2016 Restart

About this time every year, like so many others, I get a bit reflective as I set out to create new goals for the upcoming year. The process usually starts by reflecting on past accomplishments, lessons learned, and any underlying events that perhaps I hadn’t quite internalized. From there, I try to establish what new endeavors will be the focus for the new year; not just in work, but also in family, spiritual life, health, etc. Last week, even with a busy schedule at work and at home, I got to spend quality time with people that helped put 2016 into perspective for me. Here’s a recounting along with the approach I’ve taken the past two years in writing goals for myself and those I’m responsible for.

On Monday, I decided to take a different tactic when developing goals and having my team at DesignMind help shape the goals for our Business Intelligence practice for 2016. We’ve done a lot of great work for clients and the community this year, but I wanted to listen to my team’s experiences in 2015 and discuss what could be improved in 2016. It was an inspiring session covering both the good and the bad both in terms of technical challenges and management ones. The best discussion came when we realized that the best moments this last year came while brainstorming new ideas with clients, usually on whiteboards or on scratch pieces of paper. Ideas that were not readily documented in blog posts or books. Design approaches to BI problems that utilized the latest in BI tools available from our partners Microsoft and Tableau. When it all comes together: People, Business, and Technology, that is where some of the most challenging work, but most rewarding, takes place. I look forward to more of those moments with my team in the upcoming year.

Throughout the week, I had the opportunity to have some great workouts with my other half, my wife, Jessica, at our local Crossfit gym, Crossfit ASAP. We’ve been doing Crossfit since Sept 2014 and this last year’s results has been phenominal. Aside from losing weight, eating right, and being in the best shape of our lives, its helped us be more productive in our family life and bringing us closer together by having a daily (or semi-daily) ritual we both share and enjoy. We’ve supported each other throughout the year and have made huge progress in strength, endurance, mobility, and overall fitness. Although I did not realize last year’s goal of making it to a Crossfit competition, I am proud of being able to do a lot of movements that I could not do at the beginning of 2015: handstand push-ups, ring dips (without a band), overhead squats, pull-ups, and toe to bars. There are still movements I cannot do, but I look forward to working on those throughout this year and testing my fitness by trying a competitive event or two.

The week ended with a great service at my church, The Father’s House, where Pastor David Patterson opened up the new year speaking about getting our priorities in divine order. Our church just got a new facility at the intersection of 505 and 80 in Vacaville, California. It was the first time I got to see it at night with it’s new fountains lit up. Some family friends came with us to check it out for the first time, and it was a great time of worship and hearing Pastor David speak about praying, serving, and giving your first and your best. It was a reminder that I needed to get organized and set my priorities right again for the new year.

So that brought me to the end of the week, and I finally got out my laptop and started writing down my goals Michael Hyatt style using Evernote, a note taking tool which is a staple in my day to day tasks at work, with the family, in the gym, or even at the grocery store. It’s a great way to keep track of the things most important to me. It’s not the only tool I use, but it’s central to writing my thoughts and making sure I prioritize the right things, the right number of things, so that I can strike a good balance for myself. Michael Hyatt has a great system that makes you think about making your goals SMART and tracking them so that you don’t lose sight of what’s important.

I wish all of you a great 2016 and thanks for reading.

-Angel