has become customary, I've sorted through the notes I've made during the year on things that have 'changed my life' and put pen to paper.
If you're new to this, its my 16th year doing so! Yes you read that right! Writing these posts has become a tradition I treasure, not just because it’s a chance to document the journey, but because it’s humbling to know others enjoy reading them and perhaps find inspiration or a useful nugget for their own lives. Interestingly I get quite a few messages about this annual series which is the reason I keep coming back. So if you enjoy reading them, do please let me know. It really matters to me. 🙂
You can always read the old ones too! Here are the 2009 - 2020 posts (all in one place after a resurrection from an old blog platform a few years ago). Then there are the newer ‘21, ‘22, '23 years.
So let's get into it. 2024’s roundup – a mix of gratitude, reflection, and discovery.
Remember, this is not in any order and when I've called out individuals by name, I've always made the point that this doesn't mean these were the only important people in my life this year, its just that they were closer to what I do on a daily basis.
Our New House
This year, we took the plunge and moved into our new home. We’d been at our old house since 2012 — 12 years in total. It was our first house together; when we first moved in we did the obligatory, 'fish and chips on the floor' with no furniture, our kids were born and grew up there, we endured the darkest times but most of all, we shared thousands of happy memories there. Moving was full of emotion and leaving was not easy, but we’d outgrown it, it was the right time. Our new house feels like the next step in our journey—one that should see us through until the kids leave home. We can then decide whether to stay or move further into the countryside. The dream has always been a pack of Labradors and a much bigger garden, probably more of a cottage feel. I'm loving making it our own, watching the kids explore their new space, having their friends over almost daily and having friends and family round to stay. It has made it all worthwhile and I love it so much. Huge shout out to my wife Lizz who makes this a home not a house.
25th Birthday for Optix
Speaking of milestones, Optix turned 25 this year! I mean seriously WTF (sorry Mum!). It really doesn't feel long ago that we were spotty students, hanging around & getting drunk on Snakey B at the Lemmy (in joke). Honestly who stole that 25 years! We started Optix in 1999 with £8k, a rented house with a bedroom office, three computers sat on desks in a triangle with a fax machine perched on a chest of drawers in the middle, a dial-up connection, and a lot of prayers each night that we’d make enough money to keep going (sometimes it was very close!). Somehow tho, we made it. In that time, we've grown to over 20 staff, employed over a hundred people, broken the million pound barrier and taken on and helped well over a thousand clients grow their digital presence. We celebrated the major milestone at Winslade Manor on a lovely sunny day in July with our closest team, their families, and some of our oldest clients and friends. It was a reminder of just how far we’ve come and I felt extremely proud of what we've achieved. Its not always been easy. In fact, its rarely easy lol but I wouldn't have had it any other way. A huge shout out to my co-directors, James and Rob for getting us to where we are today.
Jep – Xenia’s (Alumni '23) Brother
What can I say? Another Espina makes the list! Some people make such an impression that they deserve a special mention, and Jep is one of those people. At such a young age (16 turned 17 this year), he shows incredible drive. I've been working with Jep in my Alacrity business for the last year. He helps me with content structure and creation and looks after the updating of my website. He is always willing to learn, always pushing the boundaries and trying new things. He's a breath of fresh air. Jep doesn’t give up easily and gets things done quickly. He has that rare and special trait where, when asked to do something, he not only delivers the result but always goes one step further, adding something you weren’t expecting. His creativity, energy, and passion for life are infectious.
Custom GPTs, Especially My LinkedIn Trainer
2024 was the year I truly embraced Custom GPTs. A version of ChatGPT which you can customise for yourself or your clients. I first created My LinkedIn Trainer, which has become an invaluable tool for clients. Whether it’s creating a killer LinkedIn strategy or finding the right tone for a post, this tool has been a game-changer. If you haven’t yet explored the potential of custom AI, make it a priority for this coming year! For businesses, 2025 could be the perfect year to delve into creating bespoke AI tools, perhaps to streamline customer service, enhance marketing, or even assist with day-to-day operations. The possibilities really are endless. If you're stuck with where to start, drop me a line.
Ali Newton Temperley – Our New Growth Director
I met Ali a number of years ago and despite wanting her to join our business since meeting, it was finally 2024 that we were able to persuade her to take up a fractional role as Growth Director. That role is part of a move to reduce reliance on me as a significant provider of leads and take us to a new level of growth and deliver our 5 year strategy. To achieve this step-change needed fresh perspectives, so alongside the brilliant Candice Short and Paul Lawrence in our Exec Leadership Team, Ali was recruited for her dynamism and forward thinking approach to Sales and Marketing. Alongside taking over some of the mentoring and management of the growth team, she's implemented lots of change in the short time she's been with us. One of the most impressive projects has been the creation of our new Marketing Assessment tool. A tool which a business can use to score their current marketing efforts and get tips for improvement. I've really enjoyed spending time with Ali because I have a true ally in Sales. Its very rare to find someone who gets the agency sales process, even rarer to find someone so humble and willing to help others with it.
