Day 94 (Friday, December 31, 2021)
Today, I woke up around 9am and had coffee and breakfast. We did some training with Sydney in the kitchen and in the yard.
In the late afternoon, I went for a 4 mile run along a trail I found nearby that I am calling the Ghetto Yellow Brick Road. I think the intention of the path was good and it’s an all right path by most standards but hardly lives up to the Yellow Brick Road name on the archway. Anyway, it only crosses a few roads so it’s quite nice for running and since my elbow is still giving me problems, I figure it’s a good way to get a workout in.
In the afternoon and evening, Bi, Sydney, and I spent time together at the house reflecting on the past year and the year ahead. The photo at the top of the post is a picture of the gold plated Corpus Clock in Cambridge that was unveiled by Stephen Hawking in 2008. It is a beautiful gleaming mechanical clock that depicts an insectoid called the Chronophage or “time eater” that appears to open it’s mouth and eat the seconds as they pass by, occasionally blinking it’s eyelids in satisfaction. It is a wonderful reminder that time is limited and every moment is precious and apparently delicious too.
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2021 Past Year Review
2021 was a year of major change. In the first 9 months I worked long hours and managed unprecedented supply chain issues in my role as Global Head of Metallic Purchasing for AG/CE Segments at CNH Industrial. Sales spiked as the economy bounced back from Covid but shipping lanes, trucks, rail, and containers all experienced shortages and delays. Manufacturing facilities globally struggled to ramp up capacity due to labor shortages, workers out sick with covid, and extended lead times on raw material, subcomponents and equipment. Prices escalated rapidly and steel mills put customers on allocation. It was a challenging time but the team performed exceedingly well and the company had some of the best quarterly profits in history.
On the personal side, Bi and I had been tracking our net worth and investing for many years and by July we had exceeded our retirement target! So I submitted my resignation for September 17th and we made preparations for a new phase in life. In October and November we explored Portugal and spent the days pursuing our hobbies of surfing and rock climbing. In December, we visited London and Cambridge, England and our family grew with our new little puppy, Sydney!
2021 Summary: Managed unprecedented supply issues and helped the company achieve historic results, Retired Early at age 45, Moved to Portugal, Surfed all along the Algarve coast, Rock climbed in Portugal and Spain, Explored London and Cambridge, England, and added a new puppy to our family!
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2022 Goals/Thoughts
In the year ahead, I imagine we will have to remain flexible but I would like to target improvement in several categories of life: Mind, Body, Social/Relationships, Financial, Spiritual
Mind: In this area, I would like to 1M) establish a reading plan to expand my knowledge and awareness. I plan to establish a reading list and allot a certain amount of time per day for reading or audiobooks. 2M) I would also like to continue with news podcasts, investment podcasts, and self improvement podcasts. 3M) I want to learn another language – probably Portuguese or Spanish
Body: Most of my hobbies fall in this category but I would like to 1B) improve my diet 2B) advance my surfing skills 3B) improve my rock climbing ability and technical/rope skills 4B) add martial arts of some type to my routine (previously I have done Judo and Muay Thai) 5B) continue to work on calisthenics 6B) improve my snowboarding
Social/Relationships: In this area, I would like to 1SR) set aside time to consciously work on my marriage through building tools like IMAGO and making sure we go on dates, etc. Since I want to have the best marriage and be the best partner that I can. 2SR) I would like to stay better connected with family and friends and spend more time with them 3SR) I would like to try to help or mentor others where I am able
Financial: I would 1F) continue to track our Net Worth on a Bi-Weekly/Monthly basis 2F) continue to read/learn about investments and investing tools/resources 3F) Evaluate new investment opportunities
Spiritual: My interpretation of this area is probably different than it may be for other people but I include anything that helps keep me at peace and focused on what is important to me. This includes 1S) Prayers and Mantras 2S) Meditation 3S) Breathwork 4S) Reading/Audiobooks on meditation/mindfulness/and religion
