I was supposed to attend a live 2-hour workshop by Andy Drish (https://andydrish.com) but the timezone was off so I was lucky enough to get the recording. He hosted this live on December 21, 2019, but it took me until February 1st, 2020 to actually go through the workshop. Classic me of procrastinating important stuff like this!
It was a great workshop on the life vision of 2020. One of the challenges at the end was posting my workshop outcome to friends and family, so here goes. I’m creating this post right after I finished the workshop in the spirit of my 2020 theme: get shit done!
This is raw and unedited from my 2-hour exercise with Andy Drish:
The Truth About My Vision:
What Am I afraid of? What are my raw fears?
I had a little extra time to group these up into categories as I was watching the recording.
Personal Fears
- afraid to travel from my base/Bali/dog
- afraid I’m too old
- afraid I’m too comfortable in my current situation
- excited and afraid of working alone
- afraid to be seen as a failure from friends and family
- afraid to be alone, not find the special girl to have kids with
Skill Fears
- afraid I don’t have the skills
- learning that my ideas are shit and nothing good to work on
- afraid to be seen as a wannabe entrepreneur
- being a poor CEO/Entrepreneur
- not a good people manager
Execution Fears
- not being able to get shit done.
- afraid I’m just not motivated.
- afraid I’m too lazy
- afraid of procrastination
- afraid I don’t have the will power required
PHASE ONE: REFLECT ON THE PAST
What were the highs and lows of 2019?
This was such a difficult exercise for me as I had to look back at 2019 and remember the highs and lows. Typically I have a hard time of remembering the last 18 golf holes I just finished playing. So here are my highs and lows as I remember them. Another thing I could do after this would be to go through my calendar to trigger more memories. I might do that later, for now, this is what I remembered:
January 2020
- raiding wow and new expansion (high)
- recruitment process (low)
- my dog finally settling in at new home (high)
- my dog going crazy of fear of separation (low)
- working in the garden (high)
- Team Hackathon (low)
December 2019
- NYE at Casablanca (low)
- Christmas lunch (low)
- Christmas eve first time ever alone (low) missing family
- The first month in the new house (high)
November 2019
- Moving to the new house alone (high)
- saying goodbye to my other dog Kiera (low)
- getting dividends from MagLoft (high)
- first golf game in almost a year (high)
October 2019
- first time on the driving range after injury (high)
September 2019
- improvements in rehab training (high)
August 2019
- Visiting Barcelona with family (high)
July
- Going back home to DK (high)
June 2019
May 2019
- Visiting Tom (high)
- Getting shoulder injections (low)
April 2019
- starting physio rehab (high)
March 2019
- Breaking up with my girlfriend (low)
- Team hackathon (low) should have done more but was down after my breakup
February
- started on ultrasound and laser treatment (high)
- visiting the hospital every week (low)
January 2019
- coming home to Bali after my 40 year birthday (low)
- diagnosed with shoulder arthritis (low)
- Physio Therapy needles (low)
Lessons Learned
- if I’m going to do something commit to it 100% or don’t do it at all.
- getting injured is a big eye-opener/reality check.
- being grateful that I can do all the things I can do (comparing injury with so many people way worse off).
- important to just be grateful for life and general well being!
- you miss your family on holiday seasons – be with them!
- don’t be so damn square and think you are always right in conversations with business partner
- just get things done quickly, no matter if it isn’t perfect. Over planning and trying to be super prepared is a waste of time. Get shit done!
- get better at planning visits back home (2-4 a year).
- I am lucky to be who I am.
- I can fucking do anything I want!!!
- There is always a good solution to a challenge
- being truthful and authentic is the best approach for me no matter what people think, say or respond.
Rate 2019 on a scale from 1-5: 2
It was a very challenging year personally and not much positive happened in business and life.
PHASE TWO: RATE THE PRESENT
How do you rate the 4 broad categories in your life?
Health 1-10 (6)
- I feel younger than my age (41).
- I look young for my age which is nice
- golf is my big passion and currently, I can play once a week. I would love to invest full time into this to see how far I can take it.
- starting to get a little stressed that I don’t have kids at this age.
- generally quite happy about my overall health and feel grateful.
- have challenges with my shoulder arthritis.
- my leg, nose, and elbows are not perfect.
- I eat too much crap (chocolate, etc).
- I get regular exercise but could do a little more.
- I don’t take any supplements which I probably could.
- want to work ore on my body to be more fit.
- My legs are way too skinny and need to grow.
- I sometimes feel undervalued because of my size.
- I’m sometimes intimidated by guys physically larger than me.
Relationships 1-10 (6)
- I’m single slightly introvert (don’t mind big crowds and can entertain but don’t seek it out).
- My girlfriend ended a 7-year relationship back in March 2019.
- It was a tough breakup but the right choice for both of us, still friends today.
- would love to meet the one who could make me really feel true love again.
- don’t have any kids and starting to think a little about that, what happens if I don’t get any? How do I feel about that? Not sure…
- have a few very close and deep friendships and a lot of regular friendships.
