2018 Year In Review

Wayne Lapasa
Wayne Lapasa

Wow, this year has now come to a close.  Another one is in the books!   It’s time to look back on what 2018 was for me.   I wanted to take the time to recap three highlights in the last 12 months that really stood out for myself.

Dirty selfie from Shake Shack
Dirty selfie from Shake Shack mid-summer 😅💪🏻

Excercise

If you recall from my 2017 year in review post, I mentioned that I struggled to find my footing for hitting the gym.   I was in school at the time, I was working two jobs and lacked the passion.  Thankfully towards the last quarter of the year, I literally just sharpened my mindset and rededicated myself.

I took that same mindset into this past year and set a personal goal: go to the gym five times a week for 365 days.  That’s right…52 weeks!  Are you insane!?  Wayne…you’ve never done that before lol.  The process started in the third week of September 2017 and I’m proud to say that I achieved this for all of 2018.  This was no easy task given a few weeks out of the year I was travelling, with the odd week or two I also caught the seasonal sick bug. 

What does it take to do some sort of physical activity 294 times in one year like I did?   Consistency and lifestyle.  As I have said in the past, they are married to each other and you can’t have one without the other.   Pushing through the calendar year beyond the September 2018 target date also allowed me to extend my goal even further.  As of this writing, I am still going five days a week strong!

GQ for the night.

Hosting

Most of my friends know that I once used to moonlight regularly as a club MC/host.  I’m talking hosting everything from nightlife parties, to stags, weddings etc.   In early November, I was asked by my employer to be the master of ceremonies for our annual Christmas party.  I constantly refer to this evening as “prom,” the one night of the year where everyone in the company literally dresses up in formal attire lol. 

My colleague who requested that I host, was also the first person who gave me my start in the dairy industry 21 years ago.  How could I say no to him?  Truthfully, I am forever indebted to him.  He gave me the opportunity to graduate university and college debt free, pay off my first vehicle and so on.  So I slept on it, the next day I confirmed I would do the gig and ordered a custom-made tuxedo the same day. 

The process of being an MC to over 360 invites might sound daunting, but to me it was just another day at the office.   In the past I have hosted up to crowds as large as 3,000 people, so I was no stranger to public speaking.   Being able to project your voice to everyone in the room, show confidence and be entertaining are essential in a great host. 

Captivating an audience is no easy task.  But for those who know me best, it is something that I excel at.  All in all, after the night was all said and done, another successful crowd went home happy and I was glad to be a part of it.

Wayne Lapasa with John Carvalho
My dairy industry mentor, John Carvalho

Two interesting things happened leading up to that night pre and post hosting.  The first one being was that I got to work with senior colleagues who I had never collaborated with previously.  Sitting in on those meetings, it was my responsibility to give the Christmas committee peace of mind that I could handle the task. 

This was a corporate event.  Others in this host role had previously tanked miserably.  Nobody wants to embarrass themselves on stage and no one wants to stand in front of an audience that looks bored out of their minds.  To see their apprehension earlier in the evening turn into joy, laughter and thankfulness by the end of the night, was very gratifying.

Thank you Julissa for being my beautiful date!


Had to give an impromptu speech at the end, that turned into great laughter 😅

Secondly, immediately following my conclusion as emcee, before I could even wrap up my final words, one of the top executives in the company sitting in the audience rushed the stage.  He jumped on the mic, gave me a ringing endorsement as host in front of all of my peers in attendance. 

It was a humbling moment that I initially didn’t think much of, but later members of the Christmas committee let me know the significance of it.  They were all genuinely proud of me.  This particular executive went out of his way to acknowledge me, and I think I might have made some new alliances that night lol.

Received this nice note from senior management.

Overall it was a great experience.   I was glad for many of my colleagues to see me in a different light.  Often, we work with the same people and some are very predictable in the way they carry themselves. 

In this instance, I was able to showcase another side of my personality, while representing my company on our biggest night of the year.   When I got back to work on Monday, my co-workers unanimously crowned me with a new nickname, “corporate” lol.   I loved the title and I’ll run with it for another year!

Wayne Lapasa in Times Square
Visiting Times Square in New York City 🗽

Travel

I really must pinpoint that the second half of 2018 was when I felt like I was living life.  The first six months were honestly very quiet, very routine and boring.

This year I got to travel to places like Las Vegas, Montreal and New York.  While I had been to these cities multiple times, collectively they allowed me to just clear my head.  I wanted to be in chill mode and relax.  Your body needs a mandatory reset and your mind needs to see other parts of the world. 

Granted I didn’t travel too far, each trip was symbolic because I wanted to go there.  Let’s face it, we are not getting any younger and I highly suggest you do things in your prime when you can.  While your health is strong.  While you have mobility in your body to go out and do any excursion. Maybe later this year I’ll take some other trips further across the globe.  Timing is everything.  We’ll see what happens.

Travelling and taking in different experiences I believe, are imperative.  Treat yourself.  Go with your loved ones.  You work really hard as a professional and you also deserve a break every now and then.  Avoid the burn out.  Avoid the stress.  Get out and see different things.   That’s what I do.  I am in the business of living life, period.

End Point

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  I want to wish everyone all the best in the upcoming new year.  Many blessings to you and your family.  Make 2019 your year.  Do not take no for an answer.  Whatever you were procrastinating in the past…wake up and finally do it! 

And please do not let life pass you by.  One day you’re going to wake up at the age of 50, with a belly and wish you had done a lot of things.   Make the time and effort to accomplish whatever goals and dreams you have in mind.  Time is of the essence!  Just live yo, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Yup…that was me hosting the NYE 2019 countdown at midnight 🎉🥂🍾