Rodolfo’s 2023 Year-in Review & 2024 Goals

Read on for my yearly experiment in treating my personal growth like the products I build at Spotify.

Executive Summary

Hi friends, family, and casual readers! 

This past year was the hardest of my life. I lost my father Jose. His death on September 9th, 2023 left me broken and lost. How does a son navigate life without a father? How can I be a great man without having my father, the kindest and most optimistic soul I knew, as a compass guide me as an example? Thanks to incredible support from my family and friends I picked up most of the broken pieces and was reborn as a kinder, more generous, and hopefully optimistic man. 

Despite this being a hard year, it was also a beautiful one. I got to explore the world and traveled to Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Spain, and Belgium. I took my DJing to the next level. I lived with my best friend in NYC. I became an uncle. I launched my first viral product. I discovered that even in the darkest moments one can find joy.

Thank you all for being a part of my life and making every day incredible. Read on for my detailed reflection and my 2024 goals

Key 2023 Moments

• I lost my dad. I experienced the loss of a parent at a pretty young age, but instead of letting this loss make me bitter, I vowed to double down on life. My friends, family, and therapist carried me through the hardest moments. This experience has helped me understand that there is a duality to any moment. It showed me that it’s ok to experience sadness and joy at the same time, that I can be a strong man and also be emotionally vulnerable.

• I reconnected with my spirituality. Dad’s passing forced me to come to terms with a crisis of faith. I was overwhelmed with fear and sadness because I felt that I’d never be able to connect with dad again. However, meditation and a lot of time reflecting have helped me find tangible small ways that I can keep dad alive through my actions. There’s also a part of me that strongly feels he’s still with me, there are small miracles I see daily in my life that I believe are his doing.

• I took my DJ side hustle to the next level. I DJ’d at clubs in NYC and opened for a nationally renowned DJ. In a year I went from DJing birthdays to having proper gigs. A small part of me thinks my dad played a role in making this little miracle happen for me. You can listen to my recorded sets on SoundCloud here.

• I launched my first viral consumer product at Spotify. Go to Spotify, search for “daylist”, and let me know what you think (link here). You can also read the press release article here.

• I published the #1 HBS MBA Voices Blog (read here). I wrote about my journey from Harvard Business School to Spotify and people loved it!

My friends’ review of me in 2023

Every year I ask my closest friends for feedback. I love my friends and I really enjoy seeing my life’s highlights through their eyes.

• I grew as a man and made my dad proud with how I took care of my mother and family after his death. However, I shouldn’t feel that I have to do it all alone and can to lean on my friends and family to “catch me when I fall”.

• My friends saw me at my happiest when pursuing my love of music and DJing. What are ways I can take that to the next level and start to make my own music?

• My friends want my life to be filled with the same sense of love and joy I bring to their life. I’m touched that they really care about me finding a partner that can love me in the same way.

What's one way I grew in 2023?

I witnessed the greatest growth during your handling of your father’s passing and funeral. You really held it together for your mom and your entire family, really demonstrating yourself as the head of the household - through both strength and vulnerability at the same time. 

I’m really amazed at how you continued to push and grow your love of music at work and in your personal life. I can tell that is where you flourish and thrive. Not many people find the drive to carve out that dedicated space and time for creative endeavors… 

What's one thing I can do to grow in 2024?

Please continue to take care of your health. Reach out more often for help when you need it. Don’t forget that you have friends and a community that will be more than eager to catch you when you fall. 

If you can make time for it, can you start learning how to make your own music?

What else do you want to share as I set my 2024 intentions?

This year has probably been one of the hardest of your life. You're doing everything you can - be easy on yourself. Your dad would want that for you, as well as your mom. 

I hope you are able to find the right partner who can still let you be you, share your passions for music and travel, and give you a sense of stability in life!

Keep it up being a rave dad … our lives literally changed since we met you. We discovered our love for a world we had not seen ourselves in before 😍

Your love for friends and family is something that is so valuable

What learnings from 2023 do I want to share?

• I learned the power of saying no! I finally learned to really put myself first and listen to my gut. I learned that it’s totally ok to do things like stay in on a Friday night if you want time to yourself to recharge.

• I learned to face conflict head on. I used to avoid conflict out of fear of making people feel bad, but now I’ve embraced the importance of prioritizing my needs. I believe this has helped me to form stronger relationships.

• I learned to face even the darkest moments with laughter and optimism. The last memory I have of my dad is him making a joke on his hospital bed before I hugged him goodbye the day he passed away. Days before he promised me that he would get better. Dad isn’t with us now, but his unshakeable belief that miracles are real and that life needs to be enjoyed with a smile lives in me. Every time I act like him, a piece of him lives on.

2024 Goals

In 2024 I want to give myself space for healing and discovery. My goals in past years have been extremely performance optimization oriented. This year is about discovering new parts of myself, connecting with the people I care about the deepest, and giving myself the space to mourn my dad’s loss, while at the same time celebrating his life and living my own life to the fullest.

• Health & Wellness: Deepen practices that consistently help me feel physically and mentally healthy. 

  • Prioritize sleep as the foundation of health. 

  • Cook more! You are what you eat!  

  • Be scientific with my workouts to allow for greater gains, while avoiding injury

• Community: Deepen my connection with the people I love the most in the world, no matter where they are.

  • Plan intentional trips with my mom and extended family in Puerto Rico

  • Visit friends who have been a major part of my life, but don’t live in NYC

  • Take a group of my closest friends on a trip to Puerto Rico

• Personal growth: Nurture my own sound as a DJ and share it with the world. 

  • Remix 1 song by the end of the year

  • Perform at least once in an international destination

  • DJ at 5 different clubs in NYC

• Professional Development: Become a product leader with the capacity to guide teams, people, and products to grow into the best version of themselves.

  • Build 2 new experiences that bring joy to people’s lives through music  

  • Form deeper connections with my teammates

Conclusion

Thanks so much for reading! If you have any other thoughts or learnings you want to share with me after reading this, please send them my way.

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