Issue #94: Our Personal Goals for 2023

Good morning. It’s Thursday, December 29th. Today we're sharing our own personal goals - getting in just under the wire before the ball drops for 2023.

“Without dreams and goals, there is no living, only merely existing, and that is not why we are here.”

— Mark Twain

From the Lab: Our Personal Goals for 2023
Speed Read: Zen Master 101
Thursday Night In: Zucchini Lasagna (it's good)
Moment of Fun: Celebration in Argentina

The percent of people that actually achieve their goals along any timeline (in the next two weeks, this year, etc.). (Source)

From the Lab

This one gets personal - with a little different format today.

We’ve talked about how to determine the goal (Issue #92) and the system/process to actually make it happen (Issue #93).

Here’s how we're actually going to do it.

Both Max and I have put together one of our goals for 2023 and shared the outline from the why this is going to change our life to how we’re going to accomplish it.

Nothing like having thousands of supporters on your journey to help us get there. 🙏

Ryan Goal #1: Have True Fun* with my kids or wife 100+ times this year

*A caveat - it’s not about just being in the same room or going through the daily routine. Nope - it’s about having True Fun with them (see book The Power of Fun) - where we are playful, connect with each other, and get lost in a state of flow.

How will achieving this goal change your life? Too often I get consumed with work or other priorities that the mornings/evenings (and even weekends) become about “getting through the routine until school or bedtime”. Flipping this around to recognize that these are special moments that I’ll never get back with a 5-yr old and 2-yr old or my very special partner. The potential of this shift in thinking will lead to more laughs, smiles, energy, and a whole lot less regret down the road.
What will happen if you don’t drive towards this goal? I won’t be the partner or partner that my family deserves and honestly I won’t be living life. Too often I (we) go through our days without laughing - why? Life shouldn’t be so serious. Sure we need to strive to learn, to grow, and yes, financially support ourselves - but without fun along the way what’s the point?
Why is now the right time for this goal? The kids are now at the age where it’s not about just taking care of them - it’s about enjoying them. I’ve had so many revelations since starting Thrive25 on how to make the most of each day - it’s not just hitting the links at Bandon Dunes or trekking through Patagonia (although both on my list). It’s about the fun you can have every day between those massive experiences.
Why are you able to accomplish this goal? I know that things will get in the way sometimes - work travel, kids getting sick - so I’m not shooting for everyday. But 100+ moments of fun seems both awesome and doable.
What system/process will you use? Each night I’m going to start to actually journal (I’ve failed at this multiple times - but didn’t have a good enough WHY) to talk about the fun of the current day and ideas for how to have fun tomorrow. But also will actively seek out those in the moment, off the cuff moments of fun.
Who will keep you accountable? My wife and kids for starters - they’ll tell me if we’re not having fun for sure. I’m also going to ask Max and my sister to hold me to it with regular check-ins. Welcoming any & all emails from you all to see how it’s going.

Max Goal #1: Meditate for 56 straight days

How will achieving this goal change your life? I will slow down and make more effective decisions. I will be more present and fully enjoy time with my family. I will be a better, more patient father. Along with other fixes, I hope to rewire my brain to improve my memory (I read it takes 8 weeks to rewire the brain). I will look at the world in new ways and find new solutions to problems.
What will happen if you don’t drive towards this goal? Enable stress and anxiety to fully take over my life and be another man who died “healthy” at a young age.
Why is now the right time for this goal? It probably should have been 5 years ago. I’ve changed things around me, but the results have been the same. It’s time to change me.
Why are you able to accomplish this goal? Because I have people that love me and I need to change my life from the inside out. I have the technology, I know the process - I have no excuses.
What system/process will you use? My approach is to meditate 2x per day, totalling 5-30 min. I will habit stack my wake-up with a Daily Calm for 8-12 min in my morning routine. Then before I go to bed, I will attempt Ziva meditation for 5-15 min. I am enabling 4 mechanisms of forgiveness: 1) a wide range of 5-30 min - I can always find 5m, 2) 2x per day in case I miss a session, 3) employ both guided and unguided meditation to reduce pressure on me, and 4) planned times align with routines I control vs. the middle of the day.
Who will keep you accountable? My wife, my children, and Ryan.

What about you? Share your 2023 goals with us at team@thrive25.com. (We won't share unless you want us to - just be a supporter from afar).

Thrive25 Partner Spotlight

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Speed Read

Health & Longevity in the News

A Great Goal? How About a Race: While this article is focused on trail running, the ideas can be applied to any race type. Races are becoming more local because they’re easy to travel to, cost less and we love a sense of community. A great goal for 2023 is to run a race. But remember, don’t let it be the destination - it’s an exciting part of the process. Find runs. Find tris (or @ USAT). (Outside)

Zen Master 101: Often eccentric, frequently intelligent, and always surprising, Zen masters are living examples of another way of looking at the world and experiencing life. This is a quick 6-min read on 5 Zen masters and their teachings. This content along with a 6-min video are a good prerequisite to goal setting. (Big Think)

Immune Health 1 - Alzheimer’s 0?: Researchers at UVA’s Lukens Lab, found a protein that could possibly be leveraged to help the brain’s immune cells, or microglia, stave off neurodegenerative diseases. Microglia are immune cells masquerading as brain cells, with an affinity for the janitorial profession - they clean up the gunk, like amyloid beta (Aβ) (a foe we introduced in Issue #11). For more insights on immunity, check out our issues on the subject (#78-82). (Big Think)

Thursday Night In

You might be skeptical - just just like eggplant parm, this zucchini lasagna tastes awesome. It's a great date night recipe for those cold nights!

Pro Tip: Primal Kitchen has great "clean" marinara sauce and avocado oil

Moment of Fun

2022 World Cup Goals

We swear, we aren't a World Cup newsletter. It's been a week+ since we talked about it. We felt that was enough time to let the tournament settle and view the stunning images across Argentina.

Now, let's celebrate all the the goals from the World Cup:

Time crunch @ lunch: just the goals (8:29 - AGFilms)
Sunday morning: with build up and replays (1:14:32 - FOX)

Don't forget about our End of Year Giveaway to help us spread the word about Thrive25 and to get as many people as possible for 2023.

Winners will get 1 of these 3 absolutely free gifts!

Earn tickets for the Giveaway:

Follow us @Thrive25Labs on Instagram & tag 3+ friends to this post
Earn as many tickets as you can before 12/31

Winners will be announced on Wednesday, January 4th.

Added Bonus: for every new Thrive25 subscriber and Instagram follower, we'll donate to the World Central Kitchen - providing meals to Florida, Ukraine, and around the world!

Thanks for joining us today!

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We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.

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