New Year, New Me

I used to be in the camp that believed nothing changes except the number on the calendar on New Year's, but as I get older and wiser, I've begun to believe that it's nice to reflect on a period of time, how you've improved and backtracked, and use it as an opportunity to make an actionable plan to move forward.

This year was much the same as the last few for me—raising kids, making content, and reflecting a lot on what I can or should be doing.

Here are some goals I'm setting for next year.

Qualify for the PT via the Arena Champs

One of the blessings bestowed upon me this past year was an invitation to the upcoming Arena Champs in February.

While I'd love to win, my attainable goal is to earn a spot in the Top 16, which would secure me an invite to the Pro Tour. I have no idea which Pro Tour it is or if I'd even play, as it depends on the timing and location. However, I'd like to re-qualify and get the opportunity to enjoy cracking that first pack and looking at those stamped cards again.

I'll have to get a lot of Standard reps in to achieve this goal, but it's more than obtainable. I have a great team I'm working with, so I have no excuses for not putting in the work.

My aspirational goal will, of course, be to make the finals of the event, which would grant me an invite to the World Championships. Winning the World Champs is obviously a dream of any Magic player, so any step in that direction would be wonderful.

Play the Arena Limited Champs

This is easily the most attainable goal, as it requires only time, effort, and a bit of luck to win one of the qualifiers. There are infinite attempts allowed, so you can play as many times as you'd like, win as much money as you're able, and the first time you win the prize, you get invited to the Arena Limited Champs.

As long as I have the motivation to play Magic, this is the type of goal I expect to accomplish and would be shocked if I didn't.

I'd also like to focus a lot on these qualifier events and see if it's possible to make a reasonable profit off of them, as they seem like an incredible opportunity to play Limited Magic for reasonable stakes.

I need to run the math when they roll around in final form, but I expect them to be somewhat profitable, although reasonably high variance is an issue given the nature of Bo1 Magic.

Continue to grow my stream

Creating magic content has been a lot of fun lately. There are a lot of new formats due to the constant rollout of new sets. While the game is hard to keep up with, creating content is easier than ever since there's so much to discuss.

Streaming has been extremely enjoyable to me, and my approach to it hasn't left me feeling even a little burned out. Most streamers force themselves to stream daily on a schedule and play through the "dead" formats, mainly because they rely on the income. I monetize streaming, but money isn't the most important part. My personal approach is to stream until I stop having fun, then I'll give it a day or two, and if I don't have more fun, I will take a break until the next thing that catches my interest, which could be a flashback set, Arena Cube, or whatever will freshen things up.

I haven't focused on pushing my stream to the limits, but my audience has grown, and it's been fun to engage regularly with the community again.

Start a YouTube channel

This is a more aspirational goal that I hope to achieve in the coming months. Since I've been focusing on the stream, I think it would be a smooth transition to make YouTube videos from either the drafts I do on stream or the drafts I specifically create for videos. Most importantly, I'd like to learn to edit videos, as it seems like a fun and useful skill.

YouTube is the premier way to monetize Magic content. If I find it fun, then it's something I can do while continuing to grow as a person and content creator.

My hesitation in doing this is that I think it'll require a significant amount of time and effort, and I'm unsure how successful it will be or how long it will take to grow the channel into something I'm proud of. Nonetheless, it'll never succeed if I don't try, and I'm finally ready to give it a go.

Personal goal: Lose 10-15 pounds

One of the hardest goals I've accomplished in life is an incredible amount of weight loss achieved the old-fashioned way. Through diet and exercise, I lost just over 100 pounds a few years back. Since then, I've gained 3-5 pounds a year, so now I'm only down about 90 pounds overall. This year, I'd like to lose the 10-15 pounds I've gained since my initial weight loss.

I've started a stricter diet over the past few days, and one of the major hurdles I have to adjust to is the physical activity aspect. I'm not a gym guy, so I either get my exercise at home with free weights or cardio outside. In the winter, it's about 20 degrees, which is too cold to go for a jog. YouTube workout videos have been great in helping me establish a daily exercise routine.

Routine is the best way to achieve weight loss goals. I just need to adjust to my new household environment and get back on track to slowly shed that excess weight.

Keep spending quality time with my wife and kids

As a parent, one of the biggest struggles is sometimes knowing when to set aside work or personal matters and focus purely on your family. When there's always something to be done to improve yourself, letting life pass by and not spending enough time with my kids is a constant fear of mine. I want to say "I'm busy, honey" to my kids less often and start saying "Sure, give me a second, and I'll be right there" more often. Fatherhood is the most challenging thing I've done, as it often involves making choices with no right answer and just having to ensure you're guiding them the best you can.

While I know it's cliché, and I know it's a bit tedious, I wanted to write down some of my challenges and goals this year, so I can look back in a year and see how I did. I'm looking forward to what's to come and am excited to keep improving and setting new goals for next year.

Happy New Year's, everyone.