2019 COMES TO AN END
By Robb Flynn
You probably had a better year than you remember…
While there may have been some hiccups, it was probably an awesome end to the decade.
I could be wrong, but I’d love for you to tell me the good things that happened to you this year.
As we end the year, my feed often fills up with a handful of friends talking about how they are "so ready for this year to be over", and how "they can’t wait for next year to start".
I’m guilty, I’ve done it myself.
The other day at the gym, my trainers Coach Jenn and Coach Ted brought up something that made me rethink that… To go through the accomplishments that you made this year and really think about, and be grateful for, the things you accomplished, and in an even bigger sense, this decade.
Think about it, you've accomplished SOMETHING this year. You got a great new job, had a kid, met a girl/boy, moved into a new place. It might be something minor, or even a few things major, but you're likely in a better place because of it.
In my experience, life is rarely about the major things, life is about the little accomplishments.
A string of little things, and maybe made 1 or 2 big things that opened new doors to somewhere.
And in our social media dominated society where we only show "the good side of life", or "our best selfie", or "our funnest moment" and almost never show the bad or disheartening things, I think it’s important to be honest about the tough times.
I’ll be straight with you.
Frustrating bang-your-head-against-the-wall-kinda-tough-times. Crying-while-on-a-dog-walk-type of tough times. Wondering how were gonna get from Point A to Point B tough times. Having to let go of a lot of things I'd never thought I'd need to let go of tough times. Heartbreaking moments of disappointment where I had to accept that some situations were never gonna be good, and the only choice was to move on with my life, or drown in someone else’s.
But it wasn’t all bad.
Here are my 2019 little accomplishments:
- Lost 10 pounds
- Got sober for 3 months
- Started seriously training at gym and transformed my body and mind
- Was a good husband
- Was a good father
- Was a good boss
- Celebrated 28 years with Genevra
- Meditated and affirmation-ed a lot
- Changed my eating habits dramatically
- Celebrated my oldest sons first home run and his team winning the championship
- Maintained composure / restraint I had under some very difficult public situations
2019 big accomplishments:
- Reconnected with old band-mates that was long overdue
- Turned 52
- Did a wildly successful tour of Europe celebrating our debut album
- Dropped a new song “Do Or Die”
- Rebuilt a new band in 10 months
- Wrote / finished / created 7 new Machine Head songs
- Recorded a Robb Flynn & Friends solo album of covers
- Re-recorded Burn My Eyes Live-in-the-studio
- Became owner of a recording studio
- Re-launched Killers & Kings
- Closed Love Death
- Started a podcast
I’ll save my reflections of the decade for another time, but you did something different and no less awesome in your life this last year, so tell me what it is.