Looking back, moving forward: 2013 edition
Exactly one year ago today I set my goals and a theme for 2012. My plans were many and varied, but they all revolved around one word: building.
Twelve months on, it’s almost time to repeat the exercise. Before that, though, I need to see how well I went – one thing I learned in corporate life is that everybody loves to make plans, but few take the time to evaluate them afterwards.
So I thought I’d put together an annual report of sorts. Where did I succeed? Where did I fail? How well did I stick to my plans, and what needs to change in 2013?
1. WRITING
I set myself the ambitious goal of launching two major sites this year – and didn’t achieve it. While Too Many Adapters went live in January as planned, the other site hasn’t seen the light of day and I’m not sure if it ever will.
Building and maintaining two new sites while travelling full time was always going to be a challenge, and so it has proved. In the end time, internet and energy constraints were just a little too much to overcome.
I have ideas for several new projects floating around inside my head, but until I stop somewhere again for 3-6 months, that is where they are going to have to stay.
Grade: C+ (the + is due to Too Many Adapters doing better than expected)
2. PROJECT
At the time I wrote last year’s post, I was in discussions with a friend of mine about a collaborative service-based business for aspiring travel bloggers. In the end we decided not to go ahead with it – unfortunately the business case just didn’t quite justify the investment. It’s a shame, as it would have been a fun project to be involved in, but better to find out at the start than then end…
Grade: Not graded
3. TRAVEL
I made the comment that I would be travelling much more this year, and there’s no question that I have. Since leaving Chiang Mai in February I haven’t spent more than two weeks in the same bed, setting foot in twenty-something countries along the way. It’s been a wild, tiring, wonderful twelve months.
The rest of my commitment, though, was to go to places that scared me. I mentioned India, Sri Lanka, the Middle East and northern Africa – and went to none of them.
Geopolitics played a role in some of that, exhaustion did too, but while I frightened the crap out of myself on scooter road trips and by jumping off a bridge in a school dress, those "scary" passport stamps still remained elusive.
Grade: B+
4. MONEY
Since travel doesn’t come for free, I set myself a monetary goal as well. By the end of the year, I was hoping to be making at least $3000/month from a variety of sources. For me, that’s an amount that should let me live well as a budget traveller almost anywhere in the world.
Did I get there? Almost. After a slow first half of the year, things have picked up lately to around $2300 per month. Combined with a few helpful sponsorships that partially cover travel costs, I’m saving money while in South East Asia and mostly keeping my head above water everywhere else. It’s far from lucrative, but I’m not destitute quite yet…
Grade: B+
5. RELATIONSHIPS
My final goal was to focus on nurturing strong relationships with amazing people, spending more time with those who make my life better and less time with those who don’t.
This one, at least, I think I’ve achieved. Despite spending almost every minute of the last thirteen months together, my relationship with Lauren is only getting better. I’ve made some great new friends this year, and strengthened the bond I have with many of the older ones. Despite travelling so much, many of us who live this kind of life seem to gravitate to particular parts of the world, and I’ve made a point of catching up with people as much as possible whenever we’re in the same town.
The year hasn’t been perfect, of course – a few relationships have sadly fallen by the wayside. Some I expected, some I didn’t, but that’s the way it goes, I guess, whether I like it or not.
All in all, though, I’m extremely happy and grateful for the people I share my life with at the beginning of 2013.
Grade: A-
I also asked a question about what you’d like to see on this site. At the time I was trying to work out where to focus my energies, and was considering scaling things back a bit around here. Your answers convinced me not to – instead, I went the other way and decided to continue the thrice-weekly posting schedule that I had recently started.
For a full year I did that (other than a short planned break while sailing in Turkey), and it was a valuable exercise, teaching me a lot about deadlines and commitment. To give room for other projects I won’t be so regimented about my schedule this year, but that should pay off in other ways – I’m hoping that more time to think and edit will improve the quality of my writing, for starters.
Overall grade for the year: B.
A good result, certainly, but one with definite room for improvement.
What form will that improvement take, and what else does this new year hold, I hear you ask?
For the answer to that, dear readers, you’ll just have to wait until next week…
How was your 2012? If you set out some plans at the start of the year, how did they turn out?
If you enjoyed this post please share it with your friends - it only takes a second but it makes a huge difference to me!
There was one question in my mind before I saw you in Melbourne last week. Are you a happier and more fulfilled person than you were before you started off on this journey? To me the answer is a definite “Yes” and an “A” on that score.
Yep, I absolutely feel happier and far more fulfilled by what I’m doing now than I ever have before. Thanks for noticing
Great year, Dave. 2013 could be a great year to check off some of those countries you didn’t get to. I really want to get to the Middle East this year.
I’ll be heading to Mexico and a few places in Central America this year that probably should be slightly concerning … maybe I can count those.
You’ve rocked 2012 and I am so proud of you and happy to have been a part of your year!
Thank you my dear.
It’s always important to reflect back on what you thought would happen. Sometimes things go to plan, other times they fail. What’s important is to understand why and build from that. It seems like you’re doing that Dave. I’d be really proud of the money as well, that’s a fair amount for travelling around most countries.
Thanks Marco. 2012 was definitely a really good year … but I’m planning to make a few changes here and there to ensure that 2013 is even better!
Nice one Dave, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog and am looking forward to following along with your adventures in 2013. Thanks for proving that long term travel and blogging about it can be done by 30-somethings, I’ll be keeping up with you as I plan my upcoming trip. All the best and safe travels!
Thanks Frank! Yup, long term travel is definitely not just the domain of those in their early 20′s! I’ve met plenty of people far older than me who have been on the road for years … and I’m certainly not planning to stop any time soon myself.
Sounds like a pretty awesome year to me Dave! I love your other blog ‘Too many adapters’ by the way. Happy 2013 and may this year be as eventful as the last one!
Thanks Tammy – and really happy you love the other site
Here’s to an amazing 2013 for all of us hey?
fantacstic! I also made goals and blogged about them last year and have really been scared to look back and evaluate them, great to know that im not the only one who achieved every single one of them!
Seems like you have done really well this year I must say!
Thanks Rebecca! 2012 was definitely a success, but I’ll be doing my best to make 2013 even better.
Dave you wrote earlier that you are terrified to visit India…or words to that effect. Come and check India out yourself and you will be amazed at what you will find. Give it a try…first stop Mumbai….you have a couch at my house for free and take it on from there…
Heh, not sure about terrified, but certainly a little nervous! India is a place that fascinates and frightens me in equal measure, and I think that’s a great thing. Thanks so much for the kind offer – will definitely drop you a line when I finally book that flight!
I absolutely love the first photo and I also how you grade your last year intentions
Glad we connected this year. Happy 2013!
Thanks Tal! Are you going back to WDS this year?