Year End Reflections 2022

This post contains affiliate links that help supports this blog and cost you the exact same. If you do not wish to use affiliate links, then feel free to google the product.

It is hard to believe that it will soon be the end of 2022!

As we move into the new year, this is an ideal time to reflect on the past year and how far we have come. Before welcoming 2023 with open arms, let’s pause to look at our accomplishments from the past year and appreciate our progress.  As well as take an honest look at what hasn’t worked.

Each year is an eventful, dynamic journey filled with successes and failures, and each one is worth reflecting on and celebrating!

In this blog post, I’d like to share some reflections on 2022 (see last year’s post here), as well as my goals for next year.

I am looking forward to what lies ahead in 2023.

The Highlights of 2022

Best Travel

Travel is one of, if not the most fulfilling activity I do. I feel extremely fortunate that I was able to travel to so many amazing places this year.

• Las Vegas (read reflection on Vegas here)
• Vancouver
• Italy: Bellagio, Monterosso, Florence, Rome
• Victoria
• Nelson
• Alberta

Best Books 

I read more this year than probably any year past, 47 books so far. PS: Here is a group of recommended books in several different categories.

Out of all these books read this year, I think about five more than the rest.

• Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
  • Key Takeaway: Be a producer in the world, and pay other producers what they are worth
• How To Win Friends And Influence People – Dale Carnegie
  • Key Takeaway: People want to feel heard, understood, and important
• The Almanac of Naval Ravikant – Eric Jorgenson
  • Key Takeaway: Get paid for your judgment and decision using leverage
• Traction – Gino Wickman
  • Key Takeaway: Business growth can and often should be systematic. The stress an uncertainty is not necessary.
• Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
  • Key Takeaway: Life will be exponential, both up and down, so make sure the mission is worth the undertaking and stress.

My one key takeaway from all of these books is to find a mission great enough to inspire you to show up and give your best for at least a decade before changing paths.

Best Meals

• Bistecca Alla Fiorentina at Brandolino in Florence
• Anniversary Dinner at Row14 in Cawston
• Dinner at Il Terrazzo in Victoria
• Bistecca at Lago in Las Vegas
• Risotto at La Tortuga in Monterosso

Best Experiences

• Being on the ferry boat in Lake Como
• Hiking in Cinque Terra
• Running the BMO Half-Marathon (read about it here)
• Being with my family and nephews
• Cirque Du Soliel O
• Ainsworth Hotsprings
• Golfing with friends
• Sauna and jumping in the lake on my Birthday

Worst Experiences

• Getting Covid
• Severely injuring my neck and shoulder
• Getting sick
• Burning out from work
• Not feeling like I am making progress in life

Best Purchases

• A new mattress: Serta Perfect Sleeper (zero back pain! I can now sleep for more than 8 hours)
• Edifier Bookshelf Speakers
• Watches: Garmin Fenix 6 Pro & Mido Ocean Star Tribute
• Clothing: Cuts Clothing shirts and shorts, Smartwool socks, Blue Blazer from Bellagio
• God Father Cocktail at Little Jumbo in Victoria (one of the best cocktails I have had)
• Crossfit Membership/Apex Season Pass
• Headphones: Sony Overear and Google Pixel Buds A Series
• Handmade blown glass in Italy (I’m a sucker for beautiful handmade goods)
• Montblanc Legend Spirit Cologne (It just smells incredible, which makes me smell half as good)

What beliefs changed this year – is there anything that I’m better at or know more about now than before

Belief 1

The key to continuous growth and success is delegating everything that is not your Unique ability (coined by Dan Sullivan) and elevating everything that is.

In other words, continually let go of the tasks and priorities that are not fulling you or moving you closer to this season of life’s mission.

Belief 2

You need to dream big enough that your goals inspire you to take the everyday action required to achieve them. Few things can kill a dreams faster than setting them too small.

Belief 3

Earn with your mind and not your time.

As we progress through life, we should be compensated for our decisions and judgment.

We do this by using leverage (See The Almanak of Raval Navikant for more on this).

Belief 4

A secret to avoiding burnout and living a great life is the continuous act of removing. Find out what is essential in your life, and remove everything else.

Belief 5

To accomplish big, impactful things in life, we must be comfortable with lettings lots of little bad things happen. When we fill our days trying to prevent all of the little bad things, we end up with no time or energy to focus on what matters.

