What can I say. I got my ass kicked this year. Both metaphorically and literally. I thought 2015 was going to be a breeze compared to 2014. Never did I think it would be harder! Oh well, you know what they say – Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. I recently read an interview with Ronda Rousey following her stunning loss to Holly Holm. She says something pretty remarkable:

“I always say you have to be willing to get your heart broken. That’s just what fucking happens when you try.”

And that’s pretty much how I feel 2015 went. 2014 I laid down a foundation, and it’s steady now. In 2015 I tried and I tried and couldn’t get any momentum going. In some form or another, real life would punch me in the face, knee me in the gut, or straight up give me a charley horse. I’d bob and I’d weave, but no matter what step I took I’d get an ass whooping. But it doesn’t matter. Fall down 7 times. Get up 8.

That’s easier said then done, of course. I’d by lying if I didn’t say I’m not feeling the effects. I’ve got the wind knocked out of me and am still catching my breath. But I’ll be fine. I’m resilient and my resolve grows stronger everyday. The force…awakens?

I did something awful to my right knee this month so I’ve been wearing a full leg knee brace. I’ve been to the orthopaedic surgeon twice and have another appointment with him in the first week of 2016. I’ve been laying in bed, eating chocolate and drinking egg nog. You know, the good life. But I did start working on learning some new stuff on Christmas day and turned it into a side project. I gave December 31st as the deadline for it and I’m behind schedule so I’d like to finish this post so I can get back to it. Below is how I’d rate my year in various categories I figure are worth highlighting.

Health – 7/10

In my strength training routine the only significant progress worth mentioning is the overhead press. It was a goal of mine to be able to lift my bodyweight in the ohp. And late in the year I finally did it! Woohoo… And now I’ve stopped because my right shoulder hates me. Celebration over. Ohp 1x bodyweight was a personal goal of mine and I’ve hit it, but not without a cost. There’s nowhere to go for me on ohp without that cost getting more expensive, and nobody goes “ZOMG U BW OHP?!” in admiration. The ladies definitely aren’t swooning over it, either. So for now I have to say goodbye ohp. It’s been a slice.

Aesthetically, I got into some fantastic looking shape. Prior to heading to Asia, I got down to 9% body fat, the lowest I’ve ever been. The really cool thing was that it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I didn’t change up my diet that much. It just involved a little bit of work everyday. P90X3 was key with that. It also helped me a lot with my mobility and flexibility.

Social – 1/10

Pretty much non existent. I stopped hanging out with certain people in specific situations that I didn’t enjoy. And a lot of my friends have moved away or drifted apart. I wrote about this last year, and I didn’t get around to revitalizing my social life as I predicted. That’s ok, I’m a hermit. But I will address this eventually. Will it be 2016? Possibly. I definitely could have used some support this year but there wasn’t really any. My fault. It’s not high priority but it would be nice.

Hobbies – 2/10

Eh, this was a big fail. I stopped doing Judo because of my shoulder and I didn’t get around to the things I wanted to try such as archery and shooting guns. BJJ was very off and on. On my first day back on the mats after returning from Asia I busted up my knee while sparring. This legit pissed me off and all I can think about is getting back in there. I fully expect to be back on the mats consistently after I rehab the shit out of my knee. There was also talk with my workout buddy to go rock climbing near the end of the year, but it never materialized because of my knee and other shit. I’m not sure if that will happen next year. Again, real life.

Productivity – 5/10

Sometimes I was on fire, other times real life kicked me in the nuts. I simultaneously had some of the best output of my life and the worst this year. It swung wildly. This is uncouth. I’m a pro so I need to act like one. I will work to fix this next year.

Travel – 8/10

I did a lot of travel this year. Nearly 3 months of the year. I spent some time in Ottawa, LA, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, and Taiwan.

Aside from the obvious reasons why I love travel so much such as the food, culture, and experiences, I found another reason – it brings out my worst flaws and puts them front and centre. This helps show me what I need to work on. For example, I found out that I am too hard on my friends. During my European adventures it was unusually cold in March. We were especially unprepared because my buddy in Germany told us that there was a heat wave going on and so we didn’t pack enough warm clothing. My friends kept mentioning how cold it was, and I got annoyed with it and told them to stop complaining. They aren’t complainers by nature, and the truth is they were saying it was cold because it was fucking cold! Not because they are whiners. I spend a lot of time experimenting with temperature manipulation (cold showers, hot baths, ice vests, etc.) and I have spent a lot of time working on “manning up”. That doesn’t mean they have and it’s not fair for me to be so harsh on them. It would be like my buddy being mad at me because I can’t speak German and he can.

Other things that became obvious things I need to work on include my social skills – I forget how to talk to people, my flirting skills – I forget how to hit on women, and I still haven’t figured out how to work productively while away. The last one is a major hurdle that makes me question if I want to travel for extended periods of time any longer for at least the next few years. I think in 2016 I’ll travel a lot less for this reason.

Sleep – 9.37/10

I nailed my sleep this year. I was very meticulous on my sleep experimentation and documented everything in my sleep journal. From someone who struggled with sleep my entire life to sleeping like a baby and having crazy amounts of energy throughout the day, I am really proud of this. I tried some unusual and unconventional tactics, and felt I really hacked my way to success. A good nights sleep is so important, so I am glad I’ve finally figured this out.

Happiness – 7/10

Overall, despite all the turbulence this year brought, I still managed to stay quite happy. Exercise, meditation (lots and lots of meditation), sleep, and an increasing ability to deal with shit really helped. I have tremendous joy in the work that I do, and that in itself makes me smile. Happiness really is a matter of perspective.

I’m not sure what 2016 will bring. But I know my focus will involve:

• Output, output, output. Good things happen when I do that.
• Act like a pro. Despite what happens in life, make efficient and effective use of my time so shit gets done.
• Revisit eastern culture. Chinese medicine works. It worked in China when I had a stomach ache and this tea master whipped up some concoction that fixed me up immediately. And it’s working now on my knee. I spend so much time with data and IFLScience that I sometimes forget my roots. The teachings of Buddha. The Art of War. Time to go back old school.
• Daily movement. Walking, yoga, mobility work. It works and it helps with everything. This is a keystone habit.
• Continuing education. Keep learning new things. I read a lot this year and did a lot of online courses and I’ll continue to do so in 2016.

What about you? What gets you excited for 2016? Happy New Year and we’ll see you on the other side.