Three of my colleagues at USV have first day of the new year posts up this morning that inspired me. Two are macro-related (Fredâs and Albertâs) but one is personal (Bethanyâs). Take a look at all three â they are a good way to get ready for what is to come.
Fredâs punchline is âIt is going to be a doozyâ and I agree. But from my frame of reference, every one of my 53 years on this planet has been a doozy. So, while the macro will for sure be another doozy, Iâm focused on what my @bfeld v53.0 goals are and how Iâm doing a month into the v53 journey (v53.1).
Curious: I only read five books in December, but the one Iâm reading now, Number One Chinese Restaurant, definitely fits in the curious category. I read 113 books in 2018 and have a goal of 100 books again in 2019. However, I had way too many âpredictableâ books in my 2018 reading list, so 2019 will be much more unpredictable as I skip over the obvious stuff to read and instead indulge my curiosity. If you have non-business, non-tech books that you think will stretch my mind, put them in the comments for all to see.
Healthy: Iâm off to a great start on this front. My running is going well â last week was 4:31 running over five days for a total of 21.6 miles and a TSS of 579. This has been a steady build since I started running again in mid-September with a week of two runs, 1:21 for 4.94 miles and a TSS of 52. Iâve lost seven pounds since v53.0 and that feels good. Iâve signed up for the 2019 Cowtown Marathon (Fort Worth) in February and the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon (Knoxville) at the end of March. If you want to join my Knoxville Marathon team, drop me an email and Iâll send you an invite.
Calm: The metabolizer is in good shape. It managed to not get damaged over the holidays, which is a dangerous time for it.
Present: Iâm doing âokâ here but could be a lot better. Amy has noticed that Iâve been distracted and I periodically feel a bunch of external nonsense sneaking into my brainspace. Iâd like to blame Twitter or news.google.com, but ultimately this is a discipline I need to keep working on.
Supportive: Each day Iâve thought of a person to reach out to who I know needs some support for some reason. Iâve been doing this by email, but Iâm going to play around with physical letters, phone calls, and meals.
Boundless: This aspiration now anchors everything I do. Itâs 8 degrees outside. Iâm looking forward to my run today. Later today Iâll wander over to the Carriage House (where my writing space is) and put in two hours on The Startup Community Way which Iâm getting pretty excited about. I expect Iâll spend some time on the couch with Amy and the dogs reading this afternoon. And, I know weâll watch at least another episode of The Americans (we are halfway through Season 3 and loving it.) Whatever else happens, happens â¦
Happy new year.Â
Also published on Medium.