Goals Met: ~100%

Song Of The Month (listen while reading!): No Problems - Ginger Root - Indie Pop/Funk

Super busy month, it’s only now in August I feel that I have some free time.

How did I do with last month’s goals?

Personal

Proposal to my lady

  • Result: A

I proposed to Laura and she said yes! It was terrifying, emotional, and beautiful.

Here’s how it went down:

Laura and I came to the realization that we’d need to get married to really move to America and to let her have any freedom there. Otherwise she’d be chained to a company or not able to work.

While she was away I spent 2 days thinking about what would be a cool and memorable way to do it. I feel that most people usually do it on a hike or something, but I wanted it to be more “us”.

It took a bit of anxiety and hemming and hawing for me to actually commit, but I decided that I’d propose to Laura during my skatepark gig with CORP. after we sang a song together.

We would sing Sleep Seducer, a song I wrote about her (and the temptations of sleep), and after I’d go down on 1 knee in front of everyone and propose.

She asked me one thing, and that was, “No public proposal”. This scared me, but I knew that she’d feel good after she sang, and it would be a beautiful and memorable moment with a lot of our friends. I was right, it was way better then a small proposal in the woods.

Next, I spent a week or 2 searching for rings. I decided I wanted a “proposal ring”, not a full engagement ring. This is a more fun and cheaper ring that I could propose with, and we’d go pick out her fancy ring. I found this really nice “stardust” ring from Pukka Berlin for around €600 which was Rose gold and had some small lab grown diamonds. It’s really cool (Luckily, we both think so after the fact).

We sang Sleep Seduer at the end of the set, Laura felt a bit unconfident, but she did great. I wrote a small poem for laura instead of the normal outro, I practiced it all week, but ofc, the band kind of messed up the song and it threw me off a bit, but I got the words 80% right.

Here’s what they were (supposed to be):

There's something I'm scared to do,
So I'll do it only for you.

You make me so god damned happy,
Laura you're my cup of tea.

I want to wake up forever to you,
So Laura, will you marry me?

and then I went down on one knee.

I had hidden the ring by the piano, and she saw me pull it out.

I could swear she was shaking her head and looking dismayed like, “NO NOT NOW” but I went forward anyway with the proposal. Fortunately, that was just her disbelief. She was already tearing up and I was shaking like crazy doing it. People started screaming in the audience, one of our friends audibly going, “SHUT UPPPPP!” which you can hear in the video. It’s kinda hilarious.

Then she says, “Yes”, more of a crying head nod, and I stand up and put the ring on her, to a cheering crowd and the band crescendoing the end of sleep seducer.

Finally Rory plays, “Celebrate Good Times” and everyone was giving us congrats all night. The organizers gave us a bottle of champagne as well!

I couldn’t be happier.

Sort out my housing with my landlord (who wants to sell my place)

  • Result: B

We’re just going to wait for him to hit us up. The lawyer says we can get compensated.

German Taxes

  • Result: A+

Didn’t have to pay a tax guy and didn’t actually take me that long, but I did leave it to the last minute.

Plan Birthday

  • Result: A+

We got a sick boat for my 30th that I’m very excited for.

What else got done last month?

  • Spent a week in Switzerland after our proposal. It’s like earth porn there, the Alps are insanely beautiful in the summer.
  • I was feeling quite tired, but I got my bloods checked and they are fine.
  • Celebrated Garvan’s birthday with him
  • My friend Adam was over and spent some time with him.

Lessons Learned?

  • Pay a good photographer and videographer, just because you’ve a camera doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing.
  • It’s fine proposing with a proposal ring
  • I’ve been buring myself out with too much social obligation, I need to say no. I also can’t complain that I’m always stressed.

What are my goals for next month?

You can’t connect the dots going forward, only back.

Steve Jobs

Make sure these goals trend the dots towards my goal, being in front of the right people, focusing time where it matters, etc. I’ve already got 3 party weekends 😭 Maybe I just don’t drink so much.

  • Coordinate a cool show for the tutti fruiti gig
  • Make engagement post
  • Restart SkinTheory
  • Finish 1 song (atleast rdy for mastering)

What are my 2024 (year) goals?

  1. 🟡 Release/Work on 3 startup projects. Build them faster, throw them out faster.
    • I need to build quickly and release quickly. I need to clear time in my schedule for this.
    • Related lifetime goal: Run my own business.
  2. 🟡 Show off 12 items of my work in public. 1 per month atleast.
    • I should build my projects in public. I should have my music out in public more. I should write blog posts. I enjoy the feedback.
    • Related lifetime goal: Run my own business / Have 100k fans of my music.
  3. 🟡 Curate and keep to a more regular routine. 6hr side projects. Wake up by 8am.
    • Atleast 6hrs per week on music / side projects.
      • Decide on Sundays what I want to achieve with the week
    • Wake up by 8 regularly and work on my projects in the morning.
      • I do better work in the morning and need to keep this routine. Otherwise I’m tired at night and just watch tv.
    • Reduce my obligations/stress so that I have time to work on projects / music. I feel stressed with all the things I must do. I don’t have time for my passions then, and I also can’t stop and smell the roses in life.
    • Define what I’ll achieve each week.
  4. 🔴 Release 4 SE.CORP songs. Set up a repeatable way to get listeners / viewers.
  5. 🟡 Develop a better musical ear
    • I’d like to more readily be able to find notes, tab out songs, and jam over other songs

What are my lifetime goals?

  1. Run my own business that allows me to: support myself, be relaxed, be innovative, love my work, travel.
  2. Backpack for 6 months through Asia.
  3. Have 100,000 fans of my music.
  4. Be relaxed and be excited to wake up to my life every day, and these days are meaningful long-term.