Looking back and looking forward

To learn you must look back.

To grow you must look forward

The new year is a natural time to do both.

I started 2023 with a few intentions.

So, how did it go?

I had a lot of success with triathlon. Races went better than I could imagine. I raced my first ever duathlon in April placing 2nd in my age group. August saw personal best times for both sprint and olympic distance triathlons, placing in the top 3 for my age group in both. It’s safe to say plenty of swimming, biking and running happened between January and August.

I wanted more non-W2 income in 2023. This led to a lot of experiments

• Stock trading

• DoorDash

• Ecommerce 

I had fun and learned from each. But, the real winner was simply investing in basic index funds, like I already learned from the Financial Independence community.

When I started 2023 I decided to drink alcohol less often. i.e. monthly instead of weekly. But, the longer I went the longer I wanted to go. Now, we find ourselves at the end of the year and I’m contemplating giving it up indefinitely. I feel better in body and soul today than this time last year. Going alcohol free was a big part of that.

Writing this newsletter and posting regularly on Twitter (now X…) has been a big part of “challenging myself to be uncomfortable”. I’m typically a private person and didn’t use social media for years. I wanted to reengage with the world and share what life has taught me. You all have been a big part of that. Thank you.

Similarly, I’ve been more open about my emotions in my personal relationship. I’ve recognized my dissatisfaction at work and am open about my need to change.

2023 was a fun year with some adventure. I tried new things (trail racing and duathlon for example). I went to a two day concert, camped out and met some really fun and interesting people. I took my dad and siblings to see the Yankees play the Mariners. Ultimately I wish I went on more camp outs and hikes with my kids but I also value unstructured relaxed down time. You can’t have everything.

Looking back, I feel good about 2023. But I had my struggles. I failed several projects and lost my footing a bit at work.

I had a hard time letting go of the past. My thoughts were filled with images of an idealized past, a wife and children all under one roof. Shared holidays ; shared memories. All these feel lost and I mourn them.

I relived feeling of rejection. Wrestled with internal conflict about my choices and circumstances. Being honest with myself and others about these feeling led to a type of healing I haven’t felt before. I feel comfortable in the present and ready move towards the future.

I want to re-engage more deeply with spiritual practices. To the less spiritually inclined amongst my readers this might seem like an odd response. But, I’ve found the less I feel engaged with The Father, the more I try to find my identity elsewhere in what is ultimately empty and unfulfilling.

Heading into 2024 I want to double down on:

• Investing for financial independence.

• Training for triathlon, knowing I can compete.

• Creating memorable experiences for myself others.

• Sharing myself and my life more generously.

There are also areas of life that need renewed focus:

• Change careers, allowing for meaningful individual contributions.

• Focus on spiritual wellbeing and practices (focused particularly on scripture reading)

Life is better when we live it intentionally. Our kids need to see this example in us.

So go ahead, set those goals, intentions, resolutions. Whatever you call them and whenever you set them, live life on purpose. You won’t regret it.