2023 In Review: Olá, Portugal!

My 2023 Personal Annual Review

Feb 01, 2024

*Sunshine, blue skies, beaches…the Portugal way*

2023 was a year full of transitions.

Most notably, we packed up our life in London and moved to Lisbon. This was a major amount of logistics, work, emotional upheaval, and bureaucratic navigation; and at the same time, it was incredibly fun and exciting.

Not only did we emigrate to a new country, we bought a home here!

And…(drumroll please) we got pregnant!

Looking back, it feels like a year of big steps. Looking ahead, it feels like we are entering a new season of life.

Throughout all of these massive life changes, we also had a huge year in our business. While we won’t close the books until April, we’re on track to double the previous year’s revenue, which is just insane to think about.

I’ve decided this year to separate church and state and publish my personal review now and my business-focused one in March/April after the company’s year-end (Feb 28 will be my 4-year anniversary since leaving Google!) So expect a proper report from the business adventures around then. 🫡

It’s easy for me, being an optimist by nature, to look back and only see the highs of the year. But part of this review is about acknowledging the challenges, of which there were many. Claire had a miscarriage in June, which was devastating. I’ve been suffering from chronic inflammation in the form of persistent mouth ulcers, which have been a constant buzzkill. Moving to a new country, while fun, also means I left so many amazing relationships behind in London. And settling in a foreign country has been tough at times.

But all in all, 2023 was a milestone year in my life. It was fun, transformative, challenging, and filled with growth.

Let’s have a deeper look.

P.S. Even though it’s February 1st, it’s not too late to glean some lessons by reflecting on your past year. Scroll to the bottom for a few resources I recommend checking out for your own review!

Reflecting On My Plans for 2023

In last year’s review, I didn’t set out a specific set of goals or intentions for the year. However, I did capture some lessons learned in 2022, so let’s see if I embodied those lessons in 2023.

Lesson 1: Be in nature — I feel great about this. It’s one of the major reasons we left London for Lisbon. Claire and I go to the beach at least once a week, even throughout the winter, and this is soul enriching. Plus, we go on regular hikes in the Monsanto Forest on the edge of Lisbon, and recently have been going out to the Sintra Mountains for some beautiful nature.

Lesson 2: Respect asymmetric risk vs. reward — Hmm, can’t say I took action on this. This was about my blood clot in 2022. I suppose I’ve played it safe this year as I’m still on blood thinners, so I’ve resisted surfing, bought a helmet to wear on the e-scooters in Lisbon. But yeah, that’s about it.

Lesson 3: Embrace the morning energy — Yes, I’ve been more successful in protecting my mornings this past year for sure. But with so much client work, there were times where I fell into a pattern of chasing quick wins in the email inbox over the deeper satisfaction of more creative pursuits.

Lesson 4: Give first — did I keep true to my inner compass of living a life of service? Actually, yes. I meditated often on this intention, tried to live more from my heart than my head, and I think I served many people well through our workshops and programs this past year.

Lesson 5: Stop trying to clear the decks — quite related to Lesson 3, this lesson is about getting stuck into the important things rather than trying to empty the never-ending bucket of teeny tiny tasks that call for my attention. I did a fair job of this. But I can always find some room for improvement ;)

Quick Highlight Reel

I liked this section from Paul Millerd’s review, so I’m stealing with pride. Here are some quick highlights from the year:

Countries Lived In: Portugal!

Countries Visited: Malaysia, Indonesia, Italy, UK, Germany, France, Norway, US, Spain

New Countries Visited: Indonesia, Norway

Places Visited: Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Milan, London (4x), Paris (4x), Comporta, Portugal (2x); Dusseldorf (2x), Oslo, Barcelona, Sagres; Portugal, Evora; Portugal, Lagos, Portugal; Colares, Portugal; Belle-Église, France; Montargil; Portugal

Books Read: 25 (see the full list on Goodreads)

Favorite Novel: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Favorite Nonfiction: Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter

What Went Well

Moved to Portugal

We moved to a new country! This was a huge highlight (with many minor obstacles) that marked 2023. After spending three months here testing the waters in 2022, we decided it was the place for us. Great weather, great people, great food, great beaches, great nature. There are definitely pros and cons to every place, and Portugal is by no means perfect, but we’re happy here.

Baby Time

We’re having a baby! Our little love child will be entering the terrestrial realm in May 2024 and I’m so excited to become a father and enter a new season in life. This easily feels like the biggest highlight of the year, probably even more so as we faced some challenges in getting pregnant (see below). We really thought a lot about becoming parents in 2022 and whether this was what we wanted, and at the start of 2023 we both said YES, and so it’s a huge blessing that we’ve been lucky to conceive last year.

House Time

We bought a home! After choosing Lisbon as our new homebase, we knew we wanted to get our own place to call home and continue rooting down. We bought an old Lisbon flat that we just began renovating and hope to be ready sometime over the summer.

