100 things that made me f*cking happy in 2023

1. Starting my Extra Mile Newsletter. Writing makes me happy and it seems to make quite a few people happy too. Writing a newsletter is a solitary journey. There's no direct feedback, no comments, no likes. But the reward is that my thoughts and stories are landing in a few thousand inboxes around the world. And that’s a silent yet meaningful connection. Also with you.

2. Meeting Gary Vee randomly in the streets of Prague. This was very intense, and I still can’t believe all the coincidences that led to stumbling upon one of my biggest heroes just like that in my own town.

3. My son’s playlist. It messes up my Spotify algorithm, but it’s 100% worth it. "What’s Up Danger" (from the Spiderverse movie) became the number one song on my Wrapped, right after "Gotta Catch Them All" and "Oompa Loompa."

4. Life is Porno team. Exactly a year ago, our team looked completely different. We managed to find all the missing pieces of the puzzle, and I can happily say that the new team is a big upgrade for the brand. Hearing “I love coming to work every day” from pretty much every team member during the 1-on-1 meetings feels like a big accomplishment.

5. Not drinking as a default. I decided to leave out the alcohol of my life as much as I could. When I feel like having a glass of natural wine paired with dinner, I just have it. But I made “not drinking” my default. And I love it.

6. Digging deep into the greatest intellectual properties of all time. I spent many evenings “studying” Walt Disney, as well as Lego, Sanrio, Hasbro, Marvel, My Little Pony, and Wrestling. "Toys That Made Us" on Netflix became one of my favorite docu-series.

7. Sidra and Gesha. I developed a love affair with these two coffee varieties.

8. Being a co-host of the Grateful Show. We’re at 230+ episodes of this X Spaces (well, Twitter Spaces) show and podcast together with Grateful Ape and Beast. It’s unbelievable that I’ve been able to speak with some of the greatest minds shaping the future of blockchain, digital art, and Web3, like gmoney, Clon or Matt Medved. Not to mention many of them have become great friends (or frens, as we say in Web3).

9. LUMI Recovery Pod. A game-changer in terms of ice baths. Now I can enjoy ice exposure half of the year on my balcony - and take it easily with me wherever I go.

10. Having Life is Porno’s website finally on Shopify.

11. Being interviewed about my creativity habits by Michelle Losekoot for her amazing newsletter. I never thought my somewhat unstructured way was actually pretty structured, which I only realized thanks to Michelle’s questions. Michelle is one of the best creators I know - and she was the one who inspired me to create this list.

12. Launching my chocolate brand. Making the Infi Torem coffee chocolate with Herufek chocolaterie has been an epic experience. Infi Torem is a storytelling brand, and I’m happy I was able to collab with projects such as Chimpers (or Life is Porno), as well as listing Infi Torem chocolate on Rohlík, the leading Central European e-grocery retailer. I’m also grateful I could work on this project with my friend Grateful Ape to make this all happen.

13. Shootings with Kubo Krížo. Kubo is my favorite photographer, and I’m always grateful to work with him so often on our campaigns. This year we also collaborated on a product - this Night Jacket featured his photo. Hard to pick a 2023 highlight with Kubo, but probably the night motocross shooting in the rain with Matej Cesak. The slides photoshoot and the studio shooting with Rebecca Sramkova were also a lot of fun. We don’t care, we create.

14. Working out. After a year with my trainer Michal, I have zero problems with my back, and I can push quite hard without having to worry. I’ve had huge troubles with my neck and back since a trampoline injury when I was 16 years old, and I think this is the first time in my life that I can say I pretty much got rid of it. I also gained weight and have never felt more fit. I’m excited that Michal is training my wife Ivon - who would have thought we’d be spending time together in a gym.

15. A “superhero” day full of quests we created for our sons with my great friend Vančus in Liberec.

16. AR (augmented reality) Instagram filter for our Liquid Collection, made by Moya.

17. Dian. I mean the restaurant. Still probably my number one in Prague.

18. Lunches with Dian. And now I mean the real Dian - my best friend and business partner. Most days when we both are in the office, we try to have lunch together. While walking there and back, we go through - and solve - most of the stuff that needs to be solved. And sometimes also the stuff that doesn’t need to be solved or doesn’t have a solution.

19. Interviews we did with Petr Mára. I love talking to Petr as he’s one of the few people who doesn’t think my futuristic ideas and thinking are too much. That’s why I’m happy that we managed to bring a part of our lunch discussions also to the broader audience. First, he interviewed me and then we switched sides and I interviewed him.

