Years ago, I came up with an annual tradition.

At the end of each year, I reflect on where I’ve been and where I want to go. Yes, if you look at it semantically, its basically New Year’s Resolutions. But the point is to actually hold yourself accountable and never become complacent. What did I do with my time in this world? Did I do the things I said I would do? What will this year’s theme be?

And the most important question… am I a better man today than I was yesterday?

Unfortunately, I apparently forgot to write down my 2023 goals, so I’ll never know if I accomplished them. But then again, there was no possible way for me to predict the roller coaster ride that was the past year.

But I can answer the last question, the important one. I’m a better man today than I was yesterday. I’m wiser. I’m more accomplished. I’m even a little thinner. It may not be much, but its progress on the journey of a lifetime.

WRITING

My biggest accomplishment for 2023 was writing my book. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to launch it last year. I’m on my last read-through and just didn’t get finished in time. That’s okay though. The book is done. It will be out in a couple of days.

In 2024, I want to focus on getting things done. I have a few more books in the pipeline. 2024 is about getting things done.

PHOTOGRAPHY

That said, I do not want my photography to slack as a result. Becoming a master photographer is one of my life goals. That can’t happen if I start putting down the camera. I want to do a big shoot in the first quarter of the year.

RELATIONSHIPS

I’m still dealing with the people I lost in the past few years. As a result, I’ve felt disconnected from the world. I want to change that. Don’t be surprised if you see me pointing my camera at you more this year. I want to spend more time with my friends. And I need to go on a date. Its been a while.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

There’s been a lot of talk about my weight loss this year. Which is nice, but I still have a lot further to go. I found out last year that I have type 2 diabetes. This necessitated some changes. But if I’m being honest, I was still pretty lax. I need to lose more weight. And I will.

MENTAL HEALTH

At the beginning of 2023, I was depressed and I wanted to die. Thankfully, I got better early on. I’m in a much healthier place at the moment, but my struggles with depression are well documented. The demons are always at the door. I have to fight to keep them at bay. And to that end, I need to change my outlook. Every time someone would tell me that I look like I lost weight, I would always respond “Eh, some, but I also gained some of it back.” We can argue about whether I’m being pragmatic or pessimistic, but in the end, it isn’t healthy. I have to stop hating myself. Or at least stop talking myself down. It does me no good and it just puts people off.

Well, I think that’s good. A pretty solid set of goals for 2024. Hopefully I’ll look back in a year and feel encouraged.