Each year I write a post reflecting on the major milestones, things I'm proud of and things that could have 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 two year old 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-yoing 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 alcohol-free.
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. 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, doing the run leg of the Noosa Tri, and during the year I 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 focus on increasing the number of good years in your life where you have enough health and vitality to enjoy it.
My takeaways are that the Big 3, sleep, nutrition and exercise, will have around 90% of the impact on your health now, and into the future.
- Sleep, how you rest your body. I try to get 7 to 8 hours.
- Nutrition, what you put into your body and when. I typically do intermittent fasting each day, 18:6, with a 3 to 5 day fast each quarter to reset.
- Exercise, how you move your body. I try to move every day and do resistance training to maintain muscle, going to the gym 5 to 6 times a week with a rest day on Sunday.
The fact that these three things will move the needle the most is encouraging, as it makes sense. My interpretation is the extra 10% seems to come from additional things like supplements and stressors such as cold and heat exposure. I also have an ice bath set up at home and do a few a week.
For the record, I've noticed that for every expert who advocates for one thing, whether it's a supplement, fasting or ice baths, 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 to 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.
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 than I've done in the past.
