Some years, Elena and I go to a party on New Year’s Eve. It’s fun to be with our friends as we let go of one year and celebrate the birth of a New Year. But this time, we took our kids (Will and Violet) to a live comedy show along with Elena’s sister Nancy and brother-in-law, Jack. It wasn’t even the 10pm show. We opted for the 7pm option ;-)

*An evening of comedy at Governor’s in Levittown*

Truly, this was a wonderful way to celebrate the new year for all of us. Will and Violet had never seen a live comedy show. They love watching the streaming options of the many titans of comedy available to us. But to go to live comedy was a new experience and they loved it.

The headliner was Chris Roach — someone I’d never seen before and happy that he’s one of the rare “clean” comedians. I think it takes extra effort to be funny as well as clean and Chris nailed it. The featured comedian was Olga Namer, who was another comedian I’d not seen or heard before. I actually prefer this as new comedians bring on new material and it’s often a really good time.

It was also fun to play “dress up” in our newly acquired clothes from Vietnam. One of the things I did while in Saigon was to have a custom dress made for Elena, her sister Nancy and my mother-in-law, Connie. These dresses look spectacular and are a custom fit.

*Full length image of Elena’s awesome dress*

I realize there aren’t a ton of opportunities to wear a dress like this, so we took advantage of this time of year. We had dinner with our friends Drew and Natalie Pearson at their home and used this an an excuse to play dress up. Natalie is french and never misses an opportunity to look exquisite. She also is a gemologist so she often wears her bling. Elena got to show off some of hers as well. It was a sparkly evening ;-)

Beginning With The End In Mind

I took some time for myself to reflect on the year ahead. I asked myself how I want to be remembered and reflected on how I’m doing so far. This helped me explore my top priorities (i.e. “What matters most?”) and do a deeper reflection. There’s something powerful about taking time for myself and allowing the space for stream of consciousness reflections that reveal what’s in my heart. As I was doing this, I realized I may need to set aside more time to do this in the future. Once a year doesn’t feel sufficient (even though it’s better than nothing).

*Really thoughtful & important read by Tim Urban,* *Whats Our Problem*?

If you’re not familiar with the blog, Wait But Why, you might not know the author, Tim Urban. He’s great. He has a beautiful mind and asks the important questions that are usually a blinding glimpse of the obvious. Like “why didn’t I think of that” sort of insights. His latest book, Whats Our Problem began as a simple blog post and turned into a 6 year investigation of what’s been happening to our political system in the United States (and elsewhere).

I started listening to this as an audiobook and quickly became addicted. I needed to keep going as so much truth telling was such a refreshing change. This is not a book that bashes either Republicans or Democrats, but rather shows why so much nonsense exists from both parties and is likely to continue until we, collectively, change. I found this book to be both informative and incredibly supportive. I feel more prepared to have a discussion about politics now — something I have previously avoided so as not to offend, isolate or alienate.

*The power of unconditional inner peace*

My journey towards unconditional inner peace continues as I’ve now clocked more than a year of consecutive morning meditation for at least 30 minutes a day:

*Total of 481 days with more than 17k minutes (i.e. 278 hours and 24 m)*

I plan on continuing my MEDS-RX in 2026. That is:

Meditation for at least 30 min per day
Exercise for at least 30 minutes per day
Diet of eating that which is best for me
Sleep at least 7 hours per day (go to bed by 10pm)
Relationships continuing to grow and expand
X-Factor of global travel while considering “What’s Next?”

And these daily habits (first recommended to me by Brendon Burchard) have supported my deep and continuous growth for more than 3 years now. As I explore and plan out the next four decades of my life, I see this foundation as continuing to be a linchpin to my sustained growth, happiness, joy, serenity and inner peace.

I look forward to sharing this with you as I continue my journey around the world for the next six months (starting with my flight to the Philippines on Wednesday, January 7th). I can’t believe these past three weeks have flown by so quickly. Luckily, Violet will join me in another two weeks in Sydney, Austrailia and then Elena will join me about two weeks after that in New Zealand.

As difficult as it will be to leave Port Washington (including my friends and family members), I’m excited to be reunited with my daughter and wife in the coming weeks half way around the world. Until then, I wish you a fabulous start to 2026.

2026 Begins with Laughter (January 5, 2026)

Beginning With The End In Mind

Holidays in Port Washington, NY (January 4, 2026)