It’s time for 2023 Goals. Oh, and I had a baby!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays .

I am very big on family and holidays, so I truly hope you got to spend some quality time with yours and that you enjoyed it. Things were crazy and insane over here, but in a very good way.

Quick Life Updates

We had a baby! She’s amazing and her name is Taylor. She was born on December 7th and her arrival was a great early Christmas gift.

If you have a child and have experienced newborn life, you know that sleep is a luxury, not a guarantee. Add in a big brother, who while helpful, has his own set of needs to be met, and you’ll understand why I’ve been quiet the last few weeks.

Even with the fatigue that comes with having a newborn, we had a great Christmas and got to see a lot of family and friends. Enlisting grandmothers to live with us and help was nice, both for spending time together and helping manage the madness.

So, I’ve learned that I suck at parental leave. I only gave myself two weeks of no meetings, which was not enough for the many jobs I have and people I manage. Had I given myself enough time, handoffs would have gone smoother and I wouldn’t be answering emails and texts with a bottle in my hand.

Speaking of many jobs, I start my professorship at the University of Colorado-Boulder in January. I’m woefully unprepared but very excited for the opportunity to teach and the experience it will give me.

Last update on this list is that I’m finalizing my first joint venture investment. I had an opportunity to be part of a short-term rental in Tulum, Mexico with some operators with experience in Tulum. I quickly found myself creating yet another LLC and learning a lot about cap tables and JV structures … all still with a bottle in my hand.

How I’m Planning for 2023

A few years ago I started getting more formal with my goal-setting process. Ideally, I go away for a few days, away from family and work, and reflect on what I’ve done over the last year and think about what’s important to me for the next one.

Realistically I see business influencers I follow talk about goals and I’m like “f* … my goals”. Truth is, I don't spend enough time reflecting on the past and even less time planning for the next year. Does the goal setting still get done? The answer of course is yes. However, it’s a key exercise I still need to master.

This past year I found it really hard keeping goals top of mind with all of the changes. My company got acquired, I left my job at Citi, joined my new acquirer, finished my Baltimore multi-unit and cashed out, found out we’re pregnant, got burned out and left my job, started Pragmatic Mr. Peters, then had to figure out what to do with my life.

Nothing stayed constant the whole year, so goals kept getting updated and re-adjusted over and over, or worse... forgotten about.

This year, I’m taking some time to think about my core principles (thanks for the inspiration Ray Dalio) for life and business, and then getting to a short and sweet list of things I want to get done in 2023.

I don’t know exactly what they are going to be, but I know I want to be a better and more present dad. I want to expand my real estate holdings. I’m oh-so-serious about investing and joint ventures. It’s also time to determine if a W-2 is in my near future or not.

What are your 2023 Goals?

If you haven’t taken the time to give yourself some goals and understand what’s driving you next year … go do it.

- Damien Peters