A New Era

First things first, welcome to Presentable.

It’s been awhile since you last heard from me, and a whole lot has happened. You might notice things look and feel slightly different, but this is where you can expect to find my thoughts on style, design, and travel moving forward.

To start off this first issue, I’m excited to share what 2022 was all about and what I’m up to this year.

2022 Year in Review

Last year was all about growth. I set out to establish new habits to help me become better from a personal and professional level.

It was also about finding inspiration. And motivation. Basically, all the things I was looking for to help me get back on the writing wagon. 

Here’s a recap of my most important moments from last year.

Fushimi Inari Shrine (Kyoto, Japan)

Traveled To Six Countries

My wife and I really wanted to make up for lost time from 2020 and 2021. We dreamed about living abroad during those years, and last year, we made that dream come true.

We visited Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Canada, and Japan.

We spent a total of two and a half months traveling, and looking back, it was one of the best times of our lives. We’re grateful we had the opportunity to travel, and can’t recommend it enough.

Experiencing the different cultures, food, and lifestyles was amazing. It inspired me the most last year. Also, the shopping was on a whole other level. You can expect to see a few of my favorites from each country in the future.

Dressing The Man (Alan Flusser)

Read Fourteen Books

I read the most amount of books ever in my life last year. I also bought a lot more than ever, and have slowly built out a small library of sorts. I look forward to adding even more books this year.

I mostly read science fiction, but the most impactful were the books on Stoicism and focus.

Here’s what I read:

The last three books had the biggest impact on my life. Stoicism was shared with me by co-worker and friend, Drew Preiner, who also started practicing Stoicism late last year. I look forward to reading through The Daily Stoic again this year, and trying to become less focused on things out of my control and practice being a good person.

The other big change was breaking up with my phone. I deleted all social media apps off it. I silenced almost every notification. I minimized my Home Screen. I leave it in the other room as much as possible. I basically try to live without a smartphone now. And it’s done wonders for my creativity and imagination. If you have any questions about this lifestyle change, I’d be more than happy to answer in the comments below.


Lost 30 Pounds

At the beginning of last year, I realized how much weight I had put on during COVID and how little I was exercising. I was pissed off at how I looked. I was mad gyms still weren’t really fully open and that there wasn’t anywhere I could exercise.

I was finally angry enough to do something about it. I began fasting every morning. I hit the gym three times a week (no matter how expensive or how far). I primarily ate salads for lunch and sometimes dinner. I cut back my food intake to about 1,500 calories per day. And, it worked. I weighed over 200 pounds during Christmas of 2021 and now, I’m slightly over 170 pounds.

I feel much more confident about my body and want to keep up this momentum. Not in terms of losing weight, but continuing to build muscle and strength. My goal this year is to be in the best shape of my life. 

Celebrated One Year At Hodinkee

Halfway through 2022, I celebrated one year working at Hodinkee. It’s crazy to look back at how I’ve grown in my role as a Product Designer, and I give most of the credit to my team. It has some of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with and they’ve taught me so much. I’m excited to continue learning from them, and will try to make the transition from Mid Level to Senior Level over the course of this year.

Upcoming

This year you can expect to see more from me. More pictures, outfits, thoughts on style, places to visit, and overall, more inspiration. I want this newsletter to be a place where you and I both become inspired. 

Here’s to another great year ahead of us.

– @victorkernes