Today is the last day of 2023. The place slowed down this year. People were much more optimistic than in 2022. For me personally, it was another good year. I definitely experienced ups and downs, but overall I learned and grew a ton. I’m thankful for the opportunity to experience another year, and I’m excited for what 2024 has in store.

This is my one-hundred-ninety-sixth weekly reflection. Here are my takeaways from this week:

• Second-guessing – This week I had a plan for how I wanted to execute a task. Something happened and I second-guessed myself and the task didn’t get executed. The lesson learned? Stick to the plan!
• Christmas – I had a great time with friends and family for Christmas.
• 2024 – Three days from the new year. I’m excited about what’s in store for 2024.

Week one hundred ninety-six was another week of learning. Looking forward to next week!

I’m glad I set a Christmas reading goal. Four or five months ago,  I bought a 500-page book that I’ve been putting off reading—partly because of the length and partly because I didn’t think understanding the book’s topic could have broad implications. I’ve been reading this book during the holiday, and I regret not reading it sooner. The topic is extremely interesting, the author does a great job of providing historical context, and the understanding I’ve gained so far has me thinking about various broad implications of the knowledge.

If I hadn’t set a reading goal, I likely wouldn’t have read this book for a few more months. I’m glad the goal motivated me to read it now.

As of today, It won’t be easy to hit my reading goal, but I’m still committed to the challenge. Wish me luck!

I love the Christmas holiday. It’s a great opportunity to spend time with family and friends and eat amazing food. Historically, the week between Christmas and New Year’s is slow, business-wise, which I enjoy. It’s usually a week when I don’t have to worry about emails, calls, or any other fire drills. I’ve enjoyed spending this time reflecting on the past year and thinking about the future from a high level.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the week.

With the year ending soon, today I spent some time reflecting on the last twelve months. If I had to sum up 2023, I’d characterize it as a year of learning.

At the beginning of the year, I knew I wanted to learn a complex, difficult topic as rapidly as possible, so I spent time fine-tuning my approach to learning. I then used those newly refreshed learning skills to learn as much as possible about my target topic from people who’ve mastered it. I reflected on their wisdom and looked for insights they and others weren’t aware of. Knowing something and applying it are two different things. I tend to know I’ve mastered something when I can apply it successfully. I applied what I learned from the masters, slightly modifying things based on my insights, in an iterative testing approach. Most tests were successful and showed I understood the concept well. Some failed, and I learned even more from them.

I feel good about what I learned this year. It may have a material impact on the rest of my life. I’m excited about 2024. I can’t wait to apply what I learned in 2023 and start the learning process again with a new topic!

This is my one-hundred-ninety-fifth weekly reflection. Here are my takeaways from this week:

• Project – This week I began collaborating on a project I’ve been considering for a few months. We’ve started some testing with ChatGPT and had some interesting results. It’s been fun and a great learning experience so far. I’m excited about the possibilities if we’re successful.  
• Christmas – I’m looking forward to spending quality time with family and friends . . . and eating some amazing Louisiana cooking!
• Countdown – There’s one calendar week left in 2023. Looking to make the most of it on the personal front.

Week one hundred ninety-five was another week of learning. Looking forward to next week!

Last month I challenged myself to read an 800-page book over the Thanksgiving holiday. Yesterday, I shared my takeaways from that challenge.

Today I’ve decided what I want to read to meet my Christmas reading goal. I’ve purchased two books on a new topic I’m interested in understanding—one roughly 500 pages, the other about 200. So, 700 pages total. My goal is to finish both books over the Christmas holiday and go into the new year with a better understanding of the topic.

Looking forward to this challenge. Wish me luck!

Last month, I set a Thanksgiving reading goal. I’d been putting off reading an 800-page book for months. I didn’t want it to sit around any longer, making me feel guilty, so I challenged myself to read it during the Thanksgiving holiday. The goal ended up being a stretch goal. It was more aggressive than I realized. I didn’t factor in enough time for holiday activities, so I didn’t finish the entire book by my November 26 deadline. But I got close and did so shortly after Thanksgiving.

Overall, the challenge was a success, and I learned a lot from it. It ended up being a great motivator. I was excited to absorb the wisdom in the book but, even more so, motivated to accomplish my goal. This ended up being a great combination to prompt me to read a book I otherwise might not have gotten around to reading and to do it relatively quickly. The challenge also let me scratch the itch of accomplishing something difficult—something I enjoy but don’t normally experience during a holiday. Last, it forced me to be more intentional about using some of the reading techniques I learned about this year.

The holiday reading challenge was a success and something I want to do more consistently. I’ll start thinking about what I want to read during the Christmas holiday. If my experience then is as positive as it was at Thanksgiving, I’ll consider making this a habit.

This is my one-hundred-ninety-fourth weekly reflection. Here are my takeaways from this week:

• Shopify – Chatting with the Shopify CEO this week was amazing. His focus on helping people achieve independence through entrepreneurship stuck with me. Entrepreneurship is a force for economic mobility, and there’s a big opportunity to build products that help other entrepreneurs succeed.
• Events – I met some impressive people at events in Atlanta this week. I want to be more thoughtful in 2024 about attending interesting non-tech events.
• Countdown – There are two calendar weeks left in 2023. With essentially one business week left, everyone’s making a mad dash to get anything still open wrapped up.

Week one hundred ninety-four was another week of learning. Looking forward to next week!

This is my one-hundred-ninety-third weekly reflection. Here are my takeaways from this week:

• Fundraising – I chatted this week with two founders who are finalizing fundraising rounds. They’re wrapping up diligence and have target close dates in the next week or so. I suspect most investors and lawyers are aiming to get most deals done by December 15.
• Serendipity – I ran into someone I haven’t talked to in years. We caught up, and I learned that he has expertise that will be helpful with something I’m actively working on. He even offered to help. I’ve benefited from serendipity many times, but I’m still surprised by its power.

Week one hundred ninety-three was another week of learning. Looking forward to next week!