Now

This is a Now page, inspired by Derek Sivers. Simply enough, this is to let you know what I’m up to, and partially to keep myself honest on my goals (even if nobody reads this!). Here are some more Now pages. Join the movement!

Updated: 12/4/25

Right Now:

  • The Kiddos – Our little Brookie Cookie went from “easiest baby ever” to full tot. I’m talking eating crayons, chalk, hands in dirty diapers… She’s a handful, and we love her dearly for it! Carter wakes up at 5am every morning and is a bear to put down to sleep. He’s a tricky tot but he’s got the biggest heart. And Ella started kindergarten, crushing it, and really turning into an amazing little human (don’t worry, she has her character flaws too!)
  • Gym! – Just recently committed to doing 6 days/week of gym (on top of dieting) in order to really take my health more seriously and get to where I want to be.
  • Keto and IM Fasting – Speaking of diets, I also recently committed to Keto and Intermittent Fasting diets where I’ll only eat from ~noon-8p and sticking to non-carby foods (meat on meat on meat). I lost ~30lbs this way before, so this is the best strategy for me (although an inconvenient one).
  • Searcher – still searching for a business – found a few I liked but unfortunately haven’t been able to win out on those offers. Feels like I’m getting closer, but it’s not quite as easy as buying a house (limited options, has to be the right fit for me).
  • Growth Partner – find local businesses that are operational, profitable, but need help to get to the next level. Many business owners are great at working IN the business but less-so at working ON the business. That’s where I’d look to come in, to help professionalize their operations, put them on a high growth track, and on better footing to have a successful exit one day.
  • Golf – Winter break. Will bang some balls against the garage mat but unless there’s some favorable weather I’m probably shut down until March.

Below are my 2025 goals and progress along the way!

Business Stuff:

  • Unwind from AvantStay – My transition period ends on May 1, 2025, 18 months after the agreement of sale, and completing my involvement with my former property management business
    • December Update – Achieved!
  • Buy a Business (by June the end of the year) – I would like to identify and close on a business in the first half of 2025, but the goal very much is to find the right business, which is more important than the timing.
    • December Update – Didn’t get this one accomplished. I certainly could have tried harder but this does typically take 18-24 months on average. Will be recommitting to this next year – the path is clear to me even if it’s a difficult road.
  • Sell or Upgrade Poconos home by June – we’re in a bit of a purgatory with our Poconos house where we either need to sell the home or upgrade it. The plan is to put it on the market in March to see if we can get the right price, and if not then we’d look to reinvest in it and upgrade some outdated features (flooring, kitchen).
    • December Update – ✅ Sold on 5/1

Mind Stuff:

  • Read 18 Books + Re-Read 6 Books – Generally the same goal every year, this seems like the right level for me at the moment (about 2 books/month). I almost always do audiobooks for my runs, and any more than this would feel like homework.
    • December Update – going to come in below my goal unfortunately. This year I lifted more and ran less, and I found that I read a LOT more when I was actively running vs lifting (something about the methodical nature of running helped me zen out more and listen to books).
  • Play a Song on the Guitar – The goal I can never achieve… but with more time on my hands and an app that’s been really valuable, I’m excited to finally learn to play some songs on the guitar! I think my kids will really like it 🙂
    • December Update – Nope… never close on this one. It’s always de-prioritized against my other goals, but that’s really not an excuse.
  • Meditate and Journal – this has been something I’ve done in and out over the past few years, but I want to make this a more normal routine to frame my days the right way.
    • December Update – Probably a fool’s thought, but meditations doesn’t seem to do as much more me. I might revisit that practice, but journaling DOES help me. Helps me prime my day in the morning by recapping the previous day or just putting mind to pen to paper to work through some thoughts.
  • No Social Media – I firmly believe it’s contributing to the erosion of society… Algorithms that are serving as dopamine machines living in our pockets. Brain cancer. My only exception is Reddit where I cherry-picked beneficial subreddits to sub to.
    • December Update – This has been on-again off-again over the course of the year, but with my revised December goals this one has been on the top of the list. It’s such an unhealthy environment…

Body Stuff:

  • Drinking – Still my goal, to continue to not drink alcohol, with the only exception being if I don’t have kid responsibilities the next day.
    • December Update – I really did a great job over ~18 months and breaking the “habit”. I have since re-introduced alcohol a little bit but I’ve really limited it to special occasions and events
  • 17% Body Fat – Starting the year at 22.5%, the path isn’t proprietary… diet and exercise. Counting macros (6 days/week) and lifting weights (4x/week).
    • December Update – This goal is getting kicked into 2026. I had some good periods in 2025 but with the exercise/fasting/diet goals I started I’m confident I’ll get there by next year.
  • Stretch – I should have done this years ago, but the next best time to start is now. Chronic next pain, and recently plantar fasciitis (thanks pickleball…) has pushed me over the edge.
    • December Update – Great! I feel way better when I do it, and while I don’t do it every morning I like how it primes my day with a relatively easy activity (hopefully) before the kids get up!
  • Cut Golf Handicap in Half – I was able to bring my golf handicap down from 15 to 7.5 last year, and I’d like to cut it in half again to land in the 3-4 range.
    • December Update – Womp… Ended the year at a 6.0 so I dropped from ~8 to a 6. Not great, and I played way more than I purposefully practiced. Especially at this point, I’m not going to get any better without a specific plan in place.