Ten Rules for 2016, Revisited
Back on January 1st of this year, I wrote Ten Rules for 2016 that came about through reflection on 2015 and the start of a new year. It was less New Year’s resolutions, and more an exercise to identify the types of things I wanted to accomplish, areas I wanted to grow, and the attitude I wanted to take towards 2016. Ultimately the 2016 macro environment left a bit to be desired, but when it comes to my personal life, I can’t complain.
Here’s the year-end review for accountability’s sake!
#1 — Do things that scare you
AKA willingly leave your comfort zone.
Self-Assessment Grade: B
This year brought plenty of opportunity for leaving my comfort zone. To start, there may be nothing more exciting and scary than getting married! Beyond that, international travel always keeps you on your toes, solo babysitting a toddler for the first time is a novel experience, and job changes always bring uncertainty.
That said, I don’t think I took any risks that significantly challenged my core assumptions about myself or the world around me (other than perhaps living through the 2016 election), so there’s room for improvement here.
#2 — Move every day
AKA work out in some way/shape/form.
Self-Assessment Grade: A
The goals was every day, and I’d say I came pretty close. 2016 was a good mix of bike commuting, running, climbing, yoga, and hiking, though I wasn’t able to stay on a consistent enough climbing schedule to build through 2016, so that’s something to improve on next year. Beyond generally being active, the A grade comes from my summer long hike project. During primarily the alternate summer weekends of 2016 when Heather worked, I tackled some of the longest day hikes I could find in Oregon/Washington (with a number of you joining along the way), resulting in over 300 miles of hiking and culminating in a 2-day circumnavigation of Mt. Hood on the Timberline Trail.
#3 — Breathe fresh air
AKA be outdoors in nature.
Self-Assessment Grade: A-
See #2! Weekend hikes combined with trips to Central Oregon, the North Cascades, the Olympic Peninsula, Lake Tahoe, and Iceland allowed for communing with nature on the regular (though I’d never complain about getting outside more).
#4 — Keep a student mindset
AKA seek out opportunities to learn and be challenged.
Self-Assessment Grade: B+
Areas of learning and new knowledge this year included a first aid/first responder class, significant research into financial investments and the stock market, becoming even more a JIRA master to support the team at Copious, and leveling up my photography by nearly starting over from scratch to rebuild ground-up knowledge of Lightroom and post-processing.
Given the learning required for the new job and other major life changes in 2016, I’m satisfied with the amount of time I was able to devote to furthering my knowledge, but I’m always hungry for more.
#5 — Simplify Life
AKA live frugally, stay clutter-free, and minimize cognitive load.
Self-Assessment Grade: C
That’s a passing grade, but has room for improvement. I built myself a simple standing desk (which has been great), removed push-everything from my phone/got better at not staring at it out of habit, and shelved a few side projects to prioritize the important ones, but there’s still a lot of “noise” in life. Perhaps my definition of simplification should be less about removal of physical and mental clutter, and more about finding peace with the clutter.
#6 — Be mindful
AKA take time to be in the present.
Self-Assessment Grade: B
I’m happy with this one, but I’m also a tough grader, so no “A” for me. I‘m pleased with progress made to grow through some friction in a few specific friend/acquaintance relationships to achieve better understanding. I also kept up yoga regularly and spent a weekend at Breightenbush with Heather, which left me wishing I lived there (but really, that would just spoil the magic). Overall there’s still room for improvement when it comes to further melding mindfulness practices into daily habits.
#7 — Do creative
AKA structure activities that will inspire creativity.
Self-Assessment Grade: B-
A number of creative projects on my to-do list remain undone, but I checked off at least an equal number in 2016. My 2016 photography work is probably my best to date, with the North Cascades and Iceland being clear highlights. I spent a bit of time with coloring books, picked up my trumpet again briefly (though never quite found a purpose worthy of the time investment to rebuild lip strength), and I suppose designing and building a standing desk from scratch counts, but much of the growth in this category is still with photography.
#8 — Eat well.
AKA eat healthy.
Self-Assessment Grade: A-
If I can maintain my 2016 diet composition for the rest of my life, I’ll be doing pretty well. I’ve refined and reduced the number of supplements I’m taking/need to take, increased healthy fats and proteins, continued to minimize alcohol and sugars (while not feeling like I’m depriving myself), and sought out ways to increase my cholesterol (yes, increase… mine is too low). Meanwhile we’ve been growing sprouts at home, ate salads all summer, and just started cooking with cast iron.
There’s still room for improvement in cutting down on canned foods and simple carbs and I enjoy the practice/challenge of eating well, so this one may be a repeat on the list for 2017.
#9 — Make a plan.
AKA end the year with a clearer life plan.
Self-Assessment Grade: A
Yep, there’s a plan. Or certainly more of one than I started the year with. Things feel a bit more set in stone (for the better) than they were at the beginning of the year. I got hitched, so now the “me” plan is the “us” plan (if it wasn’t already). Hurray for 401Ks, future family planning, joint tax returns, and all sorts of other grownup stuff. There’s also future travel plans and aspirations, minor house remodel goals, and some side projects in the works, but not to the extent that it won’t allow for a good degree of freedom in which path we take along the way. There are still areas of uncertainty in life, to be sure, but thankfully they’re not causing me the anxiety that 2015 left me with.
#10 — Avoid excuses.
AKA there’s nothing holding you back but yourself.
Self-Assessment Grade: B
I keep coming back to getting married and taking a new job, but those are probably the two biggest moments of jumping in head-first in 2016. Compared to my mindset at the end of 2015, I’m more satisfied with my own impetus to take control and make life happen (rather than waiting for it to happen to me, for better or worse) in 2016.
Thanks for reading along in my self-indulgent self-assessment and year-in-review. Now it’s time to get 2017’s rules down in writing… stay tuned!
