April 2024
Hey 2025 Jen,
I know you’d be very pleased and satisfied with how I lived the 365 days of 2023. My actions align with my words, and with that, I am building even more self-trust than I’ve ever had.
I reckon I am writing to you a little late. But I don’t want to resent myself in the future for not writing to you at all. I am devoted to reflection, and something about this project still felt active. I resent myself when I don’t finish meaningful projects whose timeliness feels pertinent.
As Mike Posner sings, “Reasons are excuses wearing fancy clothes”. I told myself I wanted to tie up my year with a bow, and that’s what I’m doing now. I’m converging even more from the letter I wrote you in January about my intentions from 2023 of living with courage, connection, and peace. I also already wrote about my 28 lessons from 28 years. I’ve parsed apart much of my review, but I want to tie this all together even more.
In 2023, we did a whole bunch of crazy things. As you know I’m an overachiever sometimes and wrote a whole entire list of 100 experiences. Man oh man that was fun. Let’s do that again. Here’s the prompt to begin: “2024, the year that I…”
As you look back on 2024, here’s a little snippet to get you up to speed of what happened in 2023.
But first, here's a favorite shot taken on September 30, 2023, the day I made a Haku flower crown and had just recently returned to the island after over three months away.
What am I most proud of?
Being courageous without liquid courage.
- I don’t need liquids to be courageous. This was my first full year of not drinking alcohol. I didn’t do it in California sober fashion either – I reframed from weed as well.
Nourishing and deepening relationships through shared experiences.
- The depth in my relationship with my roommate. Every day my interactions with her make my life better. We cherish our greens with sesame dressing, avo bagels with fried eggs. I am grateful to her for making our home homey. She makes committing to this place seem
- I’ve never prioritized romance in my life so I celebrate my 2-month fling that I learned about what I don’t want in a partner.
- I said goodbye to my dear friend who relocated to DC. With that I also said hello and welcomed in new friends that I met at house parties and running club.
- Meeting up with Internet friends in Austin, Singapore, and NYC.
Completing things
- Each week I sent out my newsletter. Whether that was:
- quickly before my plane took off celebrating my wins
- In an unconventional way of a scramble of thoughts
- Printing and distributing HOPA Holiday gifts of 250 advanced reader copies of the HOPA Book
What are some beliefs that have shifted?
- I’m seeking to lean into my nature by asking myself “what comes naturally to me?”
- I love being social, I love media. I don’t love social media. It is a tool that is addictive.
- “You can probably take it as a rule of thumb from now on that if people don't think you're weird, you're living badly.” —Paul Graham
- Just because technology is progressing does not mean that humanity is progressing too.
- Community can be cultivated if you maximize the moment and savor the experiences even if they are few.
- Most of the world is too addicted to the computers in their pockets and does not contemplate life enough using their own first brain.
- Solo traveling is overrated and I’d rather travel with someone to share the experience with.
- I’d rather travel to random places than popular places like Bali that are over-rated.
- I don’t know if modern life is superior.
- First encounters mean a lot, though I can choose to reshape those encounters after with thoughtful
- I don’t need to always lead. There is value in being a passenger and letting others have that joy instead.
- I stand for intentional living and want to my values to be aligned with my actions.
- Plans are not essential to a good life.
- I don’t need to know what the outcome is. I need to let go, surrender and trust instead of trying to control or be some dictator.
- I was not created on this planet to treat myself as a judge in a courtroom.
- If I put energy in, energy will come out. Whether it’s the expected experience or not, something will be learned.
- My wildest dreams haven’t even come to me yet.
What questions am I asking myself more of these days?
- What can I devote myself to?
- Spiritually, does Buddhism or Christianity resonate more? Do I need to resonate more with one?
- Where do I want to focus my attention?
- What does ambition mean to me?
- Is this how I want to be spending my time?
- How can I be more generous?
- What would my life look like if this was abundant?
It was one helluva courageous, peaceful and connected year. I’m appreciative to my past self for setting these intentions as my compass for where to go.
Some of the first times I am most shocked by:
- Left by myself to go to a foreign continent alone
- Finding ways to make extra money to afford the trip that included dog sitting and teaching a poetry course
- Co-writing a book in eleven months and led the publishing team to successfully distribute it for the holidays
- I moved my body for two hours and 58 minutes to complete my first ever olympic triathlon in Honolulu
- I sailed a boat next to dolphins on my wake
- I still don’t drink alcohol
- Not being on social media for six months for a cleanse from the posting game
- Gleefully deleted Snapchat in January as an attempt to delete the daily channels to nostalgia of past versions of myself
The cheery on top was being able to go and ski with my cousin outwest for the first time in Colorado.
I never knew I could live such a courageous life. I’ve always been inspired by badass women like Mulan, Liz Gilbert, and Amelia Earhart.
Unfinished projects:
- Sharing 100 poems
- Reading the bible. I’m currently taking a break from it to read Harry Potter, smaller books and other classics to fall back in love with the act of reading.
- Letters to my Life
- Book notes
Started sharing my truth
- Shared with my last coach that I am averse to doing productive things just for the sake of being productive. I need deeper meaning
Some lessons:
- I cannot force a degree of friendship. I want to see my parents as friends. I dint need to tell my friends everything.
Books of note that impacted me:
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
- Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
- Devotions by Mary Oliver (still have not read it all)
“Attention is the beginning of devotion.”
- The Power of Regret by Daniel H. Pink
- Bible books Job, Genesis, and Exodus
Celebrating that I went to more concerts than ever before:
- Trampled by Turtles (1/13)
- Quinn XCII (2/20)
- Flight Facilitities (4/15)
- Iam Tongi (7/1)
- Noah Kahan
- David Kushner
- Payton Sullivan (
- Lucie Lynch (11
- Tavana (12/