Reader, Happy New Year's Eve 🎉 Yes, it's finally here. The last day of 2024. Finally, right? Oof, what a year. I just did my annual Year In Review write-up, so scroll to the bottom if that's all you're here for. I encourage you to do one for yourself, too. It's a good way to center yourself for the year ahead. Reflecting on what I achieved often helps me see what I want to shoot for next. Looking back on this year, 1 thing is clear: I grew exponentially in the world of online business, but also as a professional:
I made zero progress on my weight, but my knee has almost fully recovered from the injury I sustained back in May 2022. (Physical therapy's been a long road. Stay safe out there so you don't have to find out what that's like) I've met a ton of people this year, and I'm hopeful for 2025 to bring even more social connection. You know what I want the most from 2025, though? Rest lol. Gosh, I'm tired 😅 I'm ready to dive back into more creative pursuits like playing violin, doing parkour, and even just chill activities like new video games and hanging out with friends more often. Maybe some live-streaming with my 𝕏 friends or trying to make Twitch and YouTube content. Idk, but if I learned one thing this year, is it sucks being lonely and in "monk mode" all the time. It's no way to live long-term. Remember that when you think about massive professional goals for next year. Include family and friends and chill time too. Your mental and emotional health will thank you. I still need to flesh out what my goals are for next year, but I'm prioritizing my health and well-being, physically, mentally, and spiritually. And by "spiritual", I don't mean a faith, I mean taking care of the part of me that enjoys doing things for the fun of it, for the creative impulse, not for material gain or status or anything else. I need to reconnect with my inner child, in other words. For at least the first several months, the only Social QA stuff I'll be doing is helping students through that bootcamp. If you want to be one of them, make sure you watch your inbox tomorrow. I'm only keeping the cart open til the following Wednesday. You've got a week, or until the last 5 seats are gone, whichever comes first. Then I promise you, I will not relaunch until at least after my birthday in April. I'm not gonna have room to be going "heads-down" on anything. Q1 is for me, my family, and the students who paid for my time. Anywho, here's the Year In Review post I wrote. Maybe it'll give you ideas for your own. Happy New Year's Eve, and have fun tonight! Enjoy those last few moments of 2024 while they're here ❤️ It's been a joy writing for you this year. Can't wait to share more in 2025. Cheers, Steven |
Helping software testers increase their authority and influence.
First off -- Happy Valentine's Day! 🫶 If you don't have someone to go on a date with, go get some seasonal treats and have some fun. My wife and I are heading up the peninsula to a hotel and trying a new Italian restaurant. It's gonna be fun, but that's not why you opened this email. For all I know, this might be my last email. And yes, I've said this before. Twice, actually. Maybe 3 times, I forget. But this time is different (really). You might be asking yourself: Why, of all times, would...
Do you ever feel like no job's ever quite the right fit for you? A couple months ago I was on a call with 2 friends I met on 𝕏 in my early days. While we caught up, some-crazy-how we ended up on the subject on my old YouTube channel. I was that guy who recklessly deleted social media accounts claiming, "I'll never go back!" The cloud is Facebook (and of course I always did) So I don't have any photos from old Facebook accounts. All the old parkour videos I recorded with my friends when we...
Yesterday I told you something NUTS happened to me. I also told you I'd tell you about it today. BUT FIRST.....obviously I have to derail the conversation to tell you a story 😜 You right now 2014 was a wild year. I had been in the parkour scene for 4 years. Did a crazy jump at Devil's Lake State Park that I'm never ever going to repeat. I was on top of the world, and I felt my Spidey Sense tingling, telling me the ol' Uncle Ben refrain: With great power comes great responsibility 🕷️ I felt a...