The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of 20233 min read
share:
Well, 2023 has been one of the more interesting years of my life.
I really don’t like to dwell on the past, but I thought it might be fun to share some of the highlights and lowlights of 2023 from my personal perspective.
The Good
I retired in August 2023 after being self-employed for 39 years, and it’s been a lot of fun (mostly).
Now, not being focused on marketing and my clients’ challenges 24/7, I’ve allowed myself to get into things that I never seemed to have time for before. For instance…
– This newly structured weekly eZine/blog, “The Way I See It” has let me explore and articulate ideas in depth I’ve only mused about before.
– I jumped into ChatGPT with both feet and discovered it as an incredible tool for fleshing out ideas–in about 20% of the time! Try it for free here.
– I wrote the report, “ChatGPT as the Ultimate Thinking Tool.” Get it here for free if you haven’t already.
– I started to watch a whole lot of YouTube videos and podcasts outside of my expertise with some really brilliant people who keep stretching my thinking. Like this one.
– Got deeply into the Tao Te Ching and refer to it almost daily. I now have six Kindle versions and two printed versions! My favorite one includes an excellent commentary by Rory B. Mackay, which brings clarity to the many cryptic verses.
– I wrote a series of 12 articles for All About Jazz, the biggest online jazz publication, called “72 Jazz Thrillers” about my favorite jazz albums going back to 1969. You can see them all here.
The Bad
– I was diagnosed with prostate cancer a couple of months ago. The prognosis is good, and treatment is well underway.
– Most of my major home appliances (garbage disposal, dishwasher, furnace, and refrigerator) broke down and had to be replaced. Ouch.
– My wife started an Amazon reseller business, and now we have boxes piled everywhere. For someone who likes an ultra-organized space, it’s been a challenge, but we are working things out. :–)
The Ugly
– I am obsessing, worrying about, and, in general, ticked off by many political and world events such as the rise of authoritarianism and the wars in Ukraine and Israel. I can’t ignore this stuff, but I’m working on things I can do that I have control of, vs those I don’t.
The Future
When you retire, amongst all of the things above, you realize that you are plunging headlong into oblivion. There is no escape.
So, it’s made me think, “In my remaining years what can I occupy myself with that I can both enjoy while making a real difference?”
Well, I will continue in the same direction – lots of writing, thinking, exploring, and meditating on living in the present moment.
Also, I was up last night to almost 5 a.m. working on some long-gestating ideas. So, I hope to launch something new soon. As always, I will keep you posted.
I wish you all the best for a wonderful 2024!
It’s an election year, the climate is wreaking havoc everywhere, and we still haven’t figured out how to stop the wholesale slaughter of our fellow citizens with firearms. We all have a lot of work to do.
Nevertheless, we are all Here, Aware, and in the Now. So, no excuses–let’s make the best of it!
Cheers, Robert
P.S. I urge you to write down your good, bad, and ugly for the past year and the future of 2024. It will help bring clarity. Better than New Year’s resolutions.
share:
