2016 Review
This is the 2nd year I’m doing a year end review. While I share this publicly, I write for myself as writing is the best means of distilling one’s thoughts, concerns, insights, and results.
Overall learning from this year: It’s hard to radically change all 7 areas of your life in one year (Faith/Spiritual, Relationships, Mental/Learning, Health/Fitness, Financial, Career, and Travel/Adventure). My 2016 goals included a large goal in each area, which in hindsight was too much.
In 2017, I will focus on 3 areas for radical change with the other areas in “maintenance mode”.
What Went Well
Setting goals for the year. My Faith. New Story. Design work. Adventure and travel. Morning routine.
Faith: This year my goal was to read the entire Bible and join a community group at my church (Reality SF). While I only read 65% of the Bible, I was able to attend community group almost every week (excluding travel). The structure of reading, lectures, Sunday sermons and my community group greatly increased my understanding and knowledge of my faith. But ultimately, it was a changing of my heart and mindset that was most noticeable and impactful. I have a faith in the Lord that I’ve never felt better and it’s amazing. Praise the Lord.
Adventure: Early in 2016, I set a goal to be more intentional about adventure. Not just big traveling, but a spirit of adventure. Throughout the year it manifested in local hikes, city walks/tours, camping, food “marathons”, and a general sense of getting out there. This year also included the best travel trip I’ve ever been on — Israel and Palestine. It was the most magical and heartbreaking experience in my life. From meeting a Holocaust surviver to walking the streets of oppressed Palestine — I was challenged and left with seemingly unanswerable questions about the future of the region. I owe that trip a post to share more of the details.
New Story: We hit our goal to fund 500 homes! 👍😀 At the beginning of the year, New Story was just Mike, Brett, Allie and myself. Now our team includes amazing people in SF and ATL (Morgan, Emma, Sarah, and Geraldine have joined the team this year). The new team members bring expertise and hustle in much needed areas that will help New Story grow and scale into 2017 and beyond. Read more about our year here.
What Didn’t Go So Well
Fitness (for a 2nd year in a row). Writing. Learning from the eminent source/people/book. Reading. In-year adjustments.
Fitness: A complete failure. No excuses. I just flat up failed. Why? I didn’t have the internal discipline to join a gym, hire a personal trainer, or do anything productive to accomplish this. I’ve learned I have to rely on external people/structures to accomplish this.
Learning Spanish: While I studied Spanish via the duolingo app and joined a Spanish in-person class here in SF, I didn’t finished this year where I would have liked. Learning a language takes much more time than I envisioned.
Establishing Mastermind Group: For approx. 50% of the year two friends and I chatted every 2 weeks about our challenges, failures, and successes. The main benefit wasn’t just the ideas/help/advice that was shared but an accountability system and the space to share and think out loud. Unfortunately, our chats fizzled out and the later part of the year was spotty.
Writing: While this wasn’t a 2016 goal, I wish I recorded more of my learnings, thoughts, failures, and successes. It’s by writing that we internalize our experiences.
Random
Books:
This year one of my goals was to read the entire Bible. I wasn’t successful, but did read ~65%. Reading outside of the Bible decreased significantly (in 2015, I read 16 books).
- Bible (65%)
- Mountains over Mountains by Tracy Kidder
- Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
- Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
Places Visited/Traveled:
Bolivia (La Paz, Cochabamba, Mizque and Puca Pompa)
Smithgall Woods, GA
Breckenridge, Colorado
El Salvador (2x)
Russian River Valley, CA
Marin Headlands, CA
Point Reyes, CA
Navarro, CA
Mexico Beach, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Sacramento, CA (American River)
Lake Tahoe, CA
Lassen National Park
Haiti (2x)
Boston
New York City
Israel
Palestine
Athens, GA
Highway 1 California — Monterey, Carmel, San Simeon
Mount Tamalpais, CA
Oakland, CA
Favorite Music of 2016:
- A-WA — Habib Galbi (Yemenite folk-electric sister group)
- Angels — Chance The Rapper ft. Saba (pretty much entire Coloring Book album)
- Barbie — Static and Ben El Tavori (Israel pop group)
- Reality SF Sunday Music (Spotify playlist)
- Anything from Sylvan Esso
- Outlaw State of Mind — Chris Stapleton
PS: Joining Spotify Premium was great decision.