20. Seeing so many new people having our brand tattooed on their bodies.

21. Going to a party in a balaclava.

22. Tante Frida. This hotel in the Alps is a heaven for kids - and parents. Countless activities for kids of all ages mixed with outstanding cuisine and Austrian slopes. Take me back, any time. And yeah, Maty was skiing for the very first time here.

23. Saying NO to one of the biggest business opportunities of my life. After a few months of talking, brainstorming, and creating, I decided to say NO. I knew it would take away my focus from all my current projects. When I made the decision and said NO, it felt like the heaviest rock fell off my shoulders. I was trying so hard to make it happen, that I forgot to ask myself whether this is what I really want.

24. Buying a house and making it a (soon-to-be) home. The construction and everything connected with it took a lot of my headspace this year and it would never be possible without our interior designer Gabriela. I hope that my next year’s “100 things” list will be filled with the stuff related to our new soon-to-be-home.

25. Dates with my wife. Whether a lunch during a regular day, a concert, a “to-taste” checklist, or a 10-course degustation dinner, I love that I love spending time with Ivon even after seventeen years together.

26. Mastermind. At least once a month for the past 10+ years, we’re having a call with my friends Peter and Olli. This is pretty much our version of a mastermind group and we call it “Sushi Wisdom” (no idea why). We check on each other, support each other’s journey and help one another. Not to mention a brilliant in-real-life session we had in Austria.

27. A trip to the Otherside Metaverse and winning a special collectible helmet.

28. Being able to spend time with a legendary artist Shalom Neuman, and seeing Dian’s art piece be a part of Shalom’s exhibition.

29. DOX. I’ve been a member of this contemporary art gallery for ages and enjoy not only the exhibitions but also making pillow bunkers in the children's corner and skimming through the books.

30. A day in Bratislava that felt like a week. Meeting with several friends throughout the day, being a guest at Yaksha’s private chef experience dinner and being a judge of the Red Bull Doodle Art competition. A little-known fact: I co-created the concept of this Red Bull event that became global and took part in 50+ countries all over the world. The concept was even the main topic of my Master's Thesis.

31. Spending the time with Maty at the Climbing Wall.

32. Halušky. Still my number one dish.

33. The Streets Culture. We were part of a really strong street culture concept in both Bratislava and Prague. I was also invited to speak on the stage at one of them.

34. Traditional Easter in my hometown.

35. The concert of Ewa Farna. Ewa is my dear friend and she invited me to her sold-out concert at O2 Arena. I had not been too familiar with her songs but the show was one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen, also thanks to the world-class stage design by Matyas Vorda.

36. Prague ZOO. One of my favorite places in Prague and I’m lucky it’s in my “hood”. Me and my son know every corner of it.

37. Loowfat brand. We acquired Loowfat at the end of 2022. Before that, it had been one of my love brands - and 90% of Maty’s wardrobe. I’ve always loved the quality of the products and the creativity with which Zuzka and Patrik were pushing the brand forward. I’m really happy to have Loowfat (which will very soon be renamed into loof) in our portfolio. We’ve been working hard to do all the groundwork and make it a part of our infrastructure. As always, everything takes longer than you expect, but I’m really pumped up about making loof THE family brand.

38. Taking my father to the concert of Suzi Quatro.

39. Spending many of the summer days by the water.

40. 3D art by Dzegi. This guy is a machine and I’m so grateful to be collaborating with him on many of our projects. He’s done dope animations for Life is Porno - from these sick sneakers, through slides, to many T-shirt designs. He’s also pushed Infi Torem into the 3D world.

41. 4 AM Mindset. I was invited for a crazy experience that started at 4 am in the morning. A day full of workouts, pushing our limits, cold exposure, and even my own creativity workshop.

42. Accidentally becoming a gardener. Ivon was really excited to have her own “raised bed garden” in our new garden. But she got sick during the only two weekends when the seeding was possible so it was fully on me. I studied all the YouTube videos, did all the preparations and shopping, and made it happen. And pretty successfully - the harvest of zucchini, cucumber and cherry tomatoes was surprisingly big.

43. Gasperov mlyn. If this place was in France, it would definitely have at least one Michelin star. After several dinners in the past, we had a chance to spend a night in this old mill in the middle of nowhere under the mountains. It was only me and Ivon - and funny enough, we experienced a power outage so there was no electricity for the whole night.

