Another pandemic year, another year of personal discovery.
A snapshot of my year:
- My wife and I welcomed our second child into the world, and my second kid blossomed
- My wife, kid and I all got covid-19, right before I was due to officiate a wedding
- My company brought back an in-person Philly Tech Week
- I helped set up my first kid for a sidewalk sale of plants we propagated together
- I attended five weddings (Jeff/Amanda! Owen/Lauren! Greg/Mollie! Roberto/Giselle! Timbs!), and officiated three of them!
- I read 44 books, the most of my adult life
- I developed a new social media workflow, and even got myself a new phone this week that should help
- A week downtheshore with my wife’s family
- I added to my house plant obsession
- I played with several AI tools, from Midjourney and ChatGPT to other simpler tools
- I produced several big reports and interesting pieces of journalism, often through the weekly interview series I’m doing on LinkedinLive for my Culture Builder newsletter
- We put our oldest kid into daycare (Aug. 1)
- We finished a handful of house projects, completing a remote work and kid-friendly home in which I spend more time than I ever did before the pandemic
- My company hosted a mini retreat (axe-throwing!) and a version of our annual all-team day in person
- I led my company through its first-ever strategic vision exercise
- I made several difficult decisions that strengthened my company (we ended the year modestly profitable)
- I drank less than I have in years, and the pandemic had already lessened my drinking
Review of resolutions:
- Go fully remote as a company (January): Still saddled with a lease, our team has put effort in developing our remote-first workplace.
- Reestablish my goals on social media (February) I got active on TikTok and am focusing more there and Linkedin, with a developing workflow.
- Pitch a nonfiction book proposal (March): I sure pitched, and learned quite a bit along the way. More to come.
- Let go of childhood collectibles (April): Not quite. I de-cluttered some but I have old video games and a box of baseball cards still.
- Upgrade my terrace (May): We moved our HVAC units, upgraded our plants and rearranged our small outdoor area.
- Invest in my daughter (June): With the help of my mother in law, I set up my daughter with the starts of small plant propagation business.
- Drop weight (July): I was closer to sticking to my goal to eat 80% full but my food journaling and other efforts fell short. I did decide what would have helped me for next year: get an app and track calories.
- Learn a song on the guitar (August): Nope, not even close.
- Make a life survival guide for myself (September): I drafted the file, and it’s something I like.
- Transform my family room into a study (October): Yes, this was a big success. With the help of a family friend and my wife’s good taste, we turned over a room in our home to a far comfier place.
- Play the piano (November): I took a few lessons and added some skills, though I’m short of many of my goals.
- A healthier, profitable business year (December): Yes!
Still no travel, and much was disrupted, but I was once again blessed with many gifts.
