My 2023 Resolutions
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great start to the year.
Over the past few weeks, I reflected on how my 2022 went. I accomplished many things in the past year, but there are also some areas in my life I would love to improve in 2023.
In this blog post, I will start by sharing a retrospection of my 2022, grade my 2022 goals, and finally share my 2023 resolutions.
By sharing how I come up with my new year's resolution, I encourage y'all to set aside some time to think about how to make the most out of 2023.
2022 Retrospection
Following the life assessment framework from Designing Your Life, I graded my 2022 in four buckets of my life:
Work (50%)
Overall reflection:
I work at a tech company doing strategy and operations work. I also write a blog post about once a month.
I gave myself 50% because I felt I didn't learn as much as I wanted in 2022. I was getting stuff done but wasn't going out of my way to learn. I slipped into cruising mode at work, so I didn't grow at the speed I wanted to grow.
Outside of my full-time job, I was very inconsistent with my blogging schedule. Although I struggle to write my blogs consistently, I am still proud that I finished 13 blog posts last year.
Love (70%)
Love is everywhere in my life. I love my friends and my family.
I appreciate having so many close friends around me in NYC. I am also grateful to have a loving and caring mother who will always support me. Knowing that whatever happens in life, my friends and family will be there for me is a great feeling.
I gave myself a 70% in love because the romantic aspect of my life is lacking a bit. I went on many dates last year but still haven't met someone compatible with me.
Health (80%)
Health consists of two components: physical and mental health.
For physical health, I am in good condition. I started swimming in 2022 and went to the gym about three or four times a week. I also reduced my carb intake and felt pretty energetic throughout the day.
In terms of mental health, I felt relatively peaceful and calm daily. I meditate and journal daily. I also started seeing a therapist last August, and my therapist helped me process my thoughts and allowed me to understand myself better.
I only gave myself 80% because my sleep schedule is unhealthy. I often will sleep around 2 am and wake up at 9 am.
Play (90%)
I am very satisfied with the play bucket of my life. I will eat out with friends at least once or twice a week. I also will go to karaoke with friends about once a month.
Living in NYC, I have access to some of my favorite live performances. I went to several Broadway shows, magic shows, jazz bars, and comedy clubs.
During the fall, I took a salsa dance class with my high school friend, which was a lot of fun.
2022 Resolution Rating & 2023 Resolutions
As mentioned in my previous blog post, I grade each of my resolutions on a scale of 0 to 1. 0 being I totally failed at my resolution, and 1 being I delivered my resolution.
Work
2022 resolutions:
- Write down one problem I would like to solve every day (Grade: 0| Modify)
I didn't write down any problems I wanted to solve last year. I feel like I already know a few problems I want to solve, such as finding an easier way to schedule a group event and a better way to track my finances. I just need to start taking action.
- Write 10 minutes a day (Grade: 0.5| Keep)
I was very inconsistent in my writing schedule. I tried to write for 10 minutes every morning, but I sometimes woke up too late. I also realized I am not a morning person, so writing in the morning is not very productive.
2023 resolutions:
- Learn one thing new every day
My learning was stagnant in 2022, so I want to ensure I can learn a lot more in 2023. I want to be very proactive in my learning. Whether it's watching a Udemy course or learning something new at work, I want to ensure that I can grow every day.
- Write for 10 minutes a day
Writing is one of the best ways to sharpen my thinking. Therefore, I still want to make writing a daily activity in 2023. Most importantly, I want to develop a habit of creating for at least 10 minutes a day. Writing seems like one of the easiest ways for me to start creating.
Love
2022 resolutions:
- Go on a 10th date with a girl (Grade: 0.5 | Keep)
I went on five dates with a girl in 2022 and would love to continue this goal into 2023. My dating goal is still finding a long-term partner, so I hope to get to know a girl deeply this year.
- Go on two dates a month (Grade: 0.7 | Modify)
Although there were a few months I didn't go on any dates, I still went on a decent amount of dates throughout the years. I no longer need this goal because I am already going to about two dates a month.
2023 resolutions:
- Go on a 10th date with a girl
I like the focus of really getting to know a girl, so I would still like to keep this goal. I understand that many things are outside my control, but I will commit to always being authentic when going on dates.
- Send a check-in message to my brother & dad once a month
One thing I always want to do is to get closer to my brother and dad. I am close to my mom, but I don't talk to my brother or dad regularly. Being close to my loved ones is essential, so I want to start by checking in with my brother & dad once a month.
Health
2022 resolutions:
- Workout at least four times a week (Grade: 0.7 | Keep)
I exercised consistently throughout most of the year but slacked off a bit during the winter. Since I started swimming twice a week, I lost about 10 lbs and felt much healthier.
- Meditate at least five minutes a day (Grade: 0.7 | Modify)
I currently meditate for three minutes daily when making my french press coffee in the morning. However, I struggled to extend my daily meditation to five minutes. I think a three-minute daily meditation is a right frequency for me, so I no longer need this resolution.
2023 resolutions:
- Workout at least four times a week
Health is still my number one priority in life, so I want to maintain at least exercising four times a week. I think having a healthy body is the foundation of everything.
- Sleep before 1 am every night
I think one of my most unhealthy habits is my poor sleeping schedule. I would often sleep around 2 am and wake up around 9 am. I usually get under seven hours of sleep, so I am usually extremely tired every morning. I want to sleep more and wake up earlier in 2023.
Play
2022 resolutions:
- Study magic for five minutes a day (Grade: 0 | Modify)
I barely spent any time practicing magic in 2022. Over the past few years, I have been a bit stagnant at magic. I want to add some new magic to my performing set. I need to take some lessons to continue pushing myself to grow in magic.
- Read five pages a day (Grade: 1 | Modify)
I read at least five pages a day in 2022, which resulted in me finishing five books a year. I want to spend more time reading because I enjoy and feel refreshed after reading.
2023 resolutions:
- Take a magic lesson once a month
I tried learning magic on my own in 2022, but it didn't work well. I wonder if I would learn more by taking classes from some professional magicians. I recently discovered one of my favorite magicians offers private coaching, so that I will give it a shot.
- Read ten pages a day
I want to dedicate more time to reading this year because reading is one of the best learning methods. Learning new materials brings me a lot of joy, so I want to read as much as possible this year.
Conclusion
Although I didn't learn as fast as I would like at work in 2022, I am still proud of my progress outside of work. I am glad I started a blog, went on more dates with a girl, and learned to dance salsa. Overall, I had a fantastic 2022.
In 2023, I want to accelerate my learning significantly. I want to challenge myself to grow in every aspect of my life. I recently just turned 29, so I want to make the most out of the last year in my twenties.
There will be a lot of challenges to accomplishing my resolutions, but I commit to trying my best to achieve my goals. I look forward to making the most out of 2023!
I welcome y'all to ask yourself: What are your new year's resolutions?
Feel free to share your reflections, thoughts, or feedback with me @themagichen on Instagram or reach me at themagichen@gmail.com