- after leaving home 8 years ago to move to Bali I started losing a few friends cause I couldn’t stay in touch.
- a great relationship with my two brothers and parents.
- good but not as strong with my sister as she moved to the US 15 years ago.
- have a good relationship with my business partner, but that was put under a lot of tension as we shared a villa together for 3 years. Today that is better as we moved to separate places. However, there is a feeling of tension, conflict, and competition between us. It’s not healthy and I need to work on this.
- sometimes feel a little alone in my house here in Bali and feel like I need to grow my network and get out more. But I also love being alone in the house working in the garden etc.
Wealth 1-10 (5)
- The biggest vision of my life is to be able to work when and where I chose. This is extremely liberating for me, and I somewhat feel like I have reached the beginning of this vision.
- I feel conflicted in many of these areas. I don’t make a lot of money, but it’s enough for a decent lifestyle in Bali. Nowhere near enough to travel the world and work where and when I want.
- I often feel like I should be way more ahead than I am. Often find myself looking at friends from high school that seem to have made a career, family and have nice things in life. I’m conflicted because I want those things as well, but at the same time, I’m happy where I am.
- Tired of working on the same startup for 6 years now. Feel I am not progressing my skills and the vision of the startup.
- I was never super passionate about the problem <> solution but about the technology behind it.
- Sometimes feel like the startup is keeping me back from doing the things I really want, but at the same time, it’s paying my bills and allowing me to live a nice lifestyle.
- I don’t strive to become a multi-millionaire, but I definitely do want to become financially free and not have to always worry about price and money. I’d love to be able to invest more.
- I would be very worried financially if I had to support my aging parents today. Thankfully they are well but getting older.
- I really wish I was financially well set so I wouldn’t worry about taking care of my family.
Overall Quality of Life 1-10 (7)
- my 5-year-old self would be pleased looking at me but would also say “is that it?”
- my deathbed I would have some regrets. I feel like I could be doing so much more! I have a very “standard” life I think although I have been blessed with amazing opportunities and experiences.
- I strongly feel like I am meant for something more, something bigger. I feel like I haven’t found my true calling hence I’m stagnating and not giving my 110% in life.
- when I was very young I used to have a “so what” mentality and not care too much what people thought about me and my actions. As I got older this turned into me thinking more and more about what other people think. What my parents think about my career choices, lack of pension and they worry about me.
- I feel like I’m at a turning point in my life. I’ve been able to get through the last few years fairly easily, but now it’s time to double down and really put in the serious effort to take me to where I want to be in life!
- I’m overall way happier today than I was 8 years ago when I was working in the bank in Denmark 🙂
PHASE THREE: CREATE THE FUTURE
Fast forward one ear and explain what a day in your life looks like.
we didn’t have a lot of time for this exercise, but this is what I wrote down and I was constantly writing
I wake up in a huge bed in a bright room. I’m smiling because I had a great night’s sleep and I feel well-rested and ready to rock. Besides me is the woman of my dreams. She takes a deep breath and opens her eyes. She looks at me and we both smile, kiss and say I love you.
I get out of bed while she takes another nap. It’s around 6:30 am. I play with the dog and take her out for a walk. It’s a beautiful morning, fresh, lush and green. We meet friendly neighbors and exchange a few words. Smile and continue.
We get back to the house, and my girl is up. I make breakfast for us and we enjoy it on the terrace overlooking a beautiful view. We have about an hour of playtime together before our days start. She’s a clever and very active girl who keeps me motivated and on my toes.
I work for about 2 hours which is a mix of calls with my team to guide and support them. I also work on new ideas and business proposals. We have a team of around 20 people who work on various business ideas and startups. I love my work because it’s fulfilling and we are creating products/services that actually bring value to people and solve problems better than anyone else. I’m proud of what I do.
I’m done with work and get in my nice car. I drive to the golf course to meet up with excellent friends for a game of competitive golf. We have loads of fun, talk business, life, motivation, etc. We have lunch together at the club and I drive home to my dream girl. We spend time together talking about life, dreams and the future. We are in sync and both excited to spend the rest of our lives together.
We go out for dinner with a couple of very close friends. We take the bill because we don’t have to worry and genuinely are happy to pick up the tab. We drive back home and we both spend a little time talking to our families either via Skype or phone. I’m in much more contact with my friends and family and everyone feels a great sense of stability, security, and happiness.
In the evening I get to spend some time reviewing videos that my personal videographer has been taking and editing during the day. It’s awesome to document my life like this as I can use it for instructional, motivational, entertainment and keeping track of my life. I love doing videos and it’s a super way to end the day.
At night my girl and I have a great time in the huge bathroom, goofing around and having fun together. We go to sleep after talking and hugging and can’t wait to wake up the next morning.
THE THEME FOR MY YEAR:
Without any question and this came straight to mind: The Year of Getting Shit Done!
No more procrastination, uncertainty, doubts, and overthinking stuff, just get shit done asap!