Restaurants/Meals of 2016:
- Lolinda — SF
- Mucho Gustu — La Paz, Bolivia
- Shabbat Dinner — Jerusalem, Israel
- El Farolito — Mission,SF,CA
- Antico — ATL
Random Photos from this year:
Stories From 2016:
Moved into our new New Story office at 870 Market St (the Flood Building)
Watched the Big Short with Richard and Oliver
Driving 4 hrs on dirt roads in Bolivia to get to Puca Pompa (the community we are helping)
Mucho Gustu — epic Bolivian restaurant with a tour by the chef — WOW!
Touring La Paz, Bolivia with Allie and Fernando
Getting sick and lying for 4 hrs on the Miami airport floor
Skiing with Barrett and friends in Breckenridge, Colorado
Smithgall Woods, GA with my family
Hiking on non-trails with the Kicklighter boys
Vision trip to El Salvador + Coffee farm + epic dinner in El Salvador
Surfing in El Salvador
Lunch with Alexis Ohanian
Afghani restaurant for Olivers birthday with Mike, Grant, Allie, and Oliver
Hiking Marin headlands + farmers market + picnic with Noah, Oliver
Doing a Detour walking tour of SF with Brett
Street festival on Valencia with Allie and Brett
Detour tour with Allie (all about the beats generation)
Church at Everett Middle every Sunday
Community group in the mission
Point Reyes, CA hike with Grant and some friends and perfect weather
YC camp in Navarro, CA
Dinner with Daryan and Darian in SF
Muir Woods hiking with Nate
SF food tour welcoming Emma
Cooking dinner with Oliver and Sergie (and a friendly game of Settlers of Catan)
Ramon with Allie and Morgan
Lolinda dinner welcoming Morgan
Las Vegas with Hill Hall Hustlzers
Mexico Beach, FL with mom and dad
Family summer time in Eatonton with Barnes, Kicklighters, and Marshalls
SF shapers hub retreat (and a little horse escape)
Allies Dinner hosted by Karen
Dinner party at 2843 Folsom st. with Allie, Gemma, Naomi, and Michael
Presenting to the New Story board at our 2nd board meeting
Surprise party at the Battery from New Story supporters
Rafting trip with Oliver, Emma, Naomi and others.
Lake Tahoe with Mike, Veronica, Brett, Mike Coscetta, Janey, Carey, Lydon and Laken
Spanish classes with Carlos in SF
Entire trip to Lassen National Park with Oliver and Emma
Friendly Human film trip to Leveque, Haiti- final video!
Team Haiti Retreat
Boston at Forbes 30 under 30
NYC hanging and food marathon with Ross, Kate, Nate and brunch with MK and Alysse
All of Israel and Palestine (another post needed for this trip — amazing)
Playing Kickball in Golden State Park with community group
My parents in San Francisco
New Story ATL team in San Francisco (Allie’s bomb Lamb meal for our team dinner)
Dinner at Gemma’s with CG Folks
Thanksgiving at Fried’s, Parkers and Marshall’s
Athens for the UGA-Ga Tech game
Dinner with Maggie and Laura at Cali n Titos
Hiking Mount Tam
Handel music concrete at Grace Cathedral
Christmas in Eatonton (weird weather in the 70s)
Hanukkah dinner with family in Athens (Jennifer and Jonah Brekowitz)
Spontaneously hanging with amazing friend, Christina
Rehearsal dinner and wedding for my great friend, Taylor Sills
Here’s to 2017!
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
— Teddy Roosevelt
