New Year’s is the time most people resolve to change their lives. I tend to do it on my birthday. This year’s a big year for change. Here is what I’m considering for the next twelve months:
- Family – I’m really a lucky man and far from perfect, but somehow my kids have turned out to be amazing people and my wife has stuck with me through thick and thin. What can I do this year to give back and enjoy the nuclear family.
- Physical and Mental Fitness – investing in myself but more importantly changing my lifestyle to be more active and fun with measurable goals and creative approaches to physical well being.
- Financial Planning – its time to take stock in what we have saved as a family but also to really consider what the next 9 years will bring. That’s when Sophia will be 4 years out of high-school – likely graduating from college and Stephanie and I begin the home stretch towards retirement.
- Communication – Facebook is there, Twitter is there but so is the phone. I need to call people more often, establish stronger bonds, make time for conversation and real listening.
- Career – Intuit sold IFS to Thoma Bravo, and a new chapter begins for what was Digital Insight and now is independent again. Where is my place in this new company, what are my goals? Will I get an offer letter this week or the opportunity to start something new?
Family: All of my children have had their B’nai Mitzvahs so the next phase starts, graduating high school and then college/careers. I will recommit to making time for each of my family members – spending time
My Family
individually and together as a family. This year Maia graduates high school and we will spend time traveling to help her audition for colleges (she will be a dance major in college – ballet is her love). Daniel will start his year of work – Jr. year with a pretty tough schedule. He will also make a run for Eagle Scout – it’s now or never. And Sophia finishes her last year of Middle School – thank goodness! Stephanie is on a roll, her investment in her personal health is inspiring and her commitment to this family heartwarming. She has taken up running, and whats wonderful about it is that it’s making a difference. Sure I can see it in her physical health but also socially – she has friends she runs with, has inspired others, its truly a wonderful transformation. In fact that commitment to her health is my inspiration for my next goal.
Physical and Mental Fitness: I am resolved to truly commit to physical health and wellness.
The Camping Closet!
My goal for this year is to make time for activities I love – hiking, running working in garden, I just don’t have the interest in a regular exercise program so I’ve got to find a way to consistently do things to get me there. Intuit had a program for this that I’ll miss as I move on (well, that’s another story and chapter closing – but I will get to that later), and our recent health screening proved I’m actually doing quite well compared to my peers and age group – but my biometrics are borderline and the ratio to my size of fat and muscle could use some serious investment.
My blood pressure and cholesterol are okay – but there is room there
I like food – and I like to be outside. But I’ll be finding ways to cook and eat healthier this year.
too. So those of you who are in your “late 40’s” enjoy this wake up call – it’s now or never. And the things I love can be a part of this – working and creating in the garden – for me gardening is a long term process. I enjoy planting things that come back each year and watching with patience and care to see what happens.
I do my own work because its my thing – hard physical labor that rewards me with better health and a sense of one with this earth that we miss in our highly automated and man-made society. I’m a major contributor to technology but I’m also a lover of the natural world.
I do my own gardening – its what makes it mine and keeps me sane.
I’ll look to set goals for backpacking in the woods – where I find peace and clarity. To hike more for a day of exercise and photography or writing – another love of mine. There is nothing like climbing a mountain, looking at the landscape or slinging up my hammock for some personal time to read, think and sometimes write. And to create things, whether they are pictures, gardens or stories just for me.
Financial Planning: I really don’t like doing this and the past ten years have been downright scary.
We all experienced the first bubble bursting in 2001 and then
I’ll try and read more this year!
again in 2009 – I work in the internet banking industry so I got double whacked with the dot.com bust and the financial industry crisis. It has taken me time to save and come back but I think we are doing okay. Three college educations and eventually some weddings loom but more importantly we have to think about Stephanie and my futures too.
I enjoy taking this beast on the forest service roads!
The next ten years will really matter so we need to make a plan to save, invest and grow that nest egg so that we can enjoy the time, after this time. I’ll make a 5 year plan first for saving and investing, and if we can do it – just a little bit of budgeting, that’s the part that I really dislike.
Communication: I’ve embraced Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. But what I’ve failed to do is what I always did – make the call. For most of my adult life I was know as a guy who checked in, just called friends, business associates, family, etc. I didn’t keep a tickler file as some do; it just came naturally. I like to know what’s going on in people’s lives. It inspires me and makes me happy to know they are okay.
With FaceBook I’ve been able to do that, but its become so
I love photography – I will take more time to see things this year.
passive that I suddenly realized old friends are not friends anymore. People I’ve genuinely enjoyed working with have fallen out of touch – and that’s something that makes me sad. Its on me to call them and I will this year.
I like technology and so I like to keep the statistics when I run or hike.
Career: I’ve settled in at Intuit, previously Digital Insight. Its been a great 8 years. Its the longest I’ve stayed at a company and part of that has been the positive change that has happened. Starting in sales moving to relationship management. Beginning again as an individual contributor, then coaching as a team salesperson and finally leading a team of amazing relationship managers has been very rewarding. And it has been a journey of self discovery, personal setbacks and amazing rewards. Now Intuit has sold the IFS division and we are starting new as an independent company again. What will the old Digital Insight look like now as the new company? No-longer a business banking provider and with a new mobile banking focus – the market has changed significantly. I’ll know by next week what my role will be, at least in the short term. And by the end of August we should be settled in for the next twelve months but what does that mean for me?
I’ve not made a 3-5 year plan in some time and I’m
Charanis gardens
resolving this year to do that. What do I want to do? How can I help others in their career? What can I be great at? Where do I need to make changes? What can I invest in for growth? What do I want to look back on in five years and be proud of?