Garden on a Roll
OK onto some more personal ones now. I’m not hugely green-fingered, and I only had about half the summer left when we finally moved into our new pad. At the old house, we only had pots, no flower beds, so when I saw the raised beds in the new garden, I knew I wanted to make them special. I started with the middle of the three large beds. The problem was I didn't really know what I was doing. My brother-in-law David had tagged me in a Garden on a Roll Instagram post (social media advertising works—who knew!). I loved the simplicity of it all. You choose your garden style (I went with English Country), give them the measurements, and they literally send you a 'flowers by numbers' compostable sheet which you lay out and put the flowers on (obviously you dig them in, I'm not that much of a gardening dunce!). Genius. Check them out here: Garden on a Roll. As good as this was, I thought I better do the other beds myself and as a lover of golf, with the mecca being Augusta, I decided to create my own 'Amen Corner.' So the adjacent beds now have two rows of Azaleas and will have a Rhododendron when Spring comes. The best/worst part of this process is that everything I’ve done was too early to see flower in 2024, so I’ve still got it all to look forward to in Spring 2025. It can't come fast enough.
Richer Sounds
Another house-move related one here. I’ve always been a fan of hi-fi since the days of 'separates' in the 90s. Since then I've gone from bedroom to bedroom in shared houses followed by having young kids in my first proper home. I guess I've never really felt the opportunity to indulge....until now. Having my own study/office means I have the chance to make it my own. Another plus is being detached now. No neighbours to worry about upsetting! Richer sounds have been around forever. I remembered them being exceptional back in the day and I wondered if that spark still existed. It sure did. The guys in the Exeter store were literally amazing. Talking me through every type of setup, answering what felt like a billion silly questions with the same enthusiasm and passion I'm sure they had when they first worked there. They even set up different configurations of amps and speakers for me in their demo room, so I knew before I got them back home that I’d chosen the perfect setup. If you’re wondering, I ended up with these unbelievable speakers and this cool little Marantz Amp.
Katie – Psychotherapist & Coach
Katie has been a lifeline for me this year. Through her guidance and the concept of “parts therapy,” I’ve gained a new level of self-awareness and personal growth. Parts therapy is about recognising and understanding the different parts of yourself—the voices in your head that represent conflicting feelings or desires. By exploring these, you can learn to harmonise them and make decisions that align with your whole self. We've also done work on the different systems in your body (Threat, Drive and Soothing) as well as Mindset. Therapy is something everyone and anyone could benefit from. It’s not always easy, but the rewards are profound—greater self-understanding and awareness, better relationships, and a clearer sense of purpose. If you're looking for someone you can trust in this space then I recommend you talk to Katie. She comes very highly recommended by me.
Katie also has an excellent SubStack you can subscribe to here.
Voice Noting
I’d sent a few voice notes in the past, but the practice never really stuck. If anything, I actually found listening to them a bit of a chore. But oh, how the tables turned this year! I’ll thank Ali and Katie for opening my eyes to this (yes, the Ali and Katie featured above) as they both do this extensively. When Ali first came on board, we corresponded almost exclusively with voice notes. For me, the ability to send these when I want is probably the main benefit. I don’t have to worry about the person being there or whether it’s convenient to talk right then. They also have the option to respond when they can. The next big thing is how you just can't convey tone in a text message or email, but you can in the way you speak. There have been many times where I’ve gone to write a message and thought, “This may not be taken the way I intend.” A simple voice note and I know I’ve got my message across. Then there’s the fact you can listen at convenient times like when out walking or in the car. I guess it’s a bit like the phenomenon that is podcasting and why that took off. Perhaps there’s also a neurodiversity angle here. Some people (probably me) prefer to listen and talk rather than read and type. I still think there’s a place for the written word (blogging for example), but until you’ve really tried it, don’t knock it.
Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube Channel
Of all the pro golfers out there, Bryson is one of the first to really embrace YouTube golf. When I first came across his channel, I was sceptical, but he was so down-to-earth, fascinating to watch, and humble. He started doing collaborations with other YouTube golfers I followed and then a few pros. It became must-watch TV. The main reason I’ve loved it so much is that it’s the time Oscar and I have on our own just before bedtime when Lizz is reading to Alexa. We cuddle up on the sofa to watch Break 50 (one of his series) and marvel at just how ridiculously good he is. Bryson has done something really special in creating this channel. He’s transcended the boundary between professional sportspeople, who are, let’s face it, untouchable, and us mere mortals—and he’s done it in such a humble way. I’d love to see more follow suit. Thank you Bryson.
Breathe Right Strips
Sometimes, the small things make the biggest difference. These little strips have genuinely changed my life this year, helping me get better sleep and feel more energised. You stick them on your nose at night and they essentially pull apart your nostrils, helping you breathe better! I used these when I had a blocked nose — they were an absolute game changer. A good night’s sleep every night despite the cold - unbelievable. I’ve heard they are also good for snoring too, but I couldn’t possibly comment on that ;) Give them a go: https://amzn.to/40a70Qk.
Command Strips
I may be late to the game here, but OMG, these things are just unreal. No more nails? By jove I think you're right. Used mostly due to Christmas decorations, the ones that are up now will probably last us for years in the same place. When it comes to putting up new pics in the new house, I don’t think we’ll be seeing a single hole in the wall ever again. Check them out: https://amzn.to/3VU9Kif.
So there it is, my 2024 in a nutshell! It's been fun reflecting, I hope you've enjoyed it too.
As always, I’d love to hear what’s changed your life this year. Big or small, the things we discover and the people we meet can have such a profound impact.
Here’s to 2025 let’s make it an awesome year!
Happy New Year and thank you for reading!
Alastair
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