π 2019 Recap: Prioritizing Health
2019 had a rough start. There I was, in the worst shape of my life, burnt-out on my startup, and living day to day without a plan. I was stuck, and desperately needed to get my shit together.
So, I decided to pursue some creative hobbies1, started going to physio, and accepted an acquisition offer to sell my company2. Now that I have some time to reflect, I feel so grateful to have gotten out of that place.
It’s strange how life can slip away like that. It happened so slowly, over years; I took on too much work, stopped prioritizing health, neglected relationships, and ignored the (literal) chronic pain in my ass. Before I knew it, I was waist deep in quicksand and couldn’t escape. But I got out, eventually.
There is a great book called The Power of Habit, which introduces the idea of “keystone habits”—habits that have a positive ripple effect in all areas of life. For me, this was running.
Running made me feel accomplished which caused me to care more about myself. I felt motivated to eat better, dress better, and plan for the future. Apparently exercise is a common keystone habit, so I recommend giving it a try if you’re looking for some motivation. β€οΈ
So what actually happened this year? Well, here are some of the biggest highlights:
- π₯ Made it through some serious burnout
- π₯ Physio to resolve chronic pelvic floor pain
- πͺπ» Worked on strength, flexibility, and eating better
- πͺπ» Finished a 10k run (training for 2020 marathon)
- πΈ Transitioned from Sole Proprietorship to Corporation
- πΈ Hit $20k MRR as a solo maker
- πΈ Sold my company
- π₯° Finally making friends in Montreal
- π₯° Connected with many new people online
- π₯° Going to therapy regularly
- π¨πΌβπ» Revamped my personal website and started writing again
- π¨πΌβπ» Set up a home office
- π¨πΌβπ» Grew to 2700 Twitter followers (up from 900)
I now feel extremely well-positioned to continue progressing on my goals—self care, health, and personal growth—and can’t wait to get started.
I guess that’s why they call 2020 the year of hindsight. π€π
πͺπΆπΌββοΈ
- I set a goal to pursue creativity in order to escape burnout
- My company Insomnia was acquired by Kong in July