Last week I wrote about my goals for last year and some frustration at having to make some trade offs during the year, and as I write this I find that I’m struggling to define my goals. Some of that is goal backlash, but I think more it’s a lot of ideas in my head and a sense of not quite knowing which path to take.
Some things I know so far:
- I want to stop working at all on weekends other than a few SQLSaturday’s. It’s wearing me down, and family needs more time.
- I need some time playing on a team again. Four years working solo has me craving, at least for now, going after shared goals.
- I’ve been gradually moving to reduce my time teaching, and that feels right. I like sharing and the excitement of opening doors for students, but it’s not enough. I need interesting problems to solve.
- I need to decide in the next few months if I’ll run for one of the VP positions at PASS this fall. Tough call.
- I need to change how and how much time I invest in PASS. That’s not a sign of a lessening in commitment, just a realization that it’s time to move past heroics and make the next stage work.
- I’d like to put some time back into my schedule for mentoring and coaching new speakers and bloggers.
- I want to spend more time in the Florida technical community, in part to strengthen my network and in part to reduce my travel time while still participating.
- I’d like to get better at writing, but that’s a vague goal that needs some work.
That’s a start, and next week I’ll write more. I think my theme for this year is setting goals for things I want to do rather than things I should do. Not sure if that’s selfish, realistic, or maybe both, but feels like the right path for right now.
