It’s National Tax Day. How did we do in 2025?
April 15th is National Tax Day. Congratulations! Perhaps a good opportunity to reflect on 2025. And make any needed changes for 2026 and beyond.
An off schedule post
This is an off-schedule post. That means something different or interesting is going on that warrants paying attention to. So, my friends, read on to find out more!
Introduction
April 15th, called National Tax Day, is the day our taxes are due. Since this post is going out on April 13, that means, just in case you forgot, you have two days to get your taxes submitted. Or file an extension and make any estimated tax payments. Most people file on time with no issues and either get a refund or send a payment of any taxes due. Failure to pay taxes on time is a serious issue, and it can get ugly really quickly. And things just keep piling up so that it gets worse. People with complicated tax issues, unusual circumstances, or some businesses file for an extension, and if estimated taxes are paid, it’s just fine. However, dragging out tax issues until October or longer must be draining. There are even businesses that exist to help you mitigate back taxes. These companies are typically called tax-relief or IRS-debt-forgiveness companies.
I hope you pay your taxes on time and are pleased to pay all that you owe, and in fact, you paid more in 2025 than ever before! Which is why I said congratulations at the top of this post. Well, I know that is contrary thinking for many people, but let me explain. When we pay taxes, we fund our governments, which include federal, state, and local governments. Yes, the government is not the most efficient organization, and it really burns me to see the fraud and waste that happen on a regular basis. But our taxes fund our military, police, fire, and paramedics, and pay for other government services, such as infrastructure, that we all depend on every day. Frankly, it’s a privilege to pay our taxes to live in such a great country. And I say this in all honesty. If you are unhappy with what you are paying in taxes, I invite you to click on the link in Note 1 and see how good we really have it in the USA, the land of opportunity. Or not, depending upon your perspective.
And what I meant by I hope you paid more taxes than ever before is that I hope you made a lot of money in 2025. So you could pay more taxes. And help our country grow and prosper. And yourself and your family as well. Of course, it could be because of less-than-optimal planning, but let’s hope that is not the case. If it is, then you are in luck with this post, as I’m going to help you turn things around.
As a bit of trivia, April 15th, besides being National Tax Day, has historically brought other significant events. Abraham Lincoln died on April 15, 1865. The Titanic sank in 1912. Jackie Robinson debuted as the first African American player in Major League Baseball in 1947. The first McDonald’s franchise opened in 1955, and the Notre-Dame Cathedral burned in 2019. April 15th is also World Art Day, National Laundry Day, and Purple Up! Day, which supports military children.
All that is fine and well, but I want to use this opportunity to reflect on how 2025 went for each of us. Will you indulge me for a few minutes and walk with me? It could be profitable for you!
A time for reflection
If you have been reading my writings or my book, or have taken the Afterburner Success Partners Course, you know that I advocate for periodic reviews of our goals to ensure we stay on track. If you are early in this journey, four times a year, or more often in turbulent times, may be what is needed. If you have been doing this for a while and things are on track, then twice a year may be enough. I review my own on January 1 and July 4 every year. I do it early in the morning, and those milestone dates help me remember. I record my progress, and I have records going back a long time, so I can compare how I have been doing over time.
I might also suggest that April 15 is a good time to reflect. In the course and book, I discuss that the first goals one should set and achieve are financial. This is because we do not want to self-limit ourselves in the present, thinking that what we are making or where we are working is the best we can do. No, I advocate thinking big and then adjusting plans around what makes you happy. Not the other way around, which is a limiting move. We also discuss that our profession is likely the biggest source of your income, which will determine what you can do in your personal time, where you will live, or how you live your life.
So, what I’m doing is advocating for you to use National Tax Day, April 15th, to reflect on how you did in 2025, not just with your financial goals, but other goals as well. Take a few minutes to do that. What feeling do you get? Do you feel like you did well? Or are you unhappy with where you are and how you did? Some things are beyond our control, which is why I advocate not making changes hastily, recognizing the uncontrollable situations, and taking a longer view. For example, if you were sick, then there is nothing you can do except improve your health and keep moving forward. If the stock market crashed or there were world events beyond your control, then they are what they are. Keep working your plan, and you likely will recover just fine.
