Welp, gang. We did it again! Another year has gone by and we’re still here. If you’re reading this right now, no matter what year it is – take heart in the fact that you are alive! It’s pretty awesome. Our lives are but a drop in the ocean of time, but at least we get that drop. Alright, so as is my tradition I do a sort of “what’s Mike up to” post every year on the 4th of July. I do this because my first post on this blog was 13 years ago on July 4, 2006. Seems like a million years ago, to be honest. But I remember it like it was yesterday. One of those things.
So, what have I been up to? Let’s recap.
As of a few months ago I FINALLY got to move into the house that we started on a couple of years ago (give or take a few months). It was a long and arduous process, but I’m glad to say that I’m here now and I love it. I am actually writing this post from the upstairs office that last year was just a dream. It is very quiet, just as I had hoped. It’s a little odd though because sometimes it gets almost too quiet lol. I live on the street with my family, which is really nice. Rebecca has started her design business, but so far hasn’t really pursued getting any clients. She’s just doing it on the side for fun and not charging. Maybe this year she’ll finally charge someone haha. And Rebecca and celebrated 5 years of marriage a few months back. And in a few days, we will be hitting our 7-year “dating” anniversary! Time really does fly.
I had many cool and good things happen this year and probably the biggest was getting to see my Dad for the first time in almost 30 years. I think it had been 27 years to be exact. My wife (Rebecca) and brother Mark went all the way to Greece and I got to see my Dad. It was actually pretty amazing. I was worried that it would be awkward or we wouldn’t have a lot to say, but it was completely the opposite. We talked the whole time and now look forward to meeting up again soon. We are working on getting a trip together so he can come to visit us here in the States and see the rest of my family. Hopefully, we can do that next year. (I uploaded a picture of my Dad and me as the picture on this post – we definitely look similar!)
As long-time readers to this blog know (all 8 of you), my weight was an early focus on this blog. I was on a weight loss show, lost weight, gained it back, then finally got the Duodenal Switch surgery where I lost the weight and am proud to say have kept it off. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that here today, I still weight the exact same weight as last year. 208 pounds. If I eat extra clean, I can weigh as low as 201 pounds.
I am planning on instituting a few changes for this next year. It will be neat to come back and see how I do. I want to get my weight down to 190 pounds through intermittent fasting, a little bit of keto, and training with the X3 band. I think I can do it, even if it’ll be slow for me as I believe in non-drastic changes for sustainability.
Now, let’s get down to business. By that I mean, my business. This last year has been one of growth and one of some behinds the scenes pain. Big business is tough, especially as you scale. I am writing a book with my business partner all about scaling and I can’t wait to share it. It should be ready to publish by the end of the year, so next year I can update you on how it’s doing. My main business is doing well and we have made so many improvements it’s incredible. I have worked diligently the last year to build out a high-quality team to handle most of the day to day stuff, while I focus on acquisition and high-level planning.
I’ve worked on a lot of documents and training that I am excited about sharing with future clients. In short, I think I have grown more in the last year in business than in the last 10 years, which is a great feeling.
And oh yeah – I should also add that I got my MBA this last year from Western Governor’s University. It was a lot of fun and I already had 3 classes done, so I had to complete 8 more which included the Capstone project. I used my “powers of focus” and finished the whole thing in about 2 months. I finished 7 classes in 20 days, and the capstone took up the rest of the time because it was a group project where I had to wait to get placed, etc.
I’m glad I did it, as it helps to be “credentialed”, even though I have had some pretty good success in business previously. One can never learn too much.
As is the case every year, I am sure I am forgetting something, but this post is already too long. I will also make an attempt to post to this blog more regularly. Oh, and I am getting back to my first love – personal development. I am putting together some material where I talk about the different aspects of life and how we can work hard to improve each (physical, mental, spiritual, financial, family, etc. I can’t wait!
Alright, till next time – Happy Independence Day America!