2019 Annual Report on Happiness

2019 Annual Report on Happiness

Date
December 19, 2019
Books.
Books.

2019 Personal Statistics That Truly Matter to Me:

Something to note before going down this list is that my journal/goal/life schedule is abnormal. For brevity and understanding, my “New Year” is at the end of June.

  • Words contained in my 18–19' Journal: 65,525 words
  • Words contained in my 19–20' Journal so far: 21,000 words
  • Pgs. compiled in my 18–19' Journal: 139 pages
  • Pgs. compiled in my 19–20' Journal so far: 55 pages
  • Videos accumulated in my 18–19' Video Journal: 255 videos
  • Videos accumulated in my 19–20' Video Journal so far: 51 videos
  • Books read in 18–19': 42
  • Books read in 19–20' so far: 26
  • Achievement Ratio with 18–19' Goals: 80%
  • Achievement Ratio with 19–20' Goals so far: 40%
  • A few things piquing my interest: Eastern culture, the Asian numerical system, psychology and self, social problems, the Spanish language, education, space/astrology, plant-based products, real estate, meditation/yoga, and processes/systems
  • Adventures and Excursions thus far: 24
  • Lessons Learned, New Things Learned, Times Smiled, Laughter Experienced, and Love Felt: Too copious to count
  • “Failures”, “Mistakes”, and Change: Infinite
  • Things that Pushed my Potential: Ran a Half-Ironman, transitioned from a seed business to official business, took the leap for romantic love, and becoming fully independent

With zeal, vigor, and true fascination - that is how I strived to live each moment of each day this past year.

Of course, that didn’t occur. There were more moments that felt like I was in the abyss of darkness. Like, I was stuck in a well with not even the crevice of a brick to climb my way back up.

But, as is well known at this point: when going through life there might be initial ambiguity, but in hindsight, everything will become clear. Not only did everything become clear later on because of Pain + Reflection = Progress


But I slowly regained my footing with a newfound interest in being stuck, lost, and in a state of not knowing.

My perspective transitioned from being “lost” to actually being “early in the process of actualizing my dreams and living out my purpose.”

To be completely transparent, we are never “fully ready” for anything. That’s why we are constantly finding ourselves anew amongst our uncomfortably, rewarding growth.

The majority of our learnings in life come when we are at the forefront of adversity. Success is cool. Sure. Adversity is even cooler.

I learned a prolific amount of things this year. So, as a 21-year-old, I will give you my 21 takeaways through this years-end


. no promises though:

1. “Winner and losers have the same goals.“ (James Clear) James Clear has abundantly helped in changing my processes in life. As he says “you don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” I used to be a strictly goal-oriented person thanks to my father’s impact and teachings. Now, I prefer to be a goal-oriented person with a major focus on creating highly effective, efficient, and prolific systems.

2. “To study the self is to forget the self” (Dogen) This quote was the basis for my entire year and that will hold true for every year onward. See above (#1) as current example.

3. “When reading a book, read for growth (to get specific answers), listen to those who have experienced plenty, and know that the timing of reading ‘that one book’ is key.” (Anonymous) When you choose a book with intention, there is so much more meaning and value to it. It’s just like choosing a mentor - you should choose them based on what you want to learn and what you are interested in.

4. “When making goals, think big. When making progress, think small.” (James Clear) There he is again. James Clear. This push and pull is vital to your growth. It allows for grand ambition and strict patience. Something I truly strive to live out in my daily life.

5. “Silence and isolation are good remedies for burning questions. Answers will arise through them.” (Anonymous) There was a point this year in which I didn’t understand why a certain thing occurred. I thought I understood, but I didn’t. Being alone, captivated by my own silence, and spending time in nature, was a drug full of positivity and perspective.

6. “Your perception of someone else is a direct reflection of you.” (unknown) Whenever I thought someone else was doing something wrong, whenever I got mad at someone, whenever I was impatient with the external, I would look at this quote on my phone. It’s just another layer to the theme that life is a manifestation of the mind. You literally create your reality.

7. “Control your impulses, don’t let your impulses control you.” (Anonymous) That damn amygdala is a killer. Don’t let it determine your decisions for you. As James says in the Bible, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry
..”

8. “What we achieve inwardly, will change outer reality.” (Plutarch) Are you nice to yourself? That’s how you’ll most likely treat others. Life is a ripple starting from the center point of your heart.

9. “You are your own best friend. Never ever, put yourself down.” (Paulo Coelho) This is an additional point to the previous. If you break it down, it’s like having compassion for yourself. We can coin it “inner compassion”. There’s a difference between not judging yourself harshly and taking accountability for your strengths, weaknesses, and actions. I am learning how to walk that tight rope every day.