44. V60 by Lukas Novak. I got a birthday gift from my team - an art piece by a talented glassmaker Lukas Novak. And you know what happened the next day? I saw a V60 filter coffee maker on his Instagram that I fell in love with right away. This was the very first time in my life that I asked if it was even slightly possible to exchange a gift. And I don’t regret. It makes my filter coffee mornings even better.

45. Infi Torem - my Mutant Ape - painted on the legendary Brooklyn NFT wall by an amazing artist Loro Masnah. Becoming a friend with Loro and hanging out with him in Lisbon makes this even more special.

46. Notion. I finally switched from Notes and Evernote to Notion.

47. Finally being able to try the degustation menu in Irin, a fine dining restaurant of one of my favorite chefs Lukas Hesko.

48. Rumpel Crew’s Discord and all the “general motors” who make it a great space for our community.

49. Letná neighbourhood. This hipster heaven makes the quality of my life so much better. Also, many of the restaurants I eat at almost daily, don’t get as much credit as they deserve: my beloved Peperoncino, Banh Mi Makers, Bon Ramen, Burgerman, or Bistro Kostelní. Same with Café Letka, Café Pilotu or Ye’s Kafe studio.

50. My parents.

51. Thinking Weekend that I was thankfully forced into by my wife.

52. NFT Lisbon. The live podcast in a park, our own Grateful Show beer, A Cevicheria and all the inspiring artists and builders I was able to meet with.

53. LIP and Loowfat family Christmas dinner at Forbidden Spot.

54. Pokémon Go. Pokémons as well as this AR phenomenon missed me in the past but hit me at the right moment as we’re catching them all.

55. Flying Kechaud Johnson to Prague for the Red Bull Steep Street contest. I once had lunch with Maxim Habanec who told me about his crazy idea for a skateboarding concept: getting through a steep street full of skate ramps with only one rule: no feet down. “If you make it happen, we’ll bring Kechaud here for the contest,” I told him. He did, and we did too. This contest was built for the “horsepower” way of Kechaud’s skateboarding. I was so grateful to be able to spend time with my dear friend again… We also did an amazing shooting with him… And Kechaud had such a great time in his beloved Prague, that he almost overslept the contest. Tears are coming down my face when I realize that I’ll never ever see my homie again. Rest in peace, bro.

56. Hearing Eliska Podzimkova speak about her journey and how she’s making life for children with cancer more joyful thanks to her project Plesouni. What also makes me happy is the success of the project FXCK CANCER by my friend Vančus.

57. Father-Son glamping. I once got a message: “I’m a big fan of yours and thanks to following you and the advice from your book, I’m now running the glamping (= glamorous camping) family business in Bohemia. As my thanks, I want to offer you a stay with us to test it out.” So the very first day of the summer holidays, I took my son for a Father-Son journey. We were staying in the middle of vineyards, surrounded just by the sounds of roe-deers and owls. Making bonfires, exploring the region (including Herufek’s chocolate factory), fishing, and just being present…

58. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Netflix.

59. Organizing a surprise wedding vow renewal in Rome for my parents for their 30th wedding anniversary.

60. Oktagon MMA fights night live with Kacer.

61. Kavárna pod Pavlačí. We had lunch here basically every single weekend when we were in Prague.

62. Driving my son to kindergarten most mornings. Jamming and freestyle rapping in the car is always the best start to the day.

63. A getaway to Balaton Lake.

64. NFTs are a scam / NFTs are the future. The second book by one of my heroes, Bobby Hundreds, is such an epic time capsule about what we’ve experienced in the NFT & Web3 world over the past three years.

65. Hiding tons of products in 55+ cities during the Life is Porno birthday week.

66. Pandafoo. I got obsessed with character brands and that’s why I started creating the origin story of the “nameless” Loowfat panda. I started telling these stories to my son (as a “focus group”) and developed the storyline with him. And we released the very first story of Pandafoo which was sent out to a few thousand people. Pandafoo doesn’t know what he wants to be in life so he decides to try all the cool jobs in the world. We also made the character alive at several events thanks to a custom costume. And we’ll have much more fun with him next year.

67. Having a chance to meet with Tim, the founder of Patta - one of my favorite streetwear brands.

68. gm. “gm” means “good morning”. And we say it during any part of the day in the NFT space. Because we’re “still early”.

