My annual review: 2023

 This year I’m writing my first Annual Review, which will give me a chance to take stock of what went well and what could have gone better, while also giving me a moment to enjoy the progress I’ve made over the past 12 months.

But it’s not just about looking back. A good Annual Review is also about looking toward the future and thinking about how the life I’m living now is building toward a bigger mission. Basically, my Annual Review forces me to look at my actions over the past 12 months and ask, “Are my choices helping me live the life I want to live?”

And most importantly, the annual review is a personal process. It’s not about comparing how much or how little you did to someone else. It’s about your life, your actions, and what you want to do for yourself. In other words, keep your eyes on your own paper.

There are 3 questions that I’m going to answer in my Annual Review (feel free to use these for your own annual review if you want).

1. What went well this year?
2. What didn’t go so well this year?
3. What am I working toward?

Alright, let’s get this party started…

1. What went well this year?

Private Life. After being unaware for years, this was the year when I finally turned it around. I left my unhappy marriage and filed for divorce after 19 years of being married. And it feels good. 

Work. It felt like I was searching for something. After quitting the job I did for more than 20 years by 31.12.2022 I started a job in July 2023 but I quit that again by the end of the year of 2023, and I am ok with that. It was not meant for me, but a huge learning about how I want to work. 

Mindset. I have been very achievement focused my entire life. This year, I somehow stopped being focussed and just tried to hold my head over water. 2024 should be a more focussed year. 

2. What didn’t go so well this year?

Creating products.  I think I was not creative at all in 2023. 

Dealing with the loss of my Birth Mother and my Father. Well, that was a tough one. It took me some time to get over this. 

Staying in touch with friends and family. During the process I had in 2023 I most likely blocked off friends and family, and it was needed. It was like a shield for me. 

Travel. I did not travel at all in 2023.

Sport. I didn’t make it and this is my focus in 2024. 

3. What am I working toward?

So where is all of this going? What direction am I heading in? What am I hoping to build, to create, and to share with the world?

After much thought, I think there are 5 central themes that drive my work, my relationships, and my life.

1. Rituals and habits. I believe in process. I believe that it’s more important to become the type of person that you want to become than it is to achieve a particular result. The system is more important than the goal. Furthermore, the science of habits is probably the central theme that ties all of my work together.
2. Adventure and exploration. There is very little in life that is better than a good adventure. The world is meant to be experienced, not read about.
3. Creativity and craftsmanship. There is a magic that comes from making things. I believe that it’s important to be a creator, not merely a consumer. I want to make sure that I not only share great ideas through my writing, but that I actually put them into practice as well. It’s better to live in the arena than to judge from the crowd.
4. Strength and confidence. I believe in living a physical life. It is through sport, competition, and physical pursuit that I have developed confidence in myself and I think that it is important to pursue those areas on a consistent basis. Pushing yourself physically reveals what you are made of mentally.
5. Service and teamwork. I believe that we should be relentlessly helpful, teach everything we know, and serve whomever we can reach. Regardless of what projects I work on in the future, I hope they will serve others and focus on a cause that is bigger than myself. After working up the courage to write publicly, I now believe that writing is among the most important things I do because it allows me to help people on a larger scale.

The Bottom Line

I’m excited to make 2024 a year of slow gains, little habits, and unwavering consistency.

The Best is yet to come!