The year of our lord 2023 comes to a close

This is just a quick wrap up of my year.

I’m keeping it really short and simple this week. I wasn’t going to write anything at all, but I decided to write up something to put the year in perspective.

Client-work-wise, it was a great year. I started writing with a great new client, which has been awesome. But truthfully, I don’t want to talk about client work.

This was the year that I’ve traveled the most since leaving the Air Force in 2015. We went on a spontaneous trip over Father’s Day to an incredible Airbnb in Conifer, Colorado. It sat at about 9,200 feet above sea level, and the sweeping view was stunning.

View from the deck of the Airbnb in Conifer, CO

Then, about three weeks later, my wife shocked me by sending me to the Big Island of Hawaii for a week just to get away. Unlike Oahu, the Big Island is not crowded or crazy. I swear, I’d move there if it weren’t so hard.

The quintessential Big Island view. Pahoa, HI (yes, I took this pic)

What about the biz?

My focus was in flux this year. I started the year thinking that selling digital products was a good secondary source of income, and it probably is in some way and for some people.

To me, it was not worth the level of effort to make $373 cumulative.

WAY too much effort for the money, but it did prove that you can make money.

But then again, at the beginning of the year I think my audience was about 400 or less, exclusively on Twitter. Now that I am cruising toward the one thousand mark, I think I may reengage with digital products again.

Besides that, I was focused on client work, mostly maintaining my two core clients. Moving in 2024, my goal is to diversify and bring on a couple more clients, or at least one anyway. Also, I am branching out and will be taking a stab at newsletter writing for clients. It’s hot right now, and I’ve been doing it anyway on my own.

Also, my focus is shifting away from client work and towards building my own empire. Let’s just call it what it is.

No more AI

You read that right.

2024 is the year that I quit using AI for anything. Of course, 2023 is the year we all started it. But seriously, it is a scourge. So, part of my gambit is being a writer who notoriously refuses to use AI in the craft.

Don’t underestimate the power of this; people are already sick of AI. They know when AI writes content. It sucks! It just stinks all around.

When you read my writing, rest assured that AI played no part in it.

That’s a wrap

It was a good year. Hell, it might have been a great year! But next year with be incredible. Seriously, it’s going to be YUGE. And I don’t even know yet what all will make it incredible, but I know it will be because mindset is everything.

/