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An annual practice · 13 years running

Naming My Year
in Advance.

For over a decade I've given each new year a title before it begins. A word, a phrase, a direction. It started as an experiment, became a habit, and then a small piece of how I live.

The talk that started it

The practice began on a TEDx stage, with a talk called "Discover Your Incredible Future."

Watch the TEDx talk

The current year

2026

The Renaissance.

The art is one person doing many things, well. Writing the words, designing the site, building the product, recording the song, telling the story, shipping the company. Renaissance, originally, meant rebirth. This year is mine.

Essay in progress

The archive

Every year, named.

  1. 2025

    LMNOP

    Learn. Make. Notice. Observe. Practice. A year of attention.

    Read the essay
  2. 2024

    Verses

    Songs, chapters, scenes. A year built like an album.

    Read the essay
  3. 2023

    Ukiyo

    The floating world. A Japanese word for the kind of present-tense joy you can almost catch.

    2023 Ukiyo Read the year in review
  4. 2022

    Prove It

    2022 Prove It
  5. 2021

    Arrive

    2021 Arrive
  6. 2020

    Launch

    2020 Launch
  7. 2019

    Showtime

  8. 2018

    The Awakening

  9. 2017

    The Exploration

  10. 2016

    The Rise

  11. 2015

    Right the Ship

  12. 2014

    The Chess Year

Why it works

The power of naming your years.

A resolution is a chore. A name is a compass. One you forget by February. The other, you carry.

Read the essay