2020 Never Happened

Happy New Year!

To start, let’s never speak of 2020 again. It never happened. The American Dream was put on hold, and we all lived our lives like they do in Europe – blind to ambition and sobriety while waiting patiently for the government to send us checks in the mail.

Check out this cool chart of the best and worst performing sectors and stocks: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/best-and-worst-performing-sectors-stock-market-of-2020/

Here’s one on bitcoin concentration. If this is true, it’s CRAZY: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-18/bitcoin-whales-ownership-concentration-is-rising-during-rally

Also, I came across this chart the other day. This is from a month ago, and since then, Tesla has surged even higher and made Elon Musk the wealthiest person in the world. His net worth increased by $140 billion in 2020. That works out to $265,000 every minute (per Eddy Elfenbein’s blog).

Lastly, in the spirit of the New Year, I made a few resolutions this week to see how long it will take for me to fail at all of them. 

Uninstall Twitter

When I began using Twitter over a decade ago, it was a valuable tool. Fast forward to today, and Twitter has become the VH-1 of social media. It has lost its raison d’être, and in doing so, become complete trash.

But it’s also because I don’t like social media. I stopped Facebook in 2015 and never even created an account for Instagram. I just don’t have it in me. I have maybe 250 followers, and I am sure I can work really hard to get more, but I just don’t care. Maybe it’s my age or infatuation with anonymity, but I can’t wrap my head around tweeting 3-5 times/day.

That being said, there is a lot of really funny stuff that goes around on Twitter, and I like laughing at people. Therefore, my actual resolution is not to stop using Twitter entirely but rather uninstall it from my iPhone. If someone sends me a link, I will open it, laugh, and then redistribute. But no mindless surfing anymore. Those days are over unless Jack can get his house in order.

Find a hobby

I was recently asked by a colleague what I do outside of work and family, and I couldn’t answer the question. I used to enjoy working out, but gyms in the People’s Republic of California are closed to protect us from the one activity that makes us stronger and more likely to fight off COVID. 

I also used to travel a lot, but with two young daughters, screw that. I’d rather eat at an Arby’s than step on a plane knowing that when I land I will have to adjust a two and four-year-old to a new time zone without Ambien.

The problem is that I don’t know what to do. I utterly despise golf, I already read 3-4 hours/day, and I can’t sit still long enough to play video games. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated (bonus points to those that will make me more money).

Stop making fun of Millennials

This is going to be the hardest and most at risk of relapse. But I’ve been told that I am too hard on them, and I should consider their viewpoints. Apparently, they endured traumatic hardships growing up in an era when advances in medicine drove the child mortality rate down to zero, military service became optional, and avocados contained GMOs. They claim that books like Factfulness are propaganda for those who don’t know what it is like to get kicked off their parent’s health insurance at 25. 

I never considered any of this, so going forward, I will give it the college try. 

Overcome my fear of needles

I’ve pretty much conquered most of my fears in life. I’m even at the finish line on bees. But I have made zero progress on needles, and in many ways, it’s gotten worse with age. 

This year, my goal is to get the vaccine and not panic. 

Get my edge back

Moving from New York City out to Crazy California has changed me. It’s embarrassing to say but I’ve gotten soft. I smile at people. When restaurants screw up my order, which is literally 80% of the time out here, I tell them not to worry about it. The other day, I was at a four-way stop, and I even gave the right of way… to a Tesla. 

I don’t like what I’ve become, and I need to regain my east coast edge. I want to go back to shredding any barista dumb enough to not have my coffee in my hand before Amex approves the transaction. I miss the feeling of suppressing the desire to kick tourists in the back of the neck when walking down the street. I’ve forgotten the rush of identifying a stranger’s weakness and then using it against them for sport.

I just want to go back to being me. 

Have a great weekend…