Happy Friday, and happy new year! ☀️
I’m a day late because of… well, enjoying life. For this edition of Friday’s Five, I am sharing a few favorites from the past year.
What I’m reading 📖
In 2021 I read 30 books (my goal was to read 25). Here are my favorites:
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
Vincent by Joey Goebel
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
What I’m listening to 🎧
Almost every day I share a song I like on Instagram and then collect the songs in monthly playlists. Some I’ve already shared here throughout the year and today I am sharing a playlist with all the songs of 2021: 272 songs – 18 hours and 21 minutes of music I enjoyed in 2021. Shuffle away!
What I’m watching 📺
2021 was the year of outstanding television. New series, new seasons, and mini-series, the quality of tv shows last year was stellar. I wanted to share my top five but that was impossible so here are my top 10:
Succession (Season 3)
Station Eleven
Dopesick
The White Lotus
Maid
Mare of Easttown
Midnight Mass
The Chair
Squid Game
Halston
What I’m thinking about 🧠
Reflecting on 2021 and all aspects of life that are important to me, 2021 was a good year, almost great. I found a healthy balance between work and life, became more intentional about where and how I want to spend time, focused on being present with friends, family, colleagues, and clients, even danced all night on two occasions, fought off a seasonal depression for the first time in 10 years, spoke my truth in moments I wouldn’t have prior, time off in Mallorca, magical moments with friends in the Swedish archipelago, a workation month in France, a week in Ibiza with close friends, our first internal ForChiefs retreat in nature, lots of leadership offsites with clients in the mountains, a workation in Bad Gastein, a summer weekend in Paris, a very intense work phase in Q4, several moments of big laughs and fun, a week with my family in Rome, some regular personal and work trips to Munich and Vienna, less time on news sites and Twitter, too much time on Instagram, walked a daily average of 9.000 steps, 1.000 short of my goal, read 30 books, 5 more than my goal, did 3 multi-day fasts of 3 and 7 days. I’m realizing again how lucky I am to live this life.
What else?! 💯
Impressive creativity yet again on Instagram, this time by way of Fin Draper, a 22-year old from Portsmouth who creates covers using glasses of water and all sorts of utensils. Ping.
Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!
David