10. “Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother.” (unknown) This is especially true for me. Mom’s have this special power in which they know how you are feeling, when you are feeling it, and why you are experiencing it. Then, they are able to extract it from you. It’s weird. Really weird. Even typing this makes me laugh and smile. Mom’s do some things wrong and have their own weaknesses/faults like every other human, but their biggest strength (more like a superpower) is knowing their child extremely well - that certainly is the case for me.

11. “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my mother.” (Abraham Lincoln) Along with that is my father, grandparents, brothers, aunt, and close family. Family is everything to me. Absolutely everything.

12. “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” (Abraham Lincoln) Your personal success is largely dependent on your preparation and the systems you put in place for yourself.

13. “A mistake becomes training.” (Ryan Holiday) It’s like a boxer continuously beating a bag in the gym. Each mistake and false move the boxer makes is information-rich data to get better. Become a boxer of life.

14. “Small hinges swing a big door.” (unknown) It’s the little things that add up to make the whole. The little things truly matter even though it may not seem like it in the present. As Mr. Clear says, “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.”

15. “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.” (Plato) Read this carefully and let it soak in. Are your words coming from a place of intention? Why are you saying what you are saying?

16. “Perform at your best when your best is required. Your best is required each and every day.” (John Wooden) Nothing else to say here. Excellence is required day in and day out. Fun fact: this has been my favorite quote since I first gained the ability to read.

17. “A horse doesn’t win a race by running sideways.” (Anonymous) And it never will. Focus on your own progression and improvement. Let purpose be your map and passion be your car. Don’t go through life blindfolded.

18. “A moving ant does more than a dozing ox.” (Lao Tzu) If you’re continually moving forward from your own benchmark, that’s all that matters.

19. “
.to love and let go

it’s the single greatest thing we can do in this lifetime.” (Rachel Brathen) One of my weaknesses is my inability to rapidly let go of things I care about. I want my letting go to become like that of misty water dispersing into the air
..while still accepting and caring for the thing that I’m letting go of.

20. “Money, social media, and love (a weird mix but true nonetheless), are all outlets to exposing ourselves to ourselves.” (Anonymous) Everyone says money is the root of all evil. They say similar things with social media. Also, people talk about romantic partners with a finger-pointing mentality. That’s a major fault. Money, social media, and love help in exposing our current character.

21. “Passion is your car; purpose is your map.” (Anonymous) Find that thing you love and drive forward forever. But make sure you are going in the correct direction with an overall mission to your map.

If you interpret this quote in a different way, ride with it!

22. “If you think something is going terrible, it is not. If you think something is going great, it is not.” (unknown) Along with #9, this is tightrope I am constantly walking. We should experience our emotions fully because life is beautiful. However, we should strive to stay in the middle of our minds. Humility is the correct noun to insert here.

23. “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” (Lucius Annaeus Seneca)

24. “Become enamored with your own faults, failures, and blindspots.” (Anonymous) I am obsessed with radically improving my strengths and knowing my blindspots as much as I can. From there, I can be more aware of them when in different scenarios, have a carefully selected group of people to properly triangulate my view, and ultimately improve as an individual. Also, here is a quote that has stuck with me and has been crucial this year: “You cannot be afraid of failure because failure creates success. If you’re afraid of failure that means you’re afraid of success.”

25. “Through clutter, find simplicity. Through discord, find harmony. Within every difficulty lies opportunity.” (Albert Einstein) What a great quote to navigate this life by.

26. “We are all dying, every moment that passes of every day.” (R.A Salvatore) Metaphorically, this is the greatest analogy for both, having the mentality of a beginner and squeezing out all you can from each day.

27. “If I am not for me, who is? If I am only for me, who am I?” (Ryan Holiday) As much as I am an introvert and self-focused, I strive to bring the world together through my being. It’s like we are all our own river but at the end of the day there is a massive ocean drawing us closer together.

28. “Go the extra mile.” (Anonymous) It’s always worth it. In work, relationships, business, etc.

29. “Whatever success I’ve had in life has had much more to do with my knowing how to deal with my not knowing than anything that I know. Because what I don’t know is vastly greater than my knowing.” (Ray Dalio) It’s a mouth full but it basically means that we are vastly unaware of our subconscious. So, all we can control is our reaction to certain situations and our overall conscious.

30. “Entrepreneurship is hard. For that same reason, it’s beautiful.” (Anonymous)

31. “If the last year of my life was the last year I lived, I would be content.” (Sean Biava). Truly understand this one.

Love you all, with all my heart,

Keep improving and living life while being alive,

Anthony

© Anthony Dap III | Dream BIG & Co. LLC 2020-2030

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