2019: Year in Review

It’s that time of the year where we get the opportunity to reflect and be grateful for the year we’ve had. 2019 has been a challenging and rewarding one; and it’s my pleasure to share it with you.

2019 Resolution

The goal I set for 2019 was the phrase: Sustain & Depth.

Sustain the habits built during 2018.
Pursue depth in the few projects with highest leverage.
Continue practicing calm and the art of letting go.

2019 Results

Here are the main results for the 2019 year:

2019 Review

How do I feel about the year?

Not bad! Pretty happy.

I am very proud to see the hard work payoff.

The downpayment on my house reflects years of disciplined savings (and spending!).
The increase in mental health performance (97% blue-mind vs 90% in 2018).
A significant increase in readership (80+%) and a solid reading practice. (35 books)

I hope these results carried into enhancing the quality of my interactions with my peers, family and friends.

I didn’t spend as much time outdoors as I had planned to; offset by the hours invested in self-study and work. It’s ok. I’ll make more time for breaks and fresh air in 2020.

2019 Highlights

Drumroll for some of the top highlights for the year…

Married my best friend!
Hosting friends from out of town.
Finally read the book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.
The Book Club is still going strong. (6 sessions)
Travelled to Spain. Explored Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia.

2019 Highest Leverage Activity

Highest leverage activity of 2019: Working with an Executive Coach

For the first time in my life I worked with an Executive Coach. In 2 sessions we made years worth of progress. She helped me understand the root cause of my emotional turbulence and identify tools for acceptance and coping. This is definitely a practice I recommend and wish to sustain in 2020.

2019 Tally!

Some tallies of 2019…

770 Drinks enjoyed over 181 drink-sessions.
359 Journaling and Gratitude Sessions
334 Blue Mind days (Calm and Peace)
295 Zen-Flow days (Letting go of control)
228 Intermittent Fasting days
176 Hangouts with friends
150 Listen > Talk days
119 Dates with Vickie
105 Family Gatherings
97 Movies watched
59 Workouts
51 Weeks averaging 7+ Sleep-Hours
39 Articles/posts read & summarized
35 Books read (totalling ~ 9,339 pages)
32 Essays written
16 Cooking sessions
15 Meditation
11 Out-of-town friends hangouts. (Jose, Javi, Andy, Jose, Alex, Ribhu, Chris, Kaitlin, Guillermo, Rob, Jaxson)
6 Book Club reunions
5 Sick days
4 Blog posts
4 Skype sessions
3 Certifications
3 Hikes
2 Travel Trips (Miami, Spain)
1/1 Wedding! (Vickie and I got Married)
1 Conference Presentation at the Panama Supply Chain Forum
1 Solo drive and trip to Boquete
1 Solo comedy show experience
1 Heck of a year!

2019 Retrospective

The 3 biggest lessons I’d like to share are:

The importance of tribe.
The illusion of personal importance.
Difficult decisions. Clear priorities.

#1. The importance of tribe.

My happiest and most content moments this year are those where I shared time with family and friends. Enjoying the company and support of my tribe was the #1 piece of gratitude that came up most frequently in my gratitude journal.

#2. The illusion of personal importance.

This year was a breakthrough in grasping the illusion of personal importance. We often doubt and second-guess our actions, with the goal of controlling and influencing how others will perceive and think of us. The truth is it’s never really about us. It’s always about them. The moment we realize that we all live in our self-centric point of view, we’ll be free to flow and live according to our own interests and authentic intentions.

#3. Difficult decisions. Clear priorities.

When you have clarity in what matters to you and what you are working so hard for, the difficult decisions become easier to make. Personal clarity makes it easier to support the sacrifice and difficult tradeoffs along the way.

This year I’ve worked the hardest and longest at my company. I skipped/passed on many social outings; due to deadlines or needing to be at my best the next day.

Another hard one was, albeit common to many, managing my wedding list. I wasn’t able to invite a lot of people (childhood friends, coworkers, college buds) due to budgetary limitations. I want you all to know that I still care about our friendship dearly; and appreciate your understanding.

2019 Reflection

Practice Gratitude.

I am incredible grateful for the year I’ve had, It’s been a year full of challenges and hard work; high’s and low’s, and great times shared with family and friends. Thank you all for being such a special part of my life.

—

2020 Prospective

So what’s in store for next year? …

As of the moment of this writing, I have a few specific goals in mind…

On the craft side, I’d like to deepen my technical expertise; achieved through technical certifications.
On the tribe side, I’d like to learn to listen. To be present and focused on the other’s story.
On the internal side, I’d like to take better care of my body-mind combo. (Better = sleep, food, exercise, fresh air)

—

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to explore past posts:

¡Cheers!

And last but not least …