69. Visiting London for the Brand Licensing Europe tradeshow. No expectations are the best expectations. I got inspired a lot, understood the difference between “the business of BIG” and “the business of COOL”, met some very interesting people, saw Marina Abramovic's show, and had amazing food. Kiln and Gold Nothing Hill were the highlights, and so was the live show at the Soho House with my friend Haribo. Yeah, and I met Pikachu and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

70. “Renting my brain” during the Extra Mile 1-on-1 sessions. I enjoyed each of the sessions. And it seems that I was able to bring quite some value to each of the Extra Milers.

71. Infi Torem video going viral on Instagram. What also made me happy was Infi’s collab with Life is Porno being pretty much sold out. The limited edition of chocolate is still for grabs.

72. Hong Kong. A week in this city with Dian and a bunch of Apes was an experience for a separate “100 things” list. ApeFest was definitely one of the highlights of this year.

73. Collecting art. Both digital and physical.

74. Garage Pop-up Store hosting a pop-up experience of both Life is Porno and Loowfat.

75. Sauna at least once a week.

76. Audible. I still consume most books as audiobooks. This year I decided to revisit some of my all-time favorites, such as "The Alchemist," "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind," or "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." Some of the audiobooks I loved this year were Walter Isaacson’s "Elon Musk," "Will," or "Talking to Strangers" by Malcolm Gladwell. From the fiction books, I enjoyed the series "Alexander X" by Edward Savio (followed by "Ancient Among Us" and "League of Auld"), or "The Memory Police."

77. Filas, my barber who also makes an exception and cuts Maty’s hair - as his youngest customer.

78. Watching MasterChef.

79. The wedding of Vávra & Lucka with so many friends.

80. Chefs’ collection. A collaboration with some of my favorite chefs - Shahaf Shabtay, Lukas Hesko, and Richard Bielik.

81. Ivon’s new business venture Boxday being featured in Forbes.

82. 30-day Thread Challenge on X. We challenged the Grateful Show community to write a Twitter thread every day for 30 days straight. It was a very interesting experiment and many amazing creators took part.

83. Oura ring and the blue light-blocking glasses.

84. Black Friday. This is the very first Black Friday that made sense for me not only as a business owner but also as a customer - I think this was the very first Black Friday that I actually bought something. Thanks to a good friend of mine who spotted all the deals for me, I was able to get some cool stuff for our new home.

85. Dinners with friends who are visiting Prague.

86. People still reading and showing love for my book Forbidden (which is currently sold out but will be available again soon).

87. Being hijacked for camping by the lake on my birthday.

88. The legendary balcony of Tomas Trestik during the Red Bull Steep Street event.

89. A full-day workshop with the trainer Radek Laci.

90. AI-ing stuff.

91. “Ordinary” days with my son. Teaching him to bike, skateboard, or ski, going to a cinema, building snowmen, or “driving” a Coca-Cola Santa Claus truck. Playing in the children's corners, exploring galleries and nature, the Museum of Lego, James Bond exhibition - or his favorite: never-ending role plays.

92. Using AirPods’ noise cancellation and the Mindfold meditation glasses during flights and travels.

93. David Horvath. David became one of my virtual mentors, and I read most of his blogs about building a character brand at least twice. I'm thankful for getting to know him and his journey, hosting him on our podcast, as well as being able to get quite some advice directly from him about building my character brands, Pandafoo and Infi Torem.

94. Kontrafakt in O2 Arena. Mainly for the nostalgia.

95. Being a guest on Mike:ON Podcast and Chats Over Coffee Podcast.

96. Memes.

97. Yellow Book of Brand Building by Michal Pastier. I was lucky to be one of the “beta readers” of this heavy brand-building bible.

98. Mutant Ape Yacht Club, Bored Ape Yacht Club, Made by Apes initiative, and Yuga Labs ecosystem.

99. One Day With Me - by Erem on YouTube.

100. Being healthy and happy.

“100 Things” sounded so unrealistic to write when I first heard it from Michelle (and Austin Kleon). But I did it and it was such a great therapy. And you did it with me. For the two of you who got to the very end: you are legends!

For 2024, I want to wish you at least 10,000 moments worth writing about. And thank you so much for letting me into your inbox and being an Extra Miler. It really means the world.

And now: turn off the phone and enjoy the New Year’s Eve celebration.