The time of year has come to reflect on what was and look forward to what is coming. I wanted to take pause and put some thought out on how I’m looking back, in order to move ahead as positively as possible. A friend and Mastermind Leader of a group I am in threw this out to our group today as a good platform for as we enter the new year:

3 things that I am most proud of:

• 60lbs of weight loss (I was 250lbs at the end of 2019, now much healthier 190lbs)
• 365 days of legitimately beating my 1000 calorie move goal and exercising every day this year never taking a day off from physical activity
• Investing in myself – joined a Mastermind Group, read 15+ books, listened to hundreds of podcasts while doing my morning exercise, began writing my 1st book

3 things I need to do differently:

• Make more time for fun activities with my wife – could be playing board games, cooking with her, watching movies, or really just anything she wants to do. 2020 has limited us in our abilities to have fun how she and I used to with travel, so I need to prioritize time versus just “sitting at home with her.” That isn’t the “kind of time” I want to spend with her. It needs to be of higher quality
• Commit to a meditation routine for 20 mins daily without fail
• Plan daily / weekly initiatives, outside of work, so I can insure I accomplish personal goals

Top 3 greatest influencers for me:

• James Clear – “Atomic Habits”
• Dave Asprey – “Super Human”
• John Baines – “The Stellar Man”

Smartest Decisions I made:

• Investing in a Mastermind Group (I’ve seen great connections and bridges open up for me out of the group I attend bi-weekly since September)
• Choosing my health and fitness over any other excuse not to
• Investing in Overstock.com before online shopping grew exponentially (was more luck, but I fell into it with a small investment that paid off as the stock soared due to everyone staying home and being online)

Most caring acts of service:

• My volunteering for hospice care (although this had to stop due to obvious circumstances in the present world environment)
• Mentoring 3 different individuals throughout the year
• Volunteering time to serve meals to those less fortunate through the holiday season

Biggest risks:

• Cashing out of my Bitcoin stake and moving into a lesser known crypto currency (I believe this will payoff far more than my Bitcoin gains in the future but time will tell – all investments in crypto are high risk / high reward)
• Writing a book (only because I truly don’t know where that future is taking me)
• My foray into FOREX trading of currency (just toying around with it to learn right now, but again – high risk / high reward)

Most important relationships improved:

• My relationship with my wife – even during the challenges of this year, I feel her and I are closer than we’ve ever been. We have aligned on “similar paths” of focus and interest in 2020 that is helping us bond at higher levels
• My relationships with my family – while it never seems enough to me, I talk more with them and see them more than I have in years past
• My relationship with the team I lead – I am responsible for 6 highly unique individual leaders, that I feel in my second year in position, has really seen our professional cohesiveness as a team grow stronger

One word that best describes all of 2020:

• “Mental-Fortitude” – okay it’s technically two words by I hyphenated them to make it seem like one 😉

3 things to do less of in 2021:

• Less time perusing apps on my phone (I’ve already cut out most all TV – now time for the wasted time on my phone – time is our greatest asset and I want as much of it productive as humanly possible)
• Less time spent on politics – I simply cannot control it so I cannot allow the frustration to set in that at times can consume me
• Staying up late – I want to ensure my days begin no later than 5:30am everyday for all that I want to accomplish in the New Year (personally and professionally)

3 things to do more of in 2021:

• Weekly practicing to learn guitar (just bought a brand new guitar that I’m learning and can’t wait to become proficient on it)
• Weekly practicing of my Spanish as I aim to be able to hold full conversations in the language
• Write 500 words each day to contribute to my 1st book as well as my new blog “Ungraduated.com”

3 things to stop doing in 2021:

• Stop making any excuses for not prioritizing my wife first before all else – she has been my rock and my soulmate as we’ve been together 20+ years…I will not take our time together for granted
• Stop drinking completely during the week and limit drinking to just 2 times at most monthly (every other weekend for one evening of the weekend)
• Stop my incessant daily Starbucks habit and cut it back as I work to get on 100% organic coffee

My personal Mantra for 2021 – “BE WITH ABUNDANCE“

There is so much I have to be thankful for in my life and I know that it is my daily attitude, thoughts, and constant gratitude that will bring even more abundance into my life from the universe. This is so that I can continue to bring what I aspire after into the world for the impact that I hope to make for those around me.

For the many challenges 2020 has brought, there is much goodness laying within it. I hope this post helps bring some self-realization for anyone that may read it and perhaps challenge some similar thoughts and reflections.

May 2021 be of happiness, success, and peace for all that are seeking it to be so…