GOALS // 2022
SETTING INTENTION FOR THE YEAR AHEAD
Every year I spend some time over the holidays to write down goals for the following year and find it a very cathartic process. However after holding a small goals workshop for some friends one of them made me rethink my approach and so instead of purely doing a list, she had done a letter to herself. Seeing her walk through her 2021 felt this way was really inspiring, so here goes mine:
2021 started in the backdrop of 2020 and its global pandemic with uncertain travel and multiple restrictions. We managed to get ourselves into Austria for stint at the beginning of the year and for a blissful month we were in a pretty empty world. Those weeks going snowboarding with our kids will live long in the memory as some of the most special times as a parent teaching the kids to snowboard, to enjoy the mountains and really understand what it means to spend time with the kids with zero distractions. It wasnt that this was something i set out to achieve but through everything ended up as one of those things I will always look back on fondly.
It also meant the start of a year in which I wasn’t working at the company I had been at the previous decade. A strange but also a very exhilarating feeling of excitement combined with trepidation about what was to come. Thankfully over the time in Austria with a very open schedule I was able to organise some calls with a bunch of great people which lead to roles with Beams and Db. Two consultant style roles working from home who embrace output over formalities.
It’s been such a good learning and would advise anyone thinking to make a leap from a big company to embrace it. Yes every company has its problems but also it means you begin learning again. Not that at Nike you don’t but the level of involvement in growing businesses is very different. You’re able to see the whole business which really means if you want to learn its all there for you. It has meant a lot of reading, listening, understanding things which maybe I should already know, but heck, here we are and I’m into it. One of my goals of 2019 was to find roles where i was learning everyday and maybe a year too late but am happy to say that this was realised this year.
Beams was a great learning in terms of a digital business and the enormous potential if you hit right which also blew me away with the speed at which team in this space can change direction when needed. Db has been amazing to look under the hood of a wildly popular brand and see where I can add value. Its also meant me watching in amazement at the quality of teams I work with. Big companies will always have you believe its the most talented place on earth. What this has shown me is the wealth of talent many of whom may never have gone to college but are just doing their thing their way and possess so much ability all i can do is try and help them along their path. I love Db for the team and the products we’re building. Solving real problems for people in the worlds of travel, snow, surf, photography all areas close to my heart. It’s nice to be able to help the most dedicated of people and get back a little closer to where i spent the first part of my career.
One goal was to earn enough money through consulting to pay for our family however I have realised that income isn’t alone enough to plan for the future, that has to come from equity in business, stocks and real estate. Seeing inflation rates around the world skyrocketing to 4-6% makes me realise that even more. One thing I did realise though was the benefits that big companies have are not to be sniffed at. 401ks, stock packages are all healthy ways to increase your savings down the line almost without thinking. I need to start planning how to do that without that mechanism in place.
This year has also been the continuation of work from home which is now by design but it’s also made me realise the limitations of it. On one hand, getting to drop the kids at school - amazing. Getting to go out for a run or surf at lunch - great. Not knowing when to switch off - difficult. Yes thats 100% on me to set boundaries but as I’m sure we’re all still finding, its tricky. Definite room for improvement there. Something I did figure out was the need for deep work. Moments where I can get into a project with zero distractions. There is a great book called Hyperfocus about it that i would recommend you read. I’ve found that for me either 5am-8am is good or late night but general that morning time is golden.
A goal of mine this year has been to learn Portuguese. Did I manage? I’d ask my kids who laugh at me whenever I attempt to speak it. So no. But whilst I haven’t been taking lessons I am more than happy to give it a whirl in any shop, our surfing, anywhere. Grammar is terrible, pronunciation probably slightly worse but I’m stoked to give it my best so will continue to try my best.
The year has also been pretty cool as my book sold out, reprinted and nearly sold out again which was really surprising. I guess I say that every time but its so good to see the traction that the project has got and yes already has me excited for the next project which will happen if and when I find time for writing another book. It also made me realise the benefit that writing has for me in terms of being alone with my thoughts which is really something I have to embrace further.
We also launched our brand ūmmi hard kombucha thanks to the work of some very inspiring people in our founding team. Its meant a few random drives over the border to France to drop off booze but in general meeting people, introducing our new product and seeing it fly has been amazing. Theres been a few areas I wish I had been better at which are clearly in my goals for 2022.
Unfortunately this year on a more macro level we’ve seen yet more unrest socially as covid and its affects continue. People taking to the streets, politicians who are seemingly clueless as to any action besides lockdowns and bailouts and people divided. Where things have become politicised is really sad to see. What I do believe though is that at the end of all this (if and when) we may come to look back at countries like Sweden and realise they had it right. Yes vaccinate. Yes keep older people safe but no lock downs, no crazy rules about how many people in your bubble etc. That only works if politicians can be believed and as we have seen time and again, they can’t.
Another thing that has been really sad to see this year is the fact that gun control still hasn’t made much progress in the US and we see on a weekly basis shootings such as the one recently in Michigan at a high school. I honestly would love to understand more about the US political system (you would think after 8 years i might have figured it out) because the democrats have the house, the senate and the president in place but havent made meaningful changes to any of the key issues it seems thus far. They have however allowed the country to again spend 800 billion on defence spending. I wish the US would realise in gun control, health care and education costs they are falling so far behind the rest of the world. If they spent money as furiously trying to solve these issues as they do on the military the US could be a very different country.
This year throughout various changes and travels the thing that has become abundantly clear is the need to be present and enjoy time with our young family. We don’t get these times back with them and so enjoying every moment is so important. This was brought cruelly home this year with the passing of Grillo which really hit home. A family man, a respected snowboarder and a wonderful person seeing the best in everything really makes me realise that for all of these ups and downs all we can do is enjoy the moments we have, celebrate, laugh, cry, whatever feels right at that time and continue onwards.
I’ve written goals for the coming year and 5 years that I’ll continue to reference but for now, this helped. I’d advise everyone to write a letter to yourselves over the holidays, its a great way of reflecting, looking forward without getting trapped in the weeds of lists.
I’d love to hear from you if you write out your own letter to yourself or even want to share them. I really enjoyed the process of sitting down with friends and discussing our own goals for the year.
Thanks and have a great 2022
Jon