Welcome to my year in review! Edition #4. To read last years, click here.
I will answer:
What went well this year?
What didn’t go so well this year?
What did I learn?
Then list:
10 out of 10 sections.
Goals for next year.
Favorite photos.
Before we begin, it is worth noting that every year in review is a personal process. This is simply an overview of what my year looked like, not advice for how you should live your life. (That said, you are always welcome to use this general format for your own year in review.)
S/O James Clear and Robert Sales for the inspiration. My review is a combination of their formats.
What went well this year?
Family.
I, again, went home every weekend during college. I went to all but one of my brother's football games (we had a basketball game). I feel like I’ve done a good job supporting him. I’ve strengthened each of my relationships with each of my family members. Oh, and, this Christmas I actually put effort into finding gifts for our sibling exchange. That felt good.
Work.
He doesn’t know about it but I spent a lot of time listening to MrBeast this year haha. I listened to, watched, read, and EDITED 90+ usable sources. The other 100 I consumed were… not usable. Most usable sources have been podcasts. He is super smart and listening to him has made me a much better thinker.
I have a couple mini chapters that are polished up. I’m going nice and steady with this book. I really want it to be a timeless piece of art that impacts millions of lives.
I have learned a TON working for Eric Jorgenson (the G.O.A.T.) and editing his upcoming book: The Book of Elon Musk. I commented on each “aha moment,” during my initial read through. Afterwards, my fingers were sore. This book will change the world.
While a majority of my work has been on improving what’s in the current manuscript, I have helped curate a few chapters. We’re close to sending out a copy for peer revisions. Can’t wait for it’s release!
I only sold 25 copies of Dear Hooper this year. But, I also wasn’t promoting it so that’s okay. Not bad.
The biggest win for Impactology was my first in-person speech with 75+ student athletes at a local high school.
One attendee wrote me a note:
“Thank you for taking time out of your day to present to us about athletics and our impact. I learned a lot about how I impact my team even when I don’t necessarily think I am. Working to be an All-Around-Adam.”
That shit had me grinning from EAR-2-EAR.
Although the MrBeast book has priority, I will spend a little more time exploring some new ideas that I have with Impactology, now that I’m hooping again.
Health.
My Current Max’s:
Bench: 250.
HexBar Deadlift 5-rep: 425.
Chin-Ups: 27.
I’m curious to see what my squat max would be. A new goal of mine is to hit the 1,000 pound club. It’s definitely achievable by the end of 2025.
I still pretty much only drink water (or protein shakes). I’m still alcohol and drug-free. Adding creatine and electrolytes into my diet has helped a lot.
I went roughly ⅓ of the year without desserts and at least half with no color on my phone. And I probably went ~⅓ of the year without snapchat or instagram.
This is definitely my biggest win in the health category: no knee problems. I added KneeOverToes Workouts and Tib Raises into my routine. Highly recommend.
Being able to consistently dunk will be a goal for 2025. (Although a part of my identity is not being able to dunk, so I’ll have to work through that haha 😂.)
It also feels good to be in basketball shape. Reminds me of this good ass quote: The best way to get in shape… is to never get out of shape.
How I’m thinking about working out muscle groups: Use it or lose it.
Writing.
I published 12 editions of my newsletter Impactology. Here are my 8 favorite editions from 2024 (in no particular order):
I published less editions of Impactology than I hoped. But I did the right thing by only publishing BANGER editions. That’s why I couldn’t narrow it down to a top 5…haha.
I spent a good amount of time journaling. The more I reflect, the more I learn. That’s a habit I never want to give up.
“You've probably lived entire lives you've completely forgotten, because you don't write things down” – Dylan O'Sullivan.
Travel.
Rather than trying to list everywhere I went this year, I’m going to encourage you to save, and travel to a foreign place/country for an extended period of time. My month in Italy, Sicily and traveling the Mediterranean Sea was transformational. Not only was it a fun adventure, I grew a lot from my travels. Oh, and if the idea of traveling scares you, then it’s a sign you should do it. ;)
Money Mindset.
I used to value money more than other things of more significant importance. A couple years ago, I created a vision board that had a big yacht on it, a jet, and all this materialistic stuff.
Sure, I’ll probably want to have a boat when I’m older but my mindset about money changed after reading this quote:
“To me, wealth is having more than you need. So the easiest way to become wealthy, and the best way to stay wealthy, is to not need much” – Derek Sivers.
Now, when I think about what I want when I’m older, I think about having a ton of books and a nice place to read them – not having my own jet. That’s not what I want. I don’t actually want to own a jet. I would’ve wanted to own it so other people know about it. That was the image I wanted to portray to others about myself. IDGAF about that anymore. I’d rather have the money to support myself and my family, then to spend it on things to show others how successful I am. That’d be the dumbest shit ever.
I’m wealthy now (by my new definition). And I can continue to work on not needing much and saving/investing money simultaneously!
Basketball.
A couple years ago I wrote about how after playing my last high school basketball game, I thought it was time to “move on” from basketball and focus on my career. I thought that was “the mature thing” to do. I was wrong.