AKA, don’t major in the minors.

Belief 6

People that say money doesn’t buy happiness (and fulfillment) are just spending their money wrong.

Money, at the root, is a ticket that signifies the exchange of value. By spending my time in exchange for money, I can purchase something of value that someone else exchanged their time for.

The key to this is to do high-value activities (with leverage) and use that money to buy things that bring you happiness/fulfillment, which often is paying someone to do tasks you dislike.

How do I want to grow and change in the coming year

• I want to improve my writing and storytelling to be able to share information and help other people live their dream life by living up to their potential.
• Leadership. I want to better: understand, motivate, inspire, and communicate with my team and others in my life.
• Health and Wellness. While I love working hard, I also look forward to spending more time and energy on healthy hobbies and activities. Things like running, weight training, golf, snowboarding, hiking, etc.
• Happiness. This next year I want to focus on relationships and connection. I have such incredible people in my life, and it is a shame I have not spent more time with them.

What are the daily habits and routines I am most glad of doing

• Daily exercise (when I do it) has been extraordinarily helpful in reducing my stress, increasing my happiness, and keeping me healthy. I ran, worked out, golfed, swam, biked, and boated a lot this year, and I was thankful every time I did.
• Daily learning has been a part of my life since high school. However, I spent more time reading and taking courses this last year. I feel like my operating system is running on a new level.
• Writing my blog has been very satisfying (regardless of the numbers). The most beneficial aspect is consolidating my thoughts and trying to organize them in a way someone else would understand.

PS: You can read about my daily life as an engineer here.

Things I will do more next year

• Exercise
• Eating Healthy
• Connecting and spending time with loved ones
• Learning
• Producing value in the world
• Surrounding myself with people that share my core values

Things I will do less next year

• Eating food that tastes good but hurts my performance
• Pushing myself to the point of inefficiency. For example, long OT hours and not going to bed on time
• Spending time with negative people with limiting beliefs

New Skills Learned

• Building and running a website on WordPress
• How to run longer than 10K
• How to write more effective sales copy
• Video Editing
• SEO
• Leadership

Quick Fun Stats from 2022

• 4,000 blog views from April 2022
• 3 Countries Visited: Canada, USA, Italy
• 108 Workout Classes: Crossfit, Biking, Yoga
• 327 Km Run: 2 Half Marathons, and sub 25min 5K
• Commuting: 170 hours, 22,500 km 

Goals from 2022

• Run a half Marathon: I ran 2! One at 2:12
• Qualify for Crossfit Open Quarter Finals: Unfortunately, I hurt my neck and shoulder and had to stop training.
• Post one blog a week. In the last year, I published 90 articles!
• Post 2 Youtube Videos a Month: This did not happen. I did post 19 videos but decided to focus on blogging.
• Travel again (thanks Covid!): Vegas, Italy, Nelson, Vancouver, and Victoria 🙂

Goals for 2023

Health

• Sleep 7.5+ hours per night
• Eat foods that make me feel great
• Exercise 4+ days a week
  • Brazilian Jui Jitsu (new for me)
  • Snowboarding
  • Crossfit
  • Running
  • Biking
  • Golf
  • Hiking
• Watch my stress and ease off before burnout or sickness

Wealth

• Read 30+ Books
• Take 5+ Courses/Seminars
• Work on higher leverage tasks in my career
• Publish 50+ high-quality articles on my blog

Note: these are all leading indicators of wealth, not lagging.

Happiness

• See friends and family 2+ times per week
• Travel once per quarter
• Fun Activities With Michelle, Friends, and Family
  • Boating, Hiking, Golf, Board Games, Movie Nights, Dinner, Drinks
• Have downtime each night and every weekend

Summary

2022 was a good great year, but it wasn’t all ups. The lowest lows were definitely getting sick and Covid. Nothing makes me feel more useless than being useless, so perhaps it’s time to revisit the Iceman, Wim Hof’s method.

I am proud of the activities I focused on and more proud of everything I let go of. While I wish I had more success with my activities, I believe I am building a solid base and learning skills that will pay dividends in the next few years.

I look forward to 2023 being full of good health, more happiness, and ongoing growth.

Thank you all for being a part of this journey and for sharing my thoughts on this blog.

I would love to hear your recap of 2022 and plans for next year!