How Looking Back Can Help You Move Forward

As we prepare to enter a new year, sometimes it's helpful to look back so you know where you want to go moving forward.

3 min read.

The period between Christmas and the New Year is when I take the opportunity to sit down with the Contessa (aka my wife) to review the things we wanted to accomplish in 2021 and establish new goals/objectives for 2022.

We break the review down into a number of categories based on the 9 retirement principles asking a number of questions.

Did we spend enough quality time with friends and family?
Did we make any new friends?
Did we improve our health?
Did we learn anything new?
Did we experience anything new?
Did we help a lot of people?
Did we make a lot of people smile?
Did we find ways to stretch ourselves and get out of our comfort zones?

I like to rate how I did with each principle. If I find I came up short on anyone of them improving that rating becomes a goal of mine for the next year.

We then make a list of the special events that will be coming up – birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, holidays – and plan ways to make them unique and memorable. We spend a lot of time focusing and investing our time on family experiences. We find that the payback in terms of personal satisfaction is huge!

Next Year's Peak Events

2022 is going to be a big year for me.

As for next year, in addition to attempting Ironman Cozumel in November I will be launching our big legacy play along with some of my friends in September. I’m calling this project “Scrooge” because when we release it I’m going to feel giddy like Scrooge on Christmas day. You don’t want to miss this one!

I’m also going to focus on attempting things that really getting me out of my comfort zone. I'm planning on walking the skywalk around the CN tower and along with travelling to Australia to visit my son so I can get into a shark cage with him and get a picture of a great white up close.

Pandemic permitting, the Contessa and I are also planning a trip to Italy in early June. We enjoy visiting Italy - it’s food and history and the way the Italians approach life. They know how to live and we can learn a lot from them.

Self Improvement

I plan on taking some fly casting lessons in the summer as I have fallen in love with fly fishing for Atlantic Salmon on the George river which is my happy place. Learning to cast properly will only add to an already great experience.

Public Speaking

After I get Ironman out of the way, I’m going to hire another speaking coach to help take my game to a higher level. I know that the only way to get really good at something is through consistent practice and having benefit of a great coach will definitely help raise both my competence and confidence.

Taking up a new hobby

Some of my ex-banker friends have joined a golf club and play every Tuesday during the summer. They have asked me to join them and although time will be tight given my Ironman training schedule, I know how important it is not to lose contact with goods friends. So I’ve asked Santa for some golf clubs for Christmas.

As we prepare to say farewell to 2021 and all that it brought, I'm looking forward to the opportunities in 2022. I think it's going to be a heck of a year!