mybestyear

the past couple years have been a bit crazy. i really jumped completely in my work and allowed it to consume me. while that was a great thing for my contributions to my employer, microsoft, i realized a few weeks back that everything else in my life was starting to suffer.

i think the realization came when i was asked by flashpoint academy to present to their students as part of their jumpstart series. presenting is nothing new for me. it is a large part of my job that takes me all over the country in front of audiences of hundreds. the difference here was that the presentation was to be on my life story and a reflection of my personal and professional accomplishments and challenges. not my normal tech or startup talks. oh boy.

 

for me, this was all new content and projected me into a slightly uncomfortable place. as i was putting the powerpoint deck together, i was going through my life reflecting on so many things and especially where i was today. my career was in a pretty good place but i lost sight of too many other things. thankfully, microsoft is one of the few places to work for that actually recognizes how important this balance is. they call it “work-life balance” and i clearly was heavy on the work side.

as i talked about in my flashpoint presentation, the reason i have the opportunity to work for a great company like microsoft is because of my family. i talked about the incredible work ethic my mother had while still taking care of all four of us essentially by herself. i inherited that work ethic from my mother. unfortunately, i let it consume me.

 

ok. enough back story. so what do i do about it? i declared the coming year #mybestyear. i started this a little early since i did not want to make yet another new year’s resolution that i did not keep. i started the day after thanksgiving after a pretty stressful week. it seemed like a good day to start #mybestyear since i just spent a day reflecting on everything i was thankful for. and there is plenty to be thankful for.

 

so it starts. i am committed in #mybestyear to get in the best shape of my life both physically and mentally. physically: unfortunately, while i was losing focus i certainly was not losing weight. as a matter of fact, i feel like i am in the worst shape of my life. that changes. i am now working out everyday. mentally: this is the harder one. figuring out what makes one happy is not necessarily an easy thing but i have some ideas that i am working on.

 

i am committed to making 2010 #mybestyear. what are you doing to make 2010 #mybestyear?