I’ve always struggled with the feeling “Ok good job but what’s next” syndrome. No matter what I did, I always moved the goal posts. This year I’ve learned to slow things down and think hard about what I really want out of life… this has led me to some great epiphanies about how I want to spend my time. Eventually these transformed into habits and became a part of my new identity / ever day life.
By thinking hard about what I want and not what society convinces me I want, I’ve began to focus more than ever on me and how I want my life to look like… I drew this yesterday (Dec 27 2024). The inspiration came from this article. https://www.strongerbyscience.com/goal-setting/
There is a lot more to add to this, but this helps me visualize what I need to work on and why I want to do it.
The main theme from this year is I want to be spending every waking moment either doing an activity, connecting with others, or learning something. (these things will limit screen time/internet)
Things I’ve accomplished in 2024:
- quit drinking alcohol
- thought about / created criteria for the type of person I want to date / be in a relationship with
- created a small data consulting business which overtook my corporate consulting income
- huge net worth increase via business, less spending, and less risky investments (Mostly ETFs)
- exercised ~ every day
- lost 15 lbs while gaining muscle and doing creatine
- learned pickleball (racket sports increase longevity I’ve heard)
- meditation/yoga ~every week
- spent alone time with myself and being ok with boredom
- increased self awareness and positive relationship with myself
- limited my screen time (twitch, youtube, reddit, instagram, etc)
I’m learning to be patient with myself and realizing you can’t force yourself to do things you don’t want to do… beating yourself up doesn’t help.
I found it best to have 0 expectations for myself and treat every day as a ticket to Disney land… There’s no wrong way to do Disney land.. go about your day any way you want and be grateful for that day.
The other thing that has massively helped me with having 0 expectations is imagine myself losing everything and living under a bridge and becoming ok with that.
Both of these thought exercises have freed me from the anxiety/expectations that society/family/peers have placed on my subconscious. I’ve been more productive than ever while being the least stressed I’ve ever felt.
I’m excited to learn, grow, and connect with other humans this upcoming year. I’ve managed to make each previous year better by most metrics except stress. In 2025, I will continue prioritizing low stress and better judgement/decisions.
Building a Fulfilling Life 