I’ve been through this “new year” thing a few times. Not as many as some, but more than others. The last few years I’ve gravitated toward “themes” instead of listing a bunch of unrelated goals/wishes. That way when I list out any specific goals, it becomes more about listing actionable steps to support a singular goal instead of a bunch of things I need to keep in my head throughout the year.
My theme this year is “Consistently Show Up”.
Consistently showing up in all areas of my life that matter. Family. Hobbies. Work. Friendships.
Looking back on the last… <checks notes>… three years, I think it’s safe to say most of us have experienced some level of burnout given everything that’s gone on. My hope this year is that instead of trying to go 110% and then revving down to 40-50% to recharge, I can maintain a consistent rate of 80% or so. Similar to a long distance runner, I’m pacing myself for the marathon distance, not a bunch of sprints.
Something I’m experimenting with this year is that if a goal doesn’t have a defined cadence to it (it’s not something that I want to do daily, weekly, or monthly), the number I’m aiming for is 23. For example: go snowboarding 23 times, read 23 books, and write 23 posts this year. Depending on how that goes, I’ll stick with it and aim for 24 next year. Catch me in 2050 to see if I’m reading 50 books.
If you’re interested in following along with my 2023 journey, I’ll be posting updates here, on Mastodon, Instagram, and there’s a rollup of my activities on joemc.xyz. Please say “hi”, I’d love to check out what you’re up to as well!
What an outstanding piece of writing. I felt like I was riding alongside @joshm in the back seat of the Chevy Tahoe as I was reading it.
So many of the points and asides resonate with me. It’s as if Josh plucked the thoughts and feelings right out of my head and wrote about them for the world to read. I won’t begin quoting them because I will never be able to stop. The entire thing is wonderful and well worth the time.
Even though we start out trying to avoid “5 top line phrases with bullet points underneath”, we end up with some pretty great top line phrases (and some wonderful bullet points underneath):
Show up with heartfelt intensity
Start with ‘what could be?’
Assume you don’t know
You’re on the hook for the team
Make them feel something
These values (and the stories behind them) are powerful and inspiring. I hope to embody them in my own work at an early-stage startup and carry them with me into future endeavors throughout my life.
Thank you Josh for writing them down and for taking us along with you on some of your road trips.
Apple Watch Ultra (2022) on a would-be wrist model.
I got the Apple Watch Ultra and if I could sum up my first impressions in one word, it’d be: awesome.
The larger and brighter screen, the titanium case, the nice knobby crown, the new alpine band, the increased battery life, the dual-band GPS… I could go on and on. I was already in love with the potential of the Apple Watch platform as battery tech gets better, and this Watch furthers that love. I am enjoying every day with this iteration, and I’m extremely excited for what future iterations bring!
Everyone’s talking about the battery percentage indicator on the iOS 16 beta, but that’s only because you haven’t turned on the keyboard haptics. (Under Sounds & Haptics, not Keyboard)
Yes Android users, I’m aware you’ve had that for years, no need to @ me.
Can we all admit that without YouTubers pointing out the “defects” in Tesla’s manufacturing, most of the issues would go unnoticed. None of us ever checked panel gaps or paint depth on our Fords, Hondas, or Toyotas.
