When I met 28, I told many people that I would celebrate my 29th slim. My goal was 97kg, met the goal two weeks before. By telling people, I convinced myself and said that this was happening. Telling others about my goal really helped me.
Today I want to share the goals I have set for the next 12 months. They are based on a list of goals I have written for the next 10 years, and some are taken from ideas/wants that I recurrently write in my journal.
Thinking / Decision making
I learned that we were never taught how to think and make decisions, which is why we are fixing problems, problems we could have avoided, problems that could have been seen. I want to avoid problems.
Improving my thinking will make me a better decision-maker.
To improve my thinking and decision making, I will learn more about mentals models and start putting them into practice, starting with:
- The map is not the territory: A map is only an abstraction of the territory.
- Second-order thinking: Ask myself, “And then what?”
- Inversion: Start from the end. What do I need to get there? What’s the worse case scenery and how to avoid it?
There are many more, but these are the ones I’m implementing right now. I will write about them as I implement them more and more. Promised.
> I believe in the art of mastering the best of what others have already figured out.
Be Present / Feel
This year I have been regularly writing a journal, it started as a place to write and explore my thinking, but I’m now more focused on writing how I’m feeling. Asking how I feel allows being present as it’s about the now, about what’s going on inside.
Being present can be about the external as well. Every day I ask more and more what I’m observing, what’s around, what are the sounds, what I’m feeling, how my body feels. The point is to be present whenever I’m and without judgment.
Health
92Kg with 21% body fat. As of today, my weight is 98kg at 27% body fat.
I’ll accomplish this goal with a combination of fasting, ket, and exercise, including running 2-4 times a week and 4 days of strength training.
I want to talk about my mental health, a critical area, and I don’t want to ignore or omit taking care of my mental health. I’ll keep dedicating daily time to journal and meditate to clearly view my feelings and thoughts, combined with therapy to help me with things that don’t come out when writing (yet!).
Data Engineer
This is the next step in my career; after almost 15 years of writing web applications, I’ll be taking a Data engineering nanodegree. I plan to do the switch by 2023.
Reading
Besides the books, I’ll read about mental models and data engineering. I’ll read a few biographies. I think learning from others is very valuable, from their experiences and life. I haven’t yet decided which one will be the first, maybe Steve Jobs.
Investment
Next year, I’ll purchase a property that I could rent with positive cash flow. This is part of my long-term retirement plan. I plan to double the number of properties every year, it might not be possible every year, but I’ll try.
I have read books about real estate investing. I have invested time in looking for and analyzing different deals in different areas of Costa Rica and still don’t expect to not-lose-money. Every investor should be ready to lose money.
Improve my looks
I didn’t care how I looked or what I wore; lately, that’s been changing. I’m becoming more and more interested in my look. Somedays, I google “how to mix this X t-shirt”. I asked a friend who I think has great style and good taste for cloth to teach me. I’ll dress better from now on.
These are some areas that will be my focus for the next 12 months.
I set goals in different areas. Some require more work than others; some were related to things I already do, like reading, writing, or making excessive. For areas like family, friends, work, traveling, I don’t have specific goals. Just keep doing what I’m doing (travel more, be more productive, enjoy more time with family and friends, invest in these connections).