“I haven’t had the time.”
Why haven’t I posted in eight months?
Not having the time is just an excuse – it’s all about priorities. And truthfully, 2022 prioritised my travels, building our property portfolio and improving my mindset + communication skills.
I had the best year of my life in 2022, hands down.
I learnt so much – not just about the world but also about myself.
I met smart, interesting, funny, kind, incredible people – not just on my travels but also reconnecting with old friends and ex-colleagues.
But what made the biggest difference to how I feel is how much I’ve grown – my mindset and outlook in life, my fitness levels and general health, my knowledge and network in the property sphere.
So why am I posting now, in the first week in January?
To be honest, since coming back from Antarctica in late Dec, I’ve been languishing. I was tired from long spells away from home, and whilst celebrating Christmas and the New Year with friends and family is always rewarding, I’m tired.
I’ve taken a couple of days to do some reflecting and goal setting, and realised that (1) posting allows me to sit down and really reflect, like journalling, and (2) the public accountability of posting means I’m more likely to follow through.
As such, here are my goals for public consumption. I’ve split them into personal and professional.
Goals for 2023
Personal goals:
- Start a family
- This is the top priority for this year. We both want a family and after my year of fun in 2022, this is the year to start our little brood
- Follow up action from this: rather unsexily, it’s to schedule sex when I’m ovulating. I’ll be flying to wherever Phil is during my fertile window
- Continue fitness habits
- 2022 was the year that I got my ass into gear. From struggling with 15 minute work-outs at the start of the year (and only doing them once in a blue moon), I now exercise 5-7 times per week, regularly running 7-10k and doing 45-60 min work outs
- What I realised from improving my fitness is how much better I feel. Not just physically (because I’m stronger) but also mentally – it’s boosted my self-confidence dramatically as I’m in the best shape of my life
- Fitness goals for this year: be able to do the splits
- Follow up action: incorporate 15 mins of stretching into daily routine after every work out
- Practice minimalism
- 2023 will be a big year for us. Phil’s job will take him to Beijing for an undefined period of time
- Ahead of that, I want to do a big declutter. Not just because of the physical limitations of what we can bring, but more so because I found myself straying from minimalist principles in 2022. I consumed and bought and shopped when I was bored or wanted to fill a void
- In essence, the minimising process isn’t just about decreasing the amount of things I own, but to be more thoughtful and intentional towards my consumption
- Follow up action: donate, sell or throw 50% of our clothes and accessories. This is where we (mostly I) have the most overflow
- Manage the move to, and settle in China
- Manage our move to China, especially with Dillie and also needing to find accommodation etc
- Once in China, I have already decided to take intensive language lessons. I love Chinese culture and wish that I could appreciate everything the culture has to offer
- My long term aim is to be good enough to appreciate Chinese poetry
- Follow up action: enroll in an intensive Chinese course when we get to Beijing
Professional goals:
- Set up Casa Bang to be fully remote
- I want to set up my systems and processes so that I can invest remotely from anywhere in the world, especially since we’re moving to China permanently
- Already have a guinea pig: a four bed terraced house in Leeds that I completed on just before Christmas. Have arranged for a property company to help me manage the refurb, and I’ll flip it (hopefully for a profit!)
- Explore a new property strategy
- My previous strategy of single lets in London is dead. With mortgage rates at 5-6% for BTLs, rental yields (which average 4.5% in London) don’t even cover the monthly mortgage
- Follow up action: invest in a strategy that pushes capital appreciation. Refurb-and-flip is one way (as per Leeds) but I’d like to explore commercial property
- Start a business in China that helps expats invest in UK property
- This is a stretch goal because there will likely be other priorities, but I think the demand is there
- Side hustle: resell jewellery
- It’s a passion project side hustle. I simply love jewellery too much, especially vintage/antique and designer jewellery
- Follow up action: identify a piece of jewellery that I don’t enjoy wearing or aren’t getting enough use, and sell it via various channels
These are my goals for 2023. I would like to get an accountability partner to follow up on each of these. Now to find a (un)lucky victim…
