I quit my job this past week and am taking a gap year.
If you would’ve told 12th grade me about the job I am walking away from, he would’ve fallen over in disbelief: enraged at how I could be so stupid. To walk away from everything we had worked so hard for was outlandish and clearly qualified as a mid-life crisis. Someone should check me into the mental health ward. Just work harder and keep pushing Brett. You can outwork anyone.
The thing to know about this version of myself is that he was desperate to prove his worth via work. Even at the young age of 8 he already had an Excel spreadsheet planned with his yearly salary and budget (of course he was going to go for the free cell phone provided by the cheapest AT&T plan and couldn’t fathom spending $100 on an upgraded phone…that money could go towards savings!) And this savings led to independence and that independence meant he could finally be someone.
But I’ve changed a bit from my younger self. For one, I am a bit taller..but more importantly I have grown to believe in myself to a level I never thought possible. I am betting on myself to spend this year to grow in ways my soul needs. It feels like what Oliver Burkeman would call a life task: something that life is calling for that is undeniably the right move but yet is incredibly anxiety-provoking.
I am answering the call.
Who am I again? I am Brett Bejcek. I live by my top values of Exploration, Iteration, and Connection. Exploration is what I do; I do it through iteration; and I do it to create more connection. I am prioritizing physical health, building community, and cultivating creativity.
Fun Metrics. A peek into my life: some tied to goals, others just for fun. Because I’m not a business, I’m a silly human. And silly humans sometimes spend 30 minutes comparing pastries consumed instead of finishing their to-do list.
ㅤ | December 2025 | January 2026 | Change |
Avg workout min /day | 89 | 84 | - 5.6% |
Avg steps / day | 11,239 | 11,239 | +/- 0.0% |
Flights taken | 4 | 0 | - 100.0% |
Books read | 1 | 2 | + 100.0% |
Side projects shipped | 0 | 4 | + ∞% |
Pastries consumed | 8 | 8 | +/- 0.0% |
Days journaled | 5 | 5 | +/- 0.0% |
What’s top of mind?
I am chasing the spark. I have a rule that whenever a spark comes around, chase it: it’s rare and deserves your intense attention. I apply this to dating, to work, to physical health…pretty much every aspect of my life.
And ever since I gave my two weeks, I have a spark!! It feels so good. I wake up every day at 6am and run to my computer to start working on stuff. It’s such a rush to think of ideas and to put them out there in the world whilst working on a larger plan for what I want for this year.
Here’s what the next three months have in store for me (pull requests welcome):
Month | Guiding Principles |
February 2026 | Explore. There’s a lot of unraveling that needs to happen. This month in particular will be quite rough as I have surgeries planned and will not be able to exercise. Because my routine won’t be what I want, I will be focused on exploring high impact, low effort ways to set up passive income streams with distribution built in. It’s about shots on net and seeing what sticks. I’ll likely exit the month feeling a bit topsy-turvy with a lack of physical health and routine…but my hope is once the surgeries are finished, I can focus on building the life I want. |
March 2026 | Settle in. Hopefully the surgeries will be done by this point and you can settle into your routine that you want: early morning workouts, coffeeshop working sessions, art nights with friends.
This is a month for settling into the true things you want for the world. This is investing in some of the things you want to build not for the sake of passive income but just because you genuinely believe they should exist in the world. |
April 2026 | Expand. This is a month for sustained growth on top of the foundations you have put in place. There will be some travel with friends, but you will have hopefully explored a lot of what you want and feel settled into your new life for a bit allowing you to take on more change (like travel). |
Fun lil’ memories
Highlights of January:
- My sister Rachel visited NYC. It was quite lovely to show her the parts of my life that my family doesn’t get to see in Ohio Brett when I come home to visit.
- Getting my zest back at the end of the month. I am shipping again. I am excited. I am sillier. I find myself in the flow state more often than not. It feels good.
- Keeping on top of fitness. I had my first surgery scheduled for the end of January, so I was in a consistent workout mode as I knew taking a month off would impact my mental health. It’s the healthiest I have ever felt.
Lowlight of January:
- Feeling dread. The first three weeks of January weren’t great. When I would wake up in the mornings, I felt this compounding resistance for the day ahead: the feeling of once again going against the grain and the sadness for the parts of me that yearned for a better life fit. This feeling of dread was the impetus for the change. I had ignored it before and every time I did, I ended up in a bad spot. I’ve learned to listen to it, like a check engine light telling me to do some soul searching.
How did I do on my goals last month?
January Goals
Stop | Start | Continue |
Traveling (no flights on the calendar!!) ✅ | Morning stretching 🟡 | Working out ✅ |
ㅤ | Learning guitar ❌ | Investing in community ✅ |
ㅤ | Saturday work sessions ✅ | Taking advantage of living in NYC (more shows + events) ✅ |
ㅤ | Pitching/donating things in my house to declutter a bit ✅ | Rituals with friends ✅ |
ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ |
What am I prioritizing for this month?
February Goals
Stop | Start | Continue |
Traveling (no flights on the calendar!!) | Morning stretching | |
ㅤ | Learning guitar | Investing in community |
ㅤ | Sewing classes | Taking advantage of living in NYC (more shows + events) |
ㅤ | Art nights with friends | Rituals with friends |
ㅤ | Cooking | Saturday work sessions |
ㅤ | ㅤ | Building + shipping |
So that’s quite a lot to throw at you. If I read this update from a friend, I’d probably think it was some manic episode or a mid-life crisis. But the most reassuring part of this whole process is the feeling I have inside me that this is what I am called to be doing right now. It’s a move that will help me expand: by overcoming fear, by learning more about myself, and by coming into my own. It’ll be hard, but something tells me it’ll be worth it.
Thanks for following along.
With love,
Brett Bejcek
On the first of every month I do a little self-audit and put it out into the world. Why? Accountability, reflection, and because life’s more fun when you share the messy middle.