I celebrated 37 years on this earth a month ago with a pickleball party. It was a great event, and brought together people I liked and the game I’ve grown to love so much in the past few years. My body isn’t as strong as when I was climbing – but I think given how limited my time is nowadays with 2 young children, I can see why the social sport of pickleball supplanted climbing as my main hobby.
Without further ado, the timeline:
- Jan – Samson’s engagement party
- Feb – Kristie and Ian’s baby shower
- Mar – Business trip to MPK (Menlo Park) for team roadmapping, pickleball w/ Kai
- Apr – Jengo and John’s wedding in LA
- May – Jack & Jill in the Catskills, Kona for Fan’s 37th
- Jul – Sunbreak, world tour (Taiwan, China, Europe), Tomorrowland
- Aug – Boston
- Sep – Acquired Private Pilot’s License (PPL)
- Oct – Business trip to MPK for PE Summit, playdate w/ Karina & Shawn & Arlo + Kai & Stefanie & Millie
- Nov – Hosted Thanksgiving
- Dec – Road trip to LA, cruise to Mexico
And what did I learn?
- You will accomplish what you prioritize.
- I put acquiring my PPL on my goals list this year. Acquiring this where I am in life (stressful job, 2 young children, grappling with the onset of type 2 diabetes) nearly broke me… yet it also healed me. It was one of the constants in my life, something almost entirely within my control. Will I study everyday? Will I chair-fly everyday? Will I build the mental fortitude to handle the unforgiving nature of being pilot-in-command? The answer was yes. My father flew helicopters in the Vietnam War, and my brother got his PPL a few years ago. I wanted to build an aviation lineage, and now I can try with my children when they become old enough. The full-circle moment happened this past Thanksgiving when I took my brother and father on a joyride in a Cessna 172. We landed in KBFI (Boeing Field), a historic airport. It was everyone’s first time landing there.
- I started engaging with Auggie, my secondborn son, as I could see he was developing rapidly now that he was over 1yo – so the ‘mechanical’ portion of childrearing was over. We were worried about habits like whininess and screaming, and I especially wanted to nip these in the bud. Similar to my firstborn daughter Sunni, there’s an adjustment period where you’re both learning each other. The usual pangs of annoyance and frustration as you stretch your patience and create space for your child to explore and learn. The connection gets built slowly day in, day out. And of course, the results are starting to show as Auggie starts communicating with physical gestures and simple spoken words.
- Relevant reading: Mark Mansion – The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck.
- Health and happiness is the foundation. Figure out what is enough.
- My parents instilled a world-class work ethic in me. It powers me to grind everyday, whether my body or mind wants to. It’s a double-edged sword that has brought me to amazing achievements and success – with the crushing accompaniments of bodily and mental deterioration. It’s been a lifelong challenge to harness this inner drive and not let it consume me, and I believe I’ve made big progress this year.
- I review my family’s finances every few months to ensure we’re on track for retirement, and was excited to realize that I’m basically eligible for “barista FIRE.” This privilege allows me more freedom to choose how to spend the rest of my limited hours. The first thought I had is that adage that “no one on their deathbed wishes they had worked more” – and so I restrict my work to business hours.
- With an aging body, the number of productive hours in a day simply decreases. Not accepting this will lead you to burnout. Always prioritize your health and happiness… no one else will do it for you. Early recognition of your mental and/or physical health declining allows you to alter course before serious symptoms set in.
- Relevant reading: Bill Perkins – Die with Zero, Peter Attia – Outlive, Hector Garcia – Ikigai.
- Frequency over intensity (spaced repetition).
- I’ve spoken about this concept before when it comes to changing jobs, but it is so good that it’s worth repeating 3 years later. I would have never gotten my PPL without studying Anki flashcards everyday. And when my mental health was suffering, I found it to be a great remedy to break through disinterest and sluggishness. Sometimes you really don’t want to show up to work – or even a party you agreed to attend. Just show up for a few minutes and let momentum help you out. You drive to work. Well, since you’re there, maybe you can go in and get a free coffee. Well, since you drank some coffee, maybe you can peep your inbox. Well, since that email requires just a simple response, you might as well knock it out… and off to the races you go.
- Relevant reading: James Clear – Atomic Habits.
- Manage your addictions. Manage your screen time.
- I have used Facebook and Instagram to stay connected to my local communities ever since the platforms went live. In the past few years though, I understood I was starting to waste too much time on IG, so I implemented screen time limits. Whenever I realize I am bypassing the limits by pressing the “ignore” button too frequently, I resort to a more drastic restriction with an uninstall of the apps. Protect your mind and protect your time. The corporations are not incentivized to do it for you.
- Relevant reading: Anna Lembke – Dopamine Nation, Adam Alter – Irresistible.