As a kid, I hated having a summer birthday. During the school year, all the kids would get special attention for their birthday, and we always missed out! As the summer birthday kids, we had to celebrate on our own.
Now I kind of like it. I’ve done an annual reflection around New Years for a long time, but now my birthday serves as a perfect mid-year check in. So, for my birthday, I wanted to share those reflections.
Mostly, I’m really grateful. My life gets better every single year.
This past year, I’m grateful for:
- Taking a job that gave me the opportunity to learn and lead a team
- Watching the new wave of Startup Weekend organizers create better experiences than I ever could
- Working with a personal coach
- The support and success of so many of my friends
- Making the time to travel to places including Asheville, Denver, and St. Petersburg
- Transformative 30 day challenges, especially giving up drinking and waking up early
- Buying a CoGo (bike share) membership
- Playing Sunday squash with Zach
- Moving into a studio apartment alone
- Establishing a writing habit and this email list
- Taking the leap back into entrepreneurship
In the coming year, there are a few major goals and milestones I intend to hit:
- Work with 50 people personally via Unreal Collective
- Learn to swim (yes, seriously)
- Continue to maintain location independence
- Visit the Western U.S. including Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland
- Spend a month living in Los Angeles
- Spend a month living in New York City
- Create a short film
- Finish writing a draft for a book
It seems kind of daunting, but I think we underestimate how much time a year is with some planning and forethought.
Thanks for being on this journey. And remember that the next 365 days start today (for both of us).