New Year and the Art of the Restart

“Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years” – LL Cool J

Fuck!! I am not a big fan of me. Not that I hate myself or want to harm myself. Quite the opposite. I have disliked my choices over the last few years, primarily through the COVID pandemic. I have made some choices that I look back and see the laziness and procrastination of who I have been. I am getting rid of that person here on January 2, 2023.

The thing about my life right now is that I feel I am stuck in a rut. Ruts may not be bad for short periods, but they suck if you have been in them for years. I have. I have been afraid of getting out of this deep rut because I cannot see outside of it, so the challenge to change has honestly been paralyzing. I need to adjust a few things and start turning what I feel is a large ship. I have four areas I want to lay out goals for making myself a better person and community member.

First, I want to write more. I have been asked to write several books over the last couple of months. The thought of writing a book seems overwhelming, and I have spent the holidays wondering if that effort would be more valuable than just starting the blog again and writing 3-4 posts weekly. The blog seems to be a good start and will allow me to write about the many ideas I have in my head. So I have given myself a few rules for the blog.

• Remember that everyone starts somewhere. No one has been an expert from day one. It’s okay to be a beginner and to make mistakes. Making mistakes is often an essential part of learning and growing.
• Don’t compare yourself to others. Getting caught up in comparing your blog to others is easy, especially if you’re just starting. But it’s important to remember that everyone has their journey and unique voice. Focus on your blog and your own goals rather than trying to compete with others.
• Be authentic to yourself. The best blogs are those that are authentic and genuine. Don’t try to be someone you’re not or write about things that don’t interest you. Instead, focus on sharing your thoughts, experiences, and perspective.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or uncertain, don’t hesitate to reach out to others for help or advice.
• Keep at it. Starting a new blog can be challenging, and it’s natural to feel like giving up sometimes. But if you’re passionate about blogging, it’s worth sticking with it. Keep writing, keep learning, and eventually, you’ll find your footing and build an audience.

The next area I am to build better habits is to start a new podcast. I will not give too many details about the new venture at this time, but it will be a fun experience for whoever listens, the guest and myself. A future blog post will be coming soon.

I also want to lay out my three new tech skills to learn for 2023. I have been doing this for the last ten years with poor to decent success. My push is to pick three new things to be better at and be a better technologist. This year the areas of improvement will be:

• Learn the programming language of Rust. I have been interested in this language for a few years and want to learn something more at the metal of programming. Not interested in relearning C++, so Rust seems a good fit.
• Be a better front-end developer. I need to learn more about CSS and designing the UX of applications. I don’t want to be an expert, but I need more knowledge in this space to be a better overall developer.
• The last area of exploration and discovery is to gain more skill in creating video content. I have purchased licenses for several years for Techsmith’s Camtasia product to create videos. I will be creating a series about my ASP.NET Web API workshop this year, so this skill will be necessary.

The last area of improvement is to improve my mental and physical state. I am not in a poor state for either, but I feel I am not where I should be in terms of exercising and eating better. I also need to improve what is between my ears, and I am looking at meditation.

By documenting my wants for 2023, I hope I am setting some reasonable goals to reach, and in 12 months, I can look back and feel that I got better for my family, my career, our community and fundamentally myself.