Each year I write a post reflecting on the major milestones, things I’m proud of and things that could’ve gone better. Following the lead of Noah Kagan and Seth Godin I take an annual look at what ‘I have shipped’.
I do this activity as a reference for myself, and if other people find it interesting or useful, even better.
In 2023, I’ve decided to look at what has had the most impact in terms of my family, business and life in general.
Family:
It was a year of lows and highs. In March, we lost a baby girl at 20 weeks of the pregnancy. My wife, Lou, still had to give birth to her and we got to spend a few hours with her before saying goodbye. We gave her an angel name; Elita – meaning chosen one. It was an emotional experience and one I was determined would make me stronger.
It was a catalyst for us to fast track our move to the Sunshine Coast and begin a new chapter up here with Lola and Poppi our cavoodle.
The silver lining is that we’ve now fallen pregnant again and we’re expecting a baby boy this year. Our 2yo Lola is a treat and has kept us smiling and on our toes this whole time.
We’re also making sure to appreciate that this is the ‘last time’ we’ll have just Lola around before her brother arrives and completes the family. I’m very grateful and have nothing but admiration for my wife’s strength through all this.
Personal:
The main win here was the identity shift from ‘getting fit’ to ‘being fit’. This very small change in mindset made a massive difference. Instead of fluctuating and yo-yo’ing once ‘I got fit’, I’ve been able to simply ‘be fit.’
The biggest single milestone was going alcohol-free for 12 months. It began as an open-ended experiment on Christmas Day and it ended up going beyond a full year. Who knows if I’ll take it further but life has certainly been easier, more fun and more energising going AF.
2023 also marked the second full year of consistent weights training. I’ve got progressively stronger in all areas, and hit PBs in most testing weeks. Body fat has remained fairly consistent in the 15%-20% range.
A huge benefit of moving to the Sunshine Coast has been the proximity to the surf. I’ve got a group of surfing mates here, and life is great when I start the day with a surf.
I also ticked off a bucket list item which was doing the run leg of the Noosa Tri. I did 49:40min for the 10km run. During the year I also did the Noosa 1000 and Noosa 5km swims.
Health:
My mate Greg Cassar recommended a book called Lifespan by Aussie scientist and Harvard researcher, Dr David Sinclair. His book and research focuses on increasing the number of ‘good years’ in your life where you have enough health and vitality to enjoy it.
My takeaways from his book are that the Big 3 (sleep, nutrition/food and exercise) will have ~90% of the impact on your health now, and into the future.
1. Sleep: ie how you rest your body – I try to get 7-8 hours sleep.
2. Nutrition/Food: ie. what you put into your body (and when) – eat less and less often. I typically do intermittent fasting (or time restricted eating) each day (18:6) with a 3-5 day fast each quarter to reset.
3. Exercise: ie. how you move your body. I try to move everyday and do resistance training to maintain muscle. I’ve been going to the gym 5-6x a week, with a rest day on Sunday.
The fact that these 3 things will move the needle the most, is encouraging as it makes sense.
My interpretation is the extra ~10% seem to come from additional things like supplements and stressors like cold and heat exposure.
I take a combo of supplements that include MNM, resveratrol and spermidine.
I also have a chest freezer/ ice bath set up at home and do about 3-5 ice baths a week for 2-5 mins duration. Where possible I’ll went for an infrared sauna although it was only a handful of times.
I like to geek out on these things and I choose to believe they work.
However for the record, I’ve noticed that for every expert who advocates for one thing whether it’s a supplement, fasting, ice baths, or whatever there will be another health guru who will tell you it does nothing or is bad for you.
Have you noticed the same?
Work:
My business, Bluewire Media, was in its 18th year. It’s had many iterations since my friend and cofounder Toby and I were pounding the pavement in 2005 selling websites. My focus now is marketing coaching and I continue to love every minute of what I do at Bluewire. Whilst I enjoy travelling for the odd keynote presentation, I really like being at the home studio with the family.
Whilst Toby has officially left the company, I have a great team of people around me who help behind the scenes.
ChatGPT and AI was the major game-changer this year, both for me and my coaching clients. What used to take clients 3-6 months, we can now get done in a matter of hours. AI will continue to be a focus of mine.
I started working with a new business coach in 2023. I’ve always admired Troy Dean for what he’s done with his own business and also how he markets and conducts himself personally. He’s already helped me take Bluewire to a new level, and this year will continue to see breakthroughs.
In my volunteer role with the BGSOBA, I was excited to help deliver a sold-out BGS Sportsman’s Lunch in Brisbane, as well as helping on the comms side of things, by managing the private Facebook group of 3,200 members and writing the OBA newsletter to 7,000 Old Boys.
There you have it. It’s a more thorough report that I’ve done in the past.
Let me know if you find any of it useful.
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This post was originally published at https://www.bluewiremedia.com.au/what-i-shipped-2023-year-in-review/
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Adam Franklin
Marketing Coach & Speaker
Founder Bluewire Media
Author of Web Marketing That Works
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