2023 Annual Review

Welcome! This is going to be my last post for a while. If you want to know why, read to the end. But I thought I would wrap up 2023 with an annual review. If you want to write your annual review, check out these links (Dickie Bush, David Perell) which I drew heavy inspiration from. Enjoy!

2023 was the year I took the red pill.

Since graduating from college, I’d been in the undercurrent of malaise. With the ChatGPT and AI craze taking hold at the beginning of the year, I’d felt more existential than ever. And what a year it was.

This year I:

• Got engaged

• I published 26 pieces on my blog

• Published 5 pieces on a startup newsletter

• Went to Chicago (twice!)

• Joined 3 online writing courses

Throughout the year, I met some personal heroes, such as Jack Raines, Lawrence Yeo, & Zachary Crockett. I’ve been able to interview the founders and CEOs of exciting startups. But it’s been quite the rollercoaster. 

Since getting settled into my job, I’ve been feeling creatively stifled, which prompted me to start writing online, and I haven’t looked back. It’s opened my world in ways I could never imagine, but we’ll dig more into it in this post.

In this annual review, I’ll cover 5 main subjects in my life:

1. Health

2. Wealth

3. Relationships

4. Experiences

5. Spirituality

I write an annual review to help me remember my life. It’s a great time for me to slow down and reflect. I’ve been inspired in these ways, so maybe it inspires you. 

Here we go!

I started the year with my parent’s house flooding on New Year’s Eve. It was probably the worst day of my life. There have been worse moments in my life, but I can’t remember a 24-hour period that was worse than that. Panic, fear, and anger filled a day trying to keep the water out of the house. 

With that cheery start to 2023, I began to realize there were a lot more things out of my control. So the few things I can control, I started to take more seriously. 

1. Took ownership of my physical health

2023 I learned what healthy living looks like. I went down the rabbit hole of health and longevity. I listened to The Huberman Lab, read Peter Attia’s Outlive and David Sinclair’s Lifespan, and took supplements such as creatine and protein shakes. I fully believe that anyone can live 90% healthier by doing 5 basic things. 

1. Walk more

2. Sleep better

3. Lift weights (or your body)

4. Stretch

5. Emotional health

It is simpler than you think. Here’s how I did for myself. 

1. Averaged 10,000 steps a day

Ok, this is cheating a little bit. Officially, I averaged 9,927 steps per day. But I was proud of this! I learned that I do my best thinking when I walk, especially without a phone. Going on a 1+ hour walk is always a treat for me. 

2. Averaged 7hrs and 55 mins of sleep a night

This was much better than I was expecting! I feel like I usually wake up tired and unmotivated, but this feels comforting to crunch some data real quick. 

I probably go overboard, but I feel very strongly about my sleep hygiene and I want to get it better. From going to bed at the same time every night to taking a warm shower to reading a book are all intentional steps I took to ensure I get good sleep. But all things considered, I did better than I was expecting. 

3. Started working out consistently

“The best workout is the one you’ll do.”

I’ve been doing the same full-body calisthenics workout for the last 2 years. I do it 2-3x a week. 

Is it the best workout? No. It’s hard to get to progressive overload with body weight. But I’ve learned how to implement it into my life, and it’s saved me a lot of time by having it in my room.

I’d love to transition to full workouts at the gym with a personal trainer, but it doesn’t fit my schedule/budget.

2024 Goal: Maintain current strength routine.

4. Flexibility

This has always been my weakest point. I have yet to develop a consistent and sustainable flexibility habit. I love Tom Merrick and want to incorporate flexibility work twice a week. Flexibility is important in preventing injury. Preventing injury is one of the most important parts of health. 

5. Nutrition

While I love ice cream, I’ve learned the basics of nutrition. I’ve counted calories, practiced intermittent fasting, cut red meat, and introduced it all back. 

There is no best diet. You need a sustainable diet. For me, I’ve learned how to cut snacks, eat healthy meals, and default to “no” when someone offers food. 

Some people drink socially, but I eat sugar socially. Don’t be the health freak that turns down cake at a birthday party. 

The gym bros are right, eat more protein. 

2024 Goals: Eat more whole foods. Make dessert worth it. 

2. Developed a Financial Abundance Mindset

I’ve committed to spending more money. 

Coming from an immigrant Asian household, that’s heresy, but my relationship with money has changed.

Being so young, once I knew my monthly expenses and set up automatic investing, I’ve been committed to spending more on learning, community, and experiences. 

Spending more on learning and skills is critical. When talking about personal finance, most people advocate spending less money, while few people talk about making more money. That’s because it’s more accessible to spend less money rather than learning how to make more money. 

But there’s a difference. There’s a limit to how much you can cut - there’s no limit to how much you can make.

I’ve started to pay down my ignorance debt through writing. Making money is a skill, similar to learning an instrument or playing a sport. The better you can get at that skill, the more you will see progress and improvement.

I don’t want to be a billionaire. The personal cost of being that rich is a price I’m not willing to pay. I want to have control over my time and attention. 

3. Started being intentional with money

Romantic: 

I got engaged this year. 

