Reflections on 2022
Health and wellbeing, financial security and relationships.
And so we collectively prepare to celebrate another rotation around the sun on this lump of rock we call earth, seems like a good time to take a step back and reflect on the last 12 months.
For me at least, 2022 was full of ups and downs both personally and professionally. It was my first full year in Chicago, as well as being my first full winter and summer being back in the United Stated of America. I grieved loss, celebrated weddings, made new friends and went on a load of trips.
It’s weird how day to day and week to week the ups and downs feel so acute, and it’s not until you’re sat in a Costa in your hometown over a hot chocolate that you can look back upon the waves in an attempt to glean some form of learnings from them.
For me, it all boils down to three key things: Health, Financial Security. and Relationships. So let’s tackle them one by one.
Health and Wellbeing
2022 was certainly the year that I became conscious of how important it is to take my health and wellbeing seriously. Like so many other men I go about my life with a deep down thought that I have a superman logo underneath my shirt but this year has taught me that health is everything, it is a blessing not bestowed upon everyone so for those that have it to not look after it properly is to do everyone else a disservice.
It also goes beyond just going to the doctor and getting pains checked out, I’m talking stuff like dental health, skin health, just living a clean, tidy, organised life. It’s so easy to deprioritise these things and build a habit of ignoring them, but the reality is that a few minutes every day and a bit of co-ordination of regular check ups can do you the world of good. That’s the person I want to be in 2023.
Financial Secuirty
Much like physical health, I think financial health depends of building a similar amount of habit and discipline into your life. Things like pensions and investing and 401k’s are so easy to ignore and put to the back of your mind “oh I’ll figure that out when I’m older”. However the reality is that every “older” person wishes they started earlier. It’s not cool, it’s not sexy but it’s so important.
Two people can earn the same amount of money over their lifetime but a few percentage point difference in how “smart” they are with their money can be the difference between living in debt and retiring comfortably. I quite like comfort, so 2023 me is going to plan for comfort.
Relationships
Arguably the most important of the three, and just like the first two it takes work. As a 29 year old man who has moved countries I feel like I am the worst person I know at maintaining strong relationships, which is dreadful! It’s too easy to blame timezones or a busy schedule or work, however it doesn’t cost anything to send a quick text or make a quick call.
I hear so many stories both in my own family and in others of people falling out with each other but my big reflection on 2022 is that life is just too fucking short. If there’s someone that you love, or even just enjoy being around – don’t let something petty get in the way of that (and it does always tend to be something petty). It takes work, but it’s key to form relationships with such that they are impervious to a small falling out, or maybe a few months of no communication.
So yeah, there’s some reflection on the last trip round the sun, let’s go 2023.
Uploaded 17th January 2023 (written in that weird period between Christmas and new years eve 2022)
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