The mature thing to do is to live my life how I want to live my life. And I fucking love basketball. I honestly don’t know how I went that long without the game. And it’s okay to love basketball as much as I do. I know that I want this game to continue to be a part of my life even after my playing days are over. (Coach Kurt — may be coming soon to a court near you??) And god damn – it feels good to be playing.
I feel much more in alignment with myself. When I hold a basketball, it feels right. I think I may want to use all 4 years of my NCAA eligibility. We’ll see…
What Didn’t Go So Well?
College. At first.
I just didn’t accept that I was in college. All my “suffering” when I first went to Loras was created by myself. I didn’t want to believe it at the time. I wanted to point fingers at external things for my miserableness. My mindset was the only reason I was miserable.
I was homesick. Kept to myself. Didn’t try to make new friends. Didn’t try to get to know my teammates. And just didn’t do a good job of being open to Loras and what it has to offer.
Then I realized: life is too short to be miserable. Lately, I've done a much better job of not taking myself too seriously. I’ve noticed: the less seriously I take myself, the happier I am.
Now, I have my arms open to what life has to offer. Life is better that way.
Trying to find my wife (still searching…).
When I think back to my last relationship, I think… I’ve never felt that way about someone before. But, here’s the thing. I’ve also never put that much time and effort into someone before so it makes sense that I wouldn’t. You don’t get to that point without putting in that much time and effort. So, if I want to feel that connected with someone again, I’m going to have to put in lots of time and effort to connect with them.
Avoiding Connection.
I touched on this a little in the college section. I just was avoiding true connection with anyone I met. And I LOVE connection so not sure what that was about… I think maybe it’s after you end a relationship with someone, that it can be hard to open up to other people after.
I’ve definitely turned a corner. :)
What Did I Learn?
Use ChatGPT as a thought partner!
Connect more. There’s nothing more important in life than the relationship you have with yourself and the relationships you have with others.
Most people think real happiness comes from joy. Real happiness is acceptance. Most suffering comes from not accepting things.
By deciding to play off two feet, you can become a much better basketball player instantly.
I’m so bullish on meditation. There aren’t many problems that a 10 minute meditation can’t help solve.
Everyone has flaws. It’s your job to find them out and let them know what they are. Haha I’m just kidding – I thought of this while I was meditating. LOL.
Go with the group for small things. Like where the bathroom is or where to order. But not for big things, like skipping workouts or eating unhealthy food.
Not saying you can’t do both… How you feel about your body matters more than how your body actually looks (given you’re healthy).
Shouldn’t we be happy that time flies? Typically when time flies, we’re happy and enjoying life. I think it’s better than the opposite, time not flying.
We waste so much mental energy when we aren’t authentic.
A healthy man wants 1000 things. A man who’s lost his wallet wants only one. (You never would’ve guessed – I wrote this after losing my wallet.)
For Gift Giving: Buy what other people want but would never buy themselves.
If you can hit from the logo, it’s easy to shoot 3-pointers right behind the line. The closer you shoot, the less you have to focus because there's more room for error.
Learn with others. Only a mature version of MrBeast learned that he actually learned more with others! (You’ll see what I mean once I release the book).
On loving yourself: If there’s something you don’t like about yourself, ask yourself: Can I change it? If no, learn to accept it. If yes, work to change it.
Eliminate Embarrassment. I’ve learned to eliminate (most) embarrassment by recognizing it as nothing more than social conditioning. If I do something “awkward,” “embarrassing,” or make a mistake, I ask myself: Did I mean to do it? Probably not. So why care?
Diminishing returns explain why the holistic approach is the best approach.
Doing something “just 4 fun” and having a good time isn’t a waste of time. Obvious… You would think.
The colder the ice bath, the better the rest of the day.
Mantra I love: “No hurry, no pause.”
Schools teach you how to fit in, in a world where you can get disproportionately rewarded for standing out.
3 goals for 2025
Improve my health (physical/mental), mind (awareness/intelligence), and relationships (myself/others).
Get V1 of MrBeast Book Manuscript Done! (Hoping to publish in 2026/27!)
Publish a new “Impactology” 10 times! (Each newsletter must be a BANGER.)
10 out of 10
The Vat of Acid / Rick and Morty — Episode / Series
Norm MacDonald — Comedian
Derek Sivers — Writer (see blogs below)
Vagabonding - Rolf Potts + Knee Ability Zero - Ben Patrick + Based on A True Story - Norm MacDonald — Books
Men I Trust — Artist
“Gambling Trip” aka March Madness in Omaha — Vacation
Tame Impala - New Person, Same Old Mistakes — Song
Zoom Out — Focus Music
BKURT’S Chicken Alfredo — Food
Study Abroad to Southern Italy + Sicily and Cruise around the Mediterranean with Parents — Experience
Note as I went through my photos: It’s fun to look back. I had an awesome year and live an amazing life. Click here for my favorite photos from 2024. Enjoy.
Thanks for reading. Happy New Year!
Dylan :)
…sounds like an awesome year brother…cheers to an even radder 2025…