Just as I’ve repeated every year, and even again still to my surprise this year, 2015 was seemingly the fastest year of my life. It is great to look back on and even more motivation to keep living a life where you don’t become stuck, bored, or waste too much time doing things you don’t enjoy. It doesn’t mean rush, but it means staying conscious to the fact that today is the youngest we’ll ever be.

You can read my 2014 Year in Review from last year here.

Summary

  • I returned to the US at the end of December, and rang in the New Year in downtown Denver with my brother and friends at a charity event.  I remember being woken the following morning around 9am to celebrate a friends birthday, which was January 1st.  We ended up making food and drinks starting then, which led to a day-long party on January 1st.
  • At the end of January I flew to Salt Lake City, Utah to spend a week with my brother and his fiancé. After that week, I flew directly to Las Vegas to meet my other brother for the Super Bowl Party along with some friends.  It was a heavy but excellent time.
  • I flew back to Denver on Tuesday, and on Friday, we flew to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I spent much of the prior week recovering from Vegas only to find myself on Bourbon Street with a pint in my hand and great company.  Mardi Gras was absolutely amazing.
  • After that weekend in New Orleans, we returned to Colorado and the following weekend we went to the mountains for the Pabst Pond Hockey Tournament.  We rented a big house and had like 15 people there, playing hockey and drinking beer.  It was excellent weather too, and was great to play in the tournament again.
  • After that weekend, mid-February at this point, we went back to Denver, I had a day or two to pack, and on Thursday departed to Costa Rica to backpack Central America for a couple months.
  • I spent the later part of February in Costa Rica, all of March in Nicaragua, and Honduras, and the earlier part of April in Guatemala. In the later half of April my oldest brother got married in Denver, where I attended the ceremony.
  • In early May I returned to Bangkok, found a new place to live, caught up with friends, and hosted a friend from the US for a couple weeks, including a trip to Koh Samet. We also went to a fun Nepalese Earthquake Relief charity event.
  • In June I hosted an Australian guy we met the month before who would later become a good friend. This month was mostly filled with catching up on work, getting routines in order, and spending daily time in the sauna. I also attended a few meetups. In the later part of June I did my first 5-day water fast.
  • In the middle of July my girlfriend Kemji and I did a weekend in Ayutthaya, exploring the old ruins that lay in the former capital of Siam.
  • At the end of July I went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a week to visit an old friend and do a visa run.  At the end of the trip my girlfriend joined and we toured Kuala Lumpur.
  • In August, we went to a Prodigy concert in Bangkok, and wakeboarding for the first time in awhile. We also did a trip to Samut Prakan to visit my girlfriends family, and to Siam Park City (amusement park) for a day of roller coasters.
  • In the second half of August there was the Bangkok Bombing which hit home pretty hard, and at the end of August my girlfriend, her friend, and I took a trip down south to Koh Pha Ngan for the Full Moon Party.
  • In September we joined a Couchsurfing group to ride bikes around the jungle of Bangkok, Bang Kr Jao.
  • In October I went to the casinos of Poi Pet for a night, something I’ve always wanted to do since I’ve only passed through before. In the later part of October, I did a trip to northern Thailand (Chiang Mai and Pai) with my girlfriend. We also had a final beer at the OnNut Market that closed down.
  • In November I moved to a new condo in Bangkok, did Acro Yoga for the first time, did a weekend getaway to Nakon Nayok and rafted, grew a handlebar mustache, and at the end of the month did a weekend in Pataya.
  • In early December, I flew to Nan, a northern province in Thailand, and drove my girlfriends car back with her to Bangkok.  It was great to drive through the middle of Thailand and explore more of the north.
  • For Christmas I’m in Bangkok, and next week will head to Koh Chang with some friends for New Years.

What went well this year?

Health: 2015 was substantially healthier for me than 2014.  While traveling and visiting family and friends in the first half of 2015 wasn’t super healthy, the later half was consistent daily exercise, eating healthier overall, and adding green tea to my morning routine.  My goal for 2016 is to cut back on alcohol much much more, while improving my on current routines.
Knowledge: I’ve learned some big lessons regarding business and the work that I’ve done for the past few years.  I’ve read a lot, explored a lot, and realized a lot this year that I had otherwise not thought about. I’ve met some great people and had some very insightful conversations.
Business: While the total revenue this year will be lower than last due to some business changes, December will end up being the highest revenue month I’ve ever had.

What didn’t go so well this year?

Health: Without a doubt, alcohol is the #1 thing I need to improve on – I didn’t go longer than 2 weeks without drinking all year.  This needs to change. In addition to that, I tried to stand more and sit less, but have mostly failed.
Writing: Once again didn’t write daily as planned, but did write a fair bit this year, much that has yet to be published.

What am I working toward?

Health: Work on posture, building core strength and endurance, and building overall healthy habits.  I’d like to join a weekly sport.
Knowledge: Continually read books daily, prioritize my curiosity such that I don’t get off track. I often find myself focused on one thing only to be intrigued but something else. Put what I learn into action, finish projects and not just start them.
Writing: I want to publish something twice a month, share and articulate my ideas more so I can look back on them, and overall become a better writer.
Business: My focus these days isn’t so much on business, but more creating things that solve problems, whether it makes money or not. I’m working on a non-profit at the moment, scaling my existing business, and 2 other side projects that are about to be released.

All Together

It’s always insightful looking back on the thoughts I shared and how I wrote – it’s the biggest reason I write and post here.  Writing also helps me articulate my thoughts and find holes in explanation that I otherwise wouldn’t recognize.  It is because I want to have a document of my thoughts throughout my life that I started this blog nearly 10 years ago.

In 2016, I plan to become a better writer, a more articulate thinker, and hopefully I’ll be able to share a lot more of my thoughts next year – I’m excited for it.

My overall focus in life has shifted somewhat this year in that I only want to work on things I care about or things that help other people.  I feel like by thinking of each action from the perspective of the whole and not just the individual, the outcome will be greater. There is a great short read on this idea which I think sums up my thoughts well here.

The 1% improvement daily goal from last year was probably close to being achieved, though it’s hard to measure.  There were certainly many days where I fully enjoyed myself but probably didn’t improve. I did work on my weaknesses more, I did venture into the uncomfortable more, and I did challenge myself.

I’ve already lined up a few challenges and adventures for the new year, which I’m stoked for, including a month in Indonesia and some hiking in the Himalayas.

That’s about it for 2015. Like last year, I think this is a great speech to keep reminding yourself of. Keep on keepin’ on!

Note: You can follow what I’m reading and things I find interesting daily on my G+Twitter and/or Facebook page. You can also find out what books I’m reading, have read, and will read in the future on my GoodReads page.

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Patrick

Web Developer
I write for fun, I travel for fun, and I enjoy learning. I hate sugar-coating things. Understand the world in reality, not by dogma. Question everything.

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