My 2023 in Retrospect
Here was my 2023 by the numbers:
148: The number of sessions I spent training/coaching or speaking at events.
11: The US States in which I traveled.
2: The countries outside the US to which I traveled (ok…so I just had a layover in Brussels, Belgum).
400+: The number of hours I spent in front of the camera on Zoom or Teams conducting training or coaching sessions.
110: The number of days I spent on the road (most of those in West Africa).
3,500+: The lives I positively affected through my leadership, my training/teaching, and coaching sessions, and my speaking gigs in 2023.
Speaking to young entrepreneurs in Mbour, Senegal
Here were some of the highlights of my 2023:
I trained, coached, or spoke in some of the largest and most successful Fortune 500 companies on the planet.
I helped scores of small business owners and leaders do what they do better.
I was blessed to have a chance to affect the lives of those 3,500 people: I LOVE my job!
I went fly fishing with my good friend Richard on the Watauga River in Tennessee.
I spoke at a conference for young entrepreneurs in Mbour, Senegal
I spent 11 weeks in Senegal training business leaders.
I served my church as chair of the Diaconate.
My son, Andrew, graduated from Charleston Southern University.
My daughter, Sarah, became a 4th generation full-time entrepreneur. She and I had a chance to travel to Senegal together, where we spoke at the same conference on entrepreneurship.
My wife Mandy had a rock-star year teaching kindergarten children! She and I also celebrated 35 years of marriage together.
My dad fully recovered from a broken neck and worked in one of the largest and most successful gardens he’s ever had.
My mom helped my dad recover and then canned something like 600 jars of vegetables from Dad’s garden.
My brother and sister-in-law, who live next door to Mom and Dad, were quiet heroes in 2023 for looking after our parents.
There were times in 2023 when life was hard. There were other times when life seemed a bit easier. Here’s the most important lesson I learned in 2023: whether living is easy or more difficult, you need to profit from the experience. Learn the lessons that life will teach you, make the necessary changes in your life, and gain the benefits. That’s not an easy process in and of itself, but one that’s worthy of our efforts.
Here’s to a more profitable 2024!