Everything you hear about it is true. It’s the highest highs and the lowest lows. As we try to plan a wedding and build a relationship (and a life) together, it’s made my life meaningful. People who put getting married off for a career don’t know what they’re missing. 

Family:

I didn’t spend as much time with my family as I’d like. Since I’m at the tail end, I want to make more memories with them. Nothing makes up a relationship like time spent. 

Current Friends:

Since graduating college, I’ve had a lot less time for relationships. Casual relationships fall by the wayside since you can’t just run into someone at the library for a quick chat. Now, I’ve begun to see and figure out which relationships I want to invest in long term. Making sure that I spend time with people who have my best in mind and want to share in my future. 

New Friends:

One of my favorite things about writing online is the accessibility to making new friends. 

I don’t think people make enough new friends once they graduate college. Not just co-workers, but friends. Especially for me, since I work fully remotely, I don’t have a common place to go out and meet people. 

Without intentionality, it’s easy to slip into routine. Finding friends who share common interests and goals is huge. Especially while you’re young. Once you get older, it’s important to set certain filters on your time. Sometimes, you don’t have the bandwidth for any new friends. 

Joining online courses has helped me make lots of new friends, here are a couple:

• Mohammad Khan

• Steven Foster

• Zachary Crockett

• Ethan Keshishian

• Arek Der-Sarkissian

• Lawerence Yeo

• Brian Davy

Most of these people (except for Brian Davy) I’ve met online through writing. Writing online has shortened the length of time to connect with people. When we have read what someone else has written, by the time I’ve met them, it’s an instantaneous connection. 

4. Traveling

I traveled 5 times this year, 3 on a plane, 2 driving. Here’s a quick recap of each place I visited. 

March, 2023 - Chicago

• I visited Chicago for the first time! I went with my roommates and my (then) girlfriend. We celebrated my birthday, went on a riverboat cruise, and met my girlfriend’s family. Traveling with friends can be complicated, but it’s well worth it. 

July 2023, Leoni Meadows

Leoni Meadows is a family camp that I went to for more than a decade growing up. I hadn’t been in the last 10 years, but we got to go with our family and friends. I couldn’t believe how nostalgic it was to visit.

September 2023, Chicago

I went to Chicago a second time to get my girlfriend’s parent’s blessing. Not only did that go great, but I got to make some new friends and spend lots of time in late-night discussions!

November 2023, Santa Cruz

For a 1 day trip, Santa Cruz was surprisingly memorable. From getting smoked by my little sister in water polo to beating everyone in Dance Dance Revolution, a trip doesn’t have to be long to be memorable.

December 2023, San Diego

San Diego isn’t always a vacation since we travel to see family. But I got to spend time with my extended family and grab a meal with Ethan and Arek from the Unicorner! I’ve been writing for them for the last 4 months and I got to meet them in person! 

5. Spirituality

2023 was my baggage claim year.

I’ve always known I’ve had a lot of emotional baggage. Although I consider myself very lucky to have grown up in the circumstances I did, I still had a lot to unpack.

As I grew up, the baggage never went away - I just got better at hiding it. But, through a series of events, I was forced to face it. This is that story.

Relationship with myself:

As cliche as this may sound, I’ve never had a healthy relationship with myself. Growing up in an Asian & Christian family, I quickly learned that appearances are everything (but I don’t think this should be the case with Christianity, but I’ll get back to that later).

This unhealthy obsession with appearances led to addictive coping mechanisms. Workaholism looks fine until it ends with a panic attack at a Halloween party.

Mental Health:

I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder this year. With that, I started going to therapy for the first time and joined a support group.

I never envisioned I would do either of these, but it’s helped me in ways I never imagined.

Going to therapy and joining a support group has taught me the value of listening. It’s important to find people who listen, not just hear. Listening is the first step to understanding. 

The best listener in my life isn’t my therapist. The wisest people I’ve talked with are often the best listeners because they’ve gone through the most suffering. They’ve been through hell and back, and they know the best medicine is a kind heart.

Having someone listen to me shed understanding into my heart. This understanding brought me to another level in my relationship with God. 

Christianity and The Bible:

As I mentioned earlier, growing up Christian gave me a skewed version of God and The Bible. While I wouldn’t change anything, it’s taken a lot of painful unlearning to remove these preconceived notions.

A gentle and graceful God seems completely foreign to me. Grace and perfection are incompatible. Why would I ever need grace if I could make myself perfect?

Unfortunately for me, humans can’t be perfect. Fortunately, I have a God who is. 

2024 Goal

I have no idea what dedicating my life to a perfect God looks like. One thing I know I want to do is dedicate myself to his word. What does that mean?

For 2024, I want to spend it on Luke, my favorite Gospel. 

Thank you to Natalie Badalov and Mohammad Khan for their feedback

Thank you for reading my annual review. As stated in the beginning, this will be the last post I will write for at least the next 6 months. I do plan on coming back to writing So What Now. But as I try writing something new, I need to focus on it without distractions. But thank you for reading!

Godspeed,
Derek