2022 was quite the year!

2022 was quite the year.

Given the importance of reflection, I thought I would share a little this year:?

I started an MBA and ramped to double course load after the first semester, was awarded an honorary doctorate, won an incredible book award, ran an exciting blockchain company, advised a handful of very promising companies, finally found a coach that I could open up to, joined two incredible NFPs Boards and a number of committees, saw a gym trainer twice a week for the year, learned to run, and started to get a real handle on mental health including a life long affliction to binge eating disorder. I habitualized massage, reflexology, 8+ hours of sleep a night, 8.5 min long cold water plunges at 4C, infrared sauna (35 min at 145F), and 50-minute pitch dark isolation chamber floats.?

The biggest challenge was learning to embrace the passage of time. Floating in the pitch dark, running on the treadmill, sitting in the sauna or an ice cold barrel of water - watching the clock and thinking about how slow it can move, all the while, the important things, like my kids growing up while I’m off doing something else did not come easy. Committing to those gruelling tasks and facing the tradeoff head-on countless times, I wanted to cut things short and get back to comfort. But over time (no pun intended), I learned to embrace - and appreciate - that passage of time.?

My biggest realization from all this was the balance of pain and pleasure. Whereas I’ve focused so much on pleasure, Dr. Anna Lebmke taught me the importance of balance between the two and how embracing pain (the right kind) can produce the best pleasure. It shifted the way I think about so many things, especially addiction.?

I can say with certainty that the last quarter of the year has filled me with the most significant amount of gratitude and appreciation I’ve ever felt. I am incredibly grateful for my loving kids and beautiful wife, my friends who put up with my continued absence, and my colleagues - the best group of folks I’ve worked with.?

But 2022 was not a complete success and brought some continued challenges and hurdles. The effects of the market conditions were not lost on us. I fell short of my 52 books a year challenge for the first time in years. Someone I look up to greatly will often ask me how I am doing on the big 5; how are you doing as a father, son, brother, husband, and friend - the premise being that when we are on our deathbeds, these are some of the things that will matter the most. While I’m proud of my performance in some, I have work to do in others. Overall I hope I can look back at 2022 as one of the years with the most growth. I turned 39 this year, and while I didn’t think for the longest time that I’d live past 35, I now see my life as about to truly begin at 40.?

For 2023, I signed up for a sprint triathlon, bought a bike, and going to re-learn how to swim. I want to grow my advisory business, supporting exciting businesses looking to make the world a better place, which I often consider my ikigai. I want to start bringing ‘Tonight Show’ like entertainment about entrepreneurship live to towns across the country and sign another book deal. I plan on completing my first degree ever (MBA) - while I did five years of undergrad study, I never completed my undergraduate degree - and will apply for a Ph.D.? I plan on getting better at all of the big 5. I will continue to embrace - and appreciate - the often difficult passage of time, and I will continue to strike a balance between pleasure and pain.?

Thanks, 2022. 2023, let’s do this!

I'd love to hear what your biggest challenges and realizations of 2022 were. If you are up for sharing, drop me a note here on LinkedIn or at [email protected].

Best,

Adam