Family Trips

Although I was unable to leave Portugal/EU for around six months while my visa was being processed, I still feel like we made it up for it by hosting our families in Portugal and having some incredible trips. Claire’s mum spent a few weeks with us in August, and then I had a big family trip at the end of August, plus my dad visited for about 10 days in October. We finished the year with my brother and Claire’s sister coming over for Christmas. Lots of fam mems <3

New Car = Easy Access to Nature’s Beauty

As an American, owning a car is like a birthright. But somehow I’ve managed to go 10+ years since graduating college without buying my own, which was largely made possible by living in London for a majority of those years where a car is unnecessary. I don’t feel like a very materialistic person in general, but I’d have to say that buying a nice car was a highlight of the year. They say things don’t make you happy, but I swear I’m pretty happy every time we hop in the car to drive out to the beach or a hike.

Health & Fitness

I got in great shape this year, perhaps the best I’ve been in since my early 20s. I hired a personal trainer to work with once per week, went to regular CrossFit classes, practiced a decent amount of yoga, worked on mobility and flexibility, walked a ton of steps, got into rucking, had consistent meditation and breathwork practices, etc. Even still, I had some background health problems (see below) so it wasn’t all sunshines and rainbows, but this was something I’m happy with.

We Married Our Friends

One of the most rewarding experiences of the year, hands down. Claire and I were asked by our two close friends Graham and Christina to serve as the celebrants at their wedding in June. Of course we said yes. And honestly, I was super nervous in the lead up! It felt like a huge responsibility, a huge privilege. But looking back, it’s a memory I’ll cherish for a lifetime.

What Didn’t Go Well

Distance

There were a few important moments I had to miss out on due to travel restrictions I was under while obtaining my Portuguese residency. My mom’s 60th, my step-dad’s 70th, one of my best friend’s wedding celebrations in Utah. This is one of the big downsides of living abroad, and this last year I felt it.

Loss of Community

Related to the last point, I felt some sadness and even grief throughout the year as I continued to process this big move. While it was hard to be away from my London friends and community in 2022, it was also a big year of travel and adventure, so perhaps it didn’t quite feel ‘real’ yet. In 2023, it felt real. We are building a new community in Lisbon while also maintaining connections to our community in London, but this is one of those things that just takes time.

Health / Inflammation / Canker Sores

Some of you might remember I had a blood clot (DVT) in November 2022. Not long after, I started to get a lot of mouth ulcers (we call ‘em canker stores in ‘Merica). I was no stranger to these ulcers, but the frequency and duration increased with intensity. Worried about inflammation, I did a ton of health stuff this year: hired a personal doctor, did numerous blood tests, tried an elimination diet, got tested for allergies, took loads of supplements, etc etc. Despite all this, I still suffered regular canker sores which were just a consistent buzzkill.

Note: As of writing this, I’ve been in the clear for over 4 weeks (seems like my TCM doctor’s prescription of avoiding ‘heaty’ foods is working) so maybe 2024 will be my year!

Writing & Reading

Damn, another year where I’m a bit disappointed in my writing! We had an amazing business opportunity emerge in the beginning of the year, and I put a lot of time, effort, and love into making sure we honored the opportunity. This meant I put a lot of other priorities to the side, including my personal writing, and my reading.

Intentions for 2024

Flexibility // Love // Presence

I expect 2024 to be a year unlike any other I’ve experienced. With the transition to fatherhood on the horizon, I’m preparing for an entirely new season of life.

I’m anchoring my year on a few themes and words that I feel will serve me well in the year to come:

Flexibility

I’m a person who seeks structure and routine. Hell, I teach others for a living to do the same. But one insight that has emerged from my conversations with father friends in my life is that flexibility is key in the early months. I’m hoping to live more in-the-moment with our child, be flexible and adaptive to their changing needs, and go more with the flow.

Love

Recently, I’ve been reconnecting to a practice of love in my meditations and prayers. It all starts with a deep self-love, which then emanates into love for all beings. My intention is to embody more love and spread more light in my interactions with others this year.

Presence

One of the best ways to show love is to give your attention.

“Attention is the most basic form of love.” — John Tarrant

When you bring your attention into the present, you’re practicing presence. To let go of what’s happened, to free yourself of future considerations, and to simply inhabit this moment. Doesn’t sound too difficult, right? Ha. It’s a life’s work, and I’m bringing this value, this quality, this skill with me into 2024.

(Almost) The End

Thank you so much for continuing to read this letter!

One Percent Wisdom has evolved a lot since I started writing it back in 2020, as have I. Somehow we’re only a handful of subscribers shy of 1,000, which is wild to think about!

To me, this is an avenue for self-discovery and exploration, a place where I try to think out loud, and share reminders to myself that could be useful to others.

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