2021, let’s go

2021-01-01

I’ve been absent from this blog for a couple of months. I’ve found that, though I enjoy the practice of writing, I often struggle with topic ideas. And that keeps me from logging in and writing my daily post.

Work has also kept me very busy throughout the fall, between my day job and a couple of fun projects, but more on that below.

In any case, I’m going to try and reset the habit today, and see how long I can keep it going in 2021.

My new goal is to stick to my weekday routine for the first half of the year and to then switch to either a weekly schedule or something more sporadic and inspiration-driven.

I’ll probably also start writing backdated posts to fill the days I’ve missed since October. I’d like the blog to at least look complete. I’m a bit OCD like that.

Despite *the ongoing situation*, 2020 has been a pretty good year for me. Some highlights:

  • I had a second kid in April, Noah Spoke, who’s awesome;
  • I took on an ambitious land assembly project, which, despite some interesting challenges (which I’ll write about in detail in due time), is going well;
  • I moved to a larger apartment with an additional room, a better kitchen, and a much better view; and
  • I quit my job.

Oh, and bitcoin is up ~345% YTD. Not bad!

I quit my job to pursue more of my own projects full time, including more land assemblies and other real estate investments. I’m very excited about that but the transition will still be somewhat bittersweet (I’m sticking around until the end of January).

I joined The Benvenuto Group in July 2018 for two reasons. First, I didn’t know much about real estate development beyond urban planning considerations and wanted to learn. Second, I wanted to learn from the best– and my boss, Mitch Abrahams, is the best.

Here’s a heuristic I got from MFM’s Shaan Puri: if you ever have the opportunity to work with and learn from a 12, take it.

You might think that the top talent in any field is a 10. But then you meet a 12 and it resets your expectations and your ambition. It shows you what is possible– what could get done when things are done very well.

My experience working with a 12 has been great. I’m eager to see how much of it sticks with me this year, when I’m making my own calls and taking my own risks.

I think 2021 is going to be a great year.