A new year typically means reflection on the previous year and hope for the new one. The older I get, the more I find myself spending time analyzing the past year and less planning for change in the new year. On the surface this may not seem optimal because we cannot change the past, but that also makes it the easiest variable(s) to study. For me, finding something I did not like in the past year is a clearer target than building dreams of something new in the future. Isolating what I want less of, and taking actions to do so, will naturally carry me in the direction I want to go. Both roads really lead to the same place, this is just the preferred method for me (likely because I am self-critical by nature).
If the previous year is to be measured, what is the best metric to do so? The most efficient would be to ask what it would take for me to feel like I totally failed last year then work from that. So, what is absolute failure? For me, it would be to be the same person on 1/1/23 as I was on 1/1/22. I learned nothing, took no risks, surrounded myself with people things that would only agree and not challenge. To spend a full year in my comfort zone is failure.
I am pleased to report that was not the case for 2022. A great example would be starting a new business in the middle of record inflation with “recession” talk and objective symptoms everywhere was definitely outside my comfort zone in October of last year, but Countritude was born and has continued to grow. I embrace the challenges, keep my eyes open for opportunity, and make the best decisions I can to put myself, my family, and my business in the best position possible.
I am filled with gratitude.
Keep hammering.
Cheers,
Reed