🌊 Goodbye, 2022. Hello, 2023.

It's always been a ritual of mine: at the end of the year, I look back and see where I did well and where I could have done better, echoing a habit of former Cisco Systems CEO, John Chambers who was among the few on Wall Street to share openly where he believed he'd succeeded and where there was room for improvement.  For those who've listened to John year after year, there was a certain comfort in his southern drawl and earnestness in his approach amongst a sea of sharks.

This year, I'm trying something a little new in that I'm sharing pieces of my annual review here. Overall, this year was filled with tremendous joy.  

And while I won't touch much on this, our path leading up to our biggest win in 2022 (Isaac), was long, dark, lonely, and oftentimes scary.

The big ones...

• Celebrated the birth of our son Isaac
• Celebrated my father’s 80th birthday.

• Moved into our “forever” home, and hid it on Google
• Started writing this tradingmisbehavior.com
• Started work with an incredible therapist/coach (h/t Dr. Michael Lardon who has helped immensely in 2022)

Some quantifiable metrics for 2022

• Reported 40 rounds of golf to my GHIN profile, and lowered my golf handicap index by 7 strokes to 6.1 for those asking.
• Secured three new amazing tenants for our rental properties in Southern California.
• Completed one major value-add SFH renovation.
• Completed my first 1031 exchange.
• Syndicated my first real estate deal to outside investors.
• Journaled 138 entries (still WAY short of my 365 goal).
• Completed my 3-year tenure at Brain Corporation having led product and marketing for the robotics company.
• Mentored 22 people into new careers in 2022.

Some Other 2022 Highlights

• Rebuilt my home video conference setup

• Guest on the Brick & Mortar Reborn Podcast, whilst Vice President of Product and Marketing at Brain Corp
• Visited Walmart HQ in Bentonville, Arkansas and for work on a large digital transformation project.
• Attended my first AUSA conference exploring night vision, autonomous robots, and drones in Washington, DC.

• Flew over to Bozeman, Montana to evaluate some airplane hangers for sale.

• Checked out a Hot Spring in Desert Hot Springs

Tough times

• Had to say goodbye to Gonzo, one of our dogs, don't worry we've got two left.

• Got COVID

Onto the music

Jorge Ben - Xica Da Silva - I first heard this song on a compilation from David Byrne.  I quickly listened to the entire Africa Brasil album, despite not understanding a word of it, made up my own words, and continue to rock out to this, frequently. There's more traditional Samba, and there's funkier Brazilian from the mid-70s, there's just nothing better than Jorge Ben. His lyrical, harmony-filled tracks are unparalleled.

Cedric Burnside - Don't Leave Me Girl - The son of Mississippi blues legend, R.L. Burnside, Cedric somehow got his dad's raspy voice, syncopated, gain-filled guitar and voice.  I had the good fortune of seeing Cedric during SXSW a few years back.  He's incredible.  

Vaudou Game - Anniversaire - A lesser known "Afro-groove" artist hailing from Togo, Benin and based out of Paris, this track has it all.  Driving, melodic and funky.