How do you feel you did in 2025?
Some examples
I’d like to give you some examples from my own life to help guide you through this exercise.
Bad stuff:
By April 2025, we had attended nine funerals, eight before the middle of March, and during one week, we attended three. I don’t need to tell you how awful it is to lose friends you care for. By the way…I hope you always attend a funeral of someone you know. You may not know them closely, but attending a funeral shows respect for the person you knew and their family. Yes, I know we are busy, and work MAY get in the way. But I will say I’m always glad I took the time to go to a funeral because I not only showed my respect but also learned a few things and felt better for it. It’s the same with weddings. Go to all you can.
We had some relatively minor (in the big scheme of things) family issues, both immediately and in our extended family. I’m guessing I’m not the only one in this category.
Good stuff:
We were healthy. For the most part. Without our health, most of the other things do not matter.
I published two books in 2025! This was a years-long effort, and like so many things in life, I worked hard for a long time, and when they came to fruition, it all happened in a blur. Check the links in Notes 2 and 3 for more information and even buy them!
We celebrated three 90-year birthdays!
We traveled a lot in 2025. We love traveling, it’s our thing, and we were able to not only go see friends and family but also travel to Europe three times and see a lot of different countries and experience different cultures. Besides the enjoyment of travel, visiting other countries and seeing other people and cultures is a learning experience and often helps us appreciate the rest of the world and our own life here at home.
I continued to meet, and often exceed, all the goals I set for 2025. If we plan well, and that’s the purpose of this post, we can say that more often than not. As I mentioned, sometimes we have bad years, and we just have to power through them, keep doing what we know we need to do, and wait for things to improve.
I was able to continue serving others through teaching, volunteering, and helping whenever I could.
We have a wonderful family and friends, and we were able to enjoy them often.
My biggest goal over the past 10 years has been to remain diligent in my daily Bible reading and study. Frankly, and this is a lesson for all of us, I’ve got into the habit of doing this first thing in the morning as soon as I get up, so it’s a habit. Remember our discussion about good habits and how we want them to be almost mechanical, so we do them as we should? I’ve also wanted to continue learning more about the history of the Church and to do my best to follow God’s will for me daily. I’m a work in progress to be sure, but I continue to grow, and that’s what’s important.
In summary, 2025 was a very good year for our family, all in all, and what I had hoped it would be when I started on this journey of documenting what I want to do and developing plans to ensure it happens. Over 40 years ago…Make sure you catch what I just said. What I’m doing today is what I planned to be doing when I started this journey of setting and achieving goals in my 20s. I didn’t have the specifics back then, but in general, I am doing what I intended. That’s exactly what I hope you are able to do. And you will, if you take the time to develop your plans today.
Summary
I hope you will take a few minutes as you file your taxes to reflect on your 2025. I hope you had concrete goals and achievement plans and that things worked out well for you. If they did not, I recommend the Afterburner Success Partners course, reading the book, or contacting me so we can work something out, and I can help you. I hope your 2026 is your best year ever!
That’s all for today!
A Bicycle Kick for the Win!
I hope your 2026 is your best ever!
Afterburner Success Partners
What’s in it for Me
If we want to get ahead in life, we need to be aware of the world around us and gain as much information as we possibly can. We need to be constantly learning from those who are successful. And, conversely, we need to learn what not to do from those who are not successful. If you have not established written goals for your lifetime plan and are acting on them, I might suggest taking the Afterburner Success Partner course, so we can learn how to prioritize what’s really important to use. Or maybe read the book. Or both!
Call to Action
Purchase the recommended books by clicking on the link in Notes 2 and 3 as mentioned above. Take the Afterburner Success Partners course. Or do both!
Recommended Resources
Buy and read Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi (Note 2).
Up Next
Back to regular posting schedule.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
List of Countries by Personal Income Tax Rate, Trading Economics: https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/personal-income-tax-rate
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