2024 Yearly Theme

  • January 1, 2025

    2025 Yearly Theme: Being Present

    If you have kids, or have ever been a kid, you know how exciting the anticipation of a huge event can be.

    Since November 1st — the day after Halloween — my kids have been excited about Christmas, entirely ignoring the Thanksgiving buffer.

    None were more excited that my oldest, who would do impressive math for a 7-year-old to figure out just how many days, events, sleeps, and school days there were until Santa came to visit.

    On the day we got our Christmas tree — November 29th — I reminded her: “Be present. Christmas is one day, but it’s up to us to enjoy the season, and all the activities we’re doing.”

    I felt like Qui-Gon Jinn telling Anakin to, “concentrate on the moment,” before the pod race.

    My point was that I didn’t want her to spend the entire Christmas season anticipating Christmas Day while mentally missing out on everything we were doing. From cutting down our tree, to Christmas concerts, baking cookies, visiting family, and everything else, there are many wonderful things about that time of the year.

    But I also realized something: I do a pretty bad job of concentrating on the moment. Instead, I worry about the future. Or I escape into my phone. Or my work.

    I try to address problems I worry will happen, and defer solutions to problems I need to address today.

    I need to follow the advice I gave my daughter. That’s why my Yearly Theme for 2025 is The Year of Being Present.

    But before we get into that, let’s grade my previous yearly theme: The Year of Control.

  • January 3, 2024

    2024 Yearly Theme: Control

    The word ‘Control’ evokes various thoughts and emotions, many of which are negative. Control is often associated with an excessive desire to dominate or dictate every aspect of a situation.

    The bad guys in movies and in real life desire control at almost any cost.

    Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars said the only way to improve life in the galaxy was for him to seize control. Thanos said the only way to save the universe was to control the population by controlling the infinity stones.

    Countless dictators and wannabe dictators have justified taking control because they’re the only ones who can save us.

    It sounds micro-managy, almost authoritarian when you say, “I want to be more controlling.”

    But Control at the right scale is super important. If you don’t control your car, bike, or other vehicle, for example, you will end up hurting yourself or someone else.

    In thinking about my next yearly theme, a recent conversation I had with my therapist was top of mind. I told her that I didn’t feel like I was in control of anything.

    Not my health. Not my money. Not my time or schedule.

    As you’ll see when I grade 2023: The Year of Budgets, it was a pretty tough year. I don’t think I fared well.

    When I watch my kids play Super Mario Bros (the NES version, natch), they just kind of mash buttons and wonder why they died.

    2023 kind of felt like that for me. I wasn’t doing a good job of controlling myself — which is why 2024 is The Year of Control.

    But first, let’s look at 2023.