PLANNING AN EXCITING 2023

The Jesse Itzler Method

Happy Boxing Day!

For the longest time, I had assumed Boxing Day was traditionally a day set aside for opening Christmas gifts (even though I never wait until Boxing Day), and then today I decided to check while I was writing this blog post and realized that was not the intent. The holiday dates back to the 1800s and was a day when household servants and employees who worked on December 25 would receive boxes filled with small gifts as a thank you for working on Christmas day. Over the years, the day has taken on several meanings, including a day dedicated to opening Christmas presents, which also sounds like a nice concept, especially for people who have had a busy Christmas day.

The origin was just an interesting fact I discovered and doesn't change anything for me, as my belief is that everyone should celebrate the holidays in whichever way works for them - whether they give presents, open them on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or don't celebrate at all. The most important thing is that we are alive.

I enjoy celebrating every special occasion, and yesterday was a lovely, although quiet Christmas day. I hope you had a lovely day too, and if for some reason you didn't, I am sending you plenty of love, hugs, and best wishes from here.

Now, back to the purpose of this blog post - lol

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As 2022 winds down, many of us, myself included, are starting to think about 2023 and how to make it a memorable year. Over the years, I have tried different approaches to planning for a new year - from vision boards to new year resolutions to setting personal goals - and while some of these methods have served me in some capacity, none has stuck enough to become my go-to method and hence I am always in search of something new.

Recently, I came across Jesse Itzler's Instagram page (Jesse is a serial entrepreneur who founded several companies including Marquis Jet - one of the largest private jet companies in the world) where he shares enthusiastically the concept of building a life resume. Typically, we use our resumes to capture our professional work and experiences, however, Jesse tries to use this concept to talk about creating a life resume filled with exciting life experiences, and created resources and a program that can help people plan their year.

Even though I did not purchase any of the resources or join the program, I found the way he broke down the concept intriguing, and thought to share a few things I learned from one of his webinars in case any of the concepts resonate with anyone thinking about how to plan their 2023.

Before I dive into Jesse’s planning system, below are a few principles I picked up from some of his conversations:

1. Go into the new year light: Whilst the new year is technically just another day, it also offers the opportunity for a fresh start in a lot of ways and as much as possible we should try to go into the new year unencumbered with some of the weights from the ending year. The scripture that came to mind as I was writing this is Hebrews 12 vs 1 - …… “let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

   2023 is a brand-new race and as much as possible, let’s try to shed the weight of 2022. As simple as activities like cleaning out your closet, clearing out your mailbox, sending any overdue apologies, etc sound, these can help with getting into the right frame of mind for the new year. This looks different for everyone, so you will need to figure out what 'shedding' is necessary for you.

2. Realize that time is undefeated: No one outlasts time. While all of us know we will die someday, we usually don't act as if it will happen to us, which is why we don't act with urgency. Obviously, no one wants to die young, but we also have to realize that time is limited even if we live until 80.

   Let's apply some numbers - for example, if you are 40 and live to the age of 80, you have only 14600 days, 40 summers, 40 more birthdays, 40 Christmases, 10 more world cups, and a limited amount of time to spend with your parents (if they are still alive) left. When you put it this way, we are reminded to treasure each day and to develop a better relationship with time as we move along. One of the things I learned is that the only way we can defeat time is to do things we can't take back - by making memories for ourselves and with our loved ones. The only way to try to beat time is to do things! Experiences are what we have to hold on to.

3. Play life on the offense not on the defense: Many of us live our lives on defense, waiting for things to happen or for others to plan them for us. It is important to take control of your life and schedule the things you want to do with the people you love to do them with. Do things that make you proud of yourself. Show up for yourself. This is something I am still learning to get better at.

Now to Jesse Itzler’s planning system - there are four steps he shared for planning an exciting year:

1. Misogi: The ‘Misogi’ is your year-defining event. The concept of Misogi originates from a Japanese ritual and the idea is that “every year you should do one thing that is so memorable it sticks out the rest of the year”. “Put one big thing on the calendar that scares you, that you never thought you could do, and go out and do it.” This could be anything you would consider big - running a marathon, starting a podcast, taking a solo trip, climbing a mountain - the idea is for it to be something ‘difficult’ - “you should be genuinely unsure as to whether or not you can complete it”. The uncertainty of the challenge is meant to be part of the difficulty and something that needs to be overcome. Take a minute to think about what you would want your Misogi for 2023 to be and feel free to share with me in the comment section.

   N.B: If every year, you take on one Misogi - after 30 years, you would have done 30 incredible things you never thought you could do.

2. Kevin’s Rule: The second step was named after Jesse's cop friend, Kevin, who taught him the concept. The idea of Kevin’s rule is that every other month, take a day/ weekend to do something you would not normally do. The difference between this and the Misogi is that this is not meant to be a difficult task - let's say something like attending a live football game, hiking, taking a cooking class, a trip with your family, camping - something you would not have done normally, Jesse referred to these mini-adventures.

   For Jesse - Kevin’s Rule is “Once every two months, I take a weekend away or do something that I would not normally do if I did not schedule it. That guarantees that I will have at least five new experiences this year, which means if I live another 30 years, it is 150 experiences that I now have that I would not have had.”

3. Winning Habits: Adding a new winning habit to your lifestyle every quarter. The winning habits can be anything from drinking more water to being more punctual to meditating to exercising. Every quarter, identify a new habit you need to incorporate into your life and consistently raise the bar on how you live.

4. Take your daily vitamins: Identify all the things you enjoy doing on a daily basis - like reading a book, spending time with your partner, listening to a podcast, getting up early, walking, etc. These are referred to as your daily vitamins. Every day, take 2-3 vitamins.

Jesse believes that these four steps contribute significantly to building a great life resume, and by following this method you will end up with one Misogi, six mini adventures, and at least four winning habits by the end of 2023. How does that sound to you?

P.S: It is said that a writer writes about the lessons they need to learn most, so this is also for me :-)

Did you enjoy reading this? Comment, Like, and Share - I would love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Love,

Nifemi