I’m writing this the day before Xmas, trying to finish up a bunch of odd tasks before the holiday weekend begins. As I look back at my goals and experiences for the year, it’s mixed emotions for me. I ended up sacrificing some goals to make others happen, a decision which seemed right then and now, but still feels frustrating, a sense that I’ve let the scale get out of balance somehow, and that I’m not getting to focus on the things that I really want to do, and do well. I’ve made some progress in changing that balance over the past two months, but still some work to do on that. It’s not that is has been a bad year, just hasn’t been the year I had hoped to have!

It’s ok to look back, but one of the rules I try to live by is that it doesn’t matter how you got to a certain point, it’s what you do next that matters. I can’t say I don’t fuss over bad decisions, bad luck, and more, but I try to avoid the paralysis that comes with saying ‘it ain’t fair!’.So, for the next week or so I’ll be thinking more about the things I really want to do next year and the reality that I’m going to have to give up on some things to get others done. It’s hard to figure out, because doing what I want to do seems selfish, yet not doing what I want to do is entirely unfulfilling.

End of year not a bad time for some amateur philosophy and a look back, but now it’s time to look forward and I’ll do that in the first week of January. I hope you take a few minutes to look back too, think about where you’ve been, and where you want to go. It makes life seem less like a treadmill and more like a journey.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year,

Andy