Happy 2023! Big year ahead. While this post is probably later than most other blogs' 2023 posts (I am getting over a cold - not Covid), the content is much the same. And it's not too late lol.
Before we jump into what's coming in 2023, let's quickly recap my 2022. I got promoted to Director of Finance at Alma, took my mom to Spain/Portugal, started playing tennis again, went to a bunch of festivals and concerts, ran my 4th NYC Marathon, re-started this blog, and then went to India for a few weeks to see my Grandma. I also went to Gujarat with my parents for a week to see some lions on safari (jeep pic related, pics from the safari coming soon), and stayed a night at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai. On the negative side, my Grandpa passed away just a few months before I was able to see him again, and we've been dealing with some other family health issues. Such is life.
Overall though, it was still a pretty solid year, and it was nice to start getting back out into the word after 2 years indoors.
I used 2022 to finally figure out exactly what I want to work on, when, and how I'm going to get there. While not everything is totally figured out, I have learned that it's impossible to plan to that extent anyway. So I'm going to just roll with it and do the best that I can.
I'll focus on the goals of this site in just a bit, but as some high level goals for 2023, let's split things up a bit. As mentioned in my bio, I have a lot of interests. Balancing them can be tough, but with organization and hard work, I think I can make good progress this year.
2023 Goals
Health. I'm putting this first. Everything stems from health. If you don't take care of yourself, your body will force yourself to rest. Except if you let it get there, you need a lot more rest, and you don't always bounce back to the same level of performance even after the rest.
Sleep: I'm pushing for 7 hours a night, no excuses. I'd also really love to get to bed and wake up around the same time every day, including weekends. This seems less feasible in NYC but will do my best. Will help me be less social and more focused as well.
Meditation and Reflection: This is one part gratitude, one part centering myself, and one part focusing the mind. If I have so many things I want to work on, it's going to get hectic. Not only will I need organization, but I'll need to continually remind myself of what's important and to reaffirm my progress. It's easy to lose sight of progress when the goals can seem so far. So journaling (on this site and elsewhere) plus meditation will help me.
Money. I have some long term goals here, but I want to maximize cashflow now to support those goals. For too long I've worked only on the longterm and hampered my short term. Realizing now that if I increase cashflow through consulting, business acquisition, and other passive streams, I'll unlock other opportunities for myself (all while having the chance to help lead Alma through its next phase of rapid growth).
Passive Cashflow: Start to sell photography, editing presets, and financial templates (personal and corporate). I might also start a podcast with a friend (I know. Another podcast).
Consulting: I already help people with their startups here and there. Let's formalize it and start to use evenings and weekends as I have capacity.
Acquisition: This one is the toughest, but I want to buy a cashflow business like a laundromat. There's a lot more than cashflow behind this one, but we'll get to that eventually.
Sports. While this goes hand-in-hand with health, I have explicit goals here. Completely seriously, the long term goals include earning at least 1 ATP point in tennis and running sub-3 at every marathon major. I am exactly 10 lightyears away from the skill and commitment necessary for either of those, but also, I'm 26. I have a decade or so to get to it. So for now, let's get my marathon time into the sub-4s, win a 4.5 tournament, and do some other activities to support those goals.
Running: Run 4-6 times per week, as needed for the race calendar. Manage workload, injury risk, and remember to stretch. We'll expand on these goals in the coming weeks in separate posts.
Tennis: This isn't actually an explicit goal for the year, or at least not the first half. While I wanted to actually even go back to the McEnroe Academy, I just don't have the time or money right now. So what I'm going to do is spend the first half through the spring and early summer getting as fit as possible through running/climbing/lifting, and then start playing with friends as often as possible. I'll also start to sign up for tournaments and just see how it goes.
Climbing: Again, this isn't an explicit goal as much as it is simply a reminder that I just need to go do this once a week. I don't have a goal on what v# I want to get to, or even intend to take it super seriously. It's just great exercise and a lot of fun.
Lifting: I miss lifting 6x per week like I did in college. I have a gym in building. No excuses. Let's do it.
That's it. I mean, that's a lot. Especially considering I spend a lot of time at Alma itself and have a LOT to do there. But I also have an awesome (and growing) team that really does so much.
So. How does this site come into play? I said I'd document things here. But I still want it to be a 'brand' of sorts. I want to provide value to you, the reader, where I can. While this is very much a loose and disorganized journal for myself, my hope is you get something tangible out of this - even it's just content. Also, importantly, I don't ever want to be an 'influencer' (gross). I just want to share what I do and if it's helpful to you - wonderful. If I get paid for it - amazing, I'm not complaining. But I'm not doing this to get a blue checkmark (especially now lol).
The brand I'm going for is: me. Just a bit more organized. I am a startup guy through and through. I love food. I love sports. I love music. I am rediscovering my love for photography. There's a lot there, so I'm going to package up my writing and content as follows:
Blog Schedule:
Sundays: A free form day where I'll talk about the prior week, the week ahead, and anything else on my mind. This is mainly for me and helps me preserve my sense of using this site as a journal, but it also helps organize the more tangible content for the week ahead.
Mondays: Money Mondays. Not only am I startup guy, I'm a finance guy. Nothing I say should be taken as direct advice - do your own homework, talk to advisors, tax pros, etc. But I'll pick topics, metrics, and other money things that I look at and give you my take on them.
Tuesdays: Tech Tuesdays. A bit freeform, I may talk about what I've been up to in tech, things I'm seeing out in the wild, or answering startup questions from readers. Anything tech/startup related.
Wednesdays: Wildcard Wednesday. Another day where I'll just rant about whatever is on my mind. The F1 season isn't too far away (when isn't it) so as it approaches, maybe I'll post predictions. I'll do the same for the baseball season. Maybe I'll talk about what I've been listening to or what I've been reading. Whatever is on my mind.
Thursdays: Training Thursdays. An update day for all my running friends. This is when I'll talk about what runs I've done that week, how they went, and what else is coming up on the calendar. We'll also review recent races (if any) and cover related things like diet and nutrition (again, not advice. Just things I'm doing). As tennis picks up, I may talk about that as well.
Fridays: Food Fridays. I'm going to cook more this year, but also explore more of NYC's food scene. Not just the high end stuff, but the more accessible options. If I'm traveling, definitely going to share food from wherever I am as well.
Saturdays: Startup Saturdays. This is explicitly things I've learned and observed over my last ~10 years of working at startups. I've seen a lot, good and bad. So will share my takes. Hopefully some are helpful to what you may be working on.
Alright. That was a lengthy post. Think my longest in a long while. See you tomorrow for the first Money Monday, be on the lookout for safari pictures, and stay tuned for more regarding my social media and how you can ask me questions/get on the blog.