My Year of 2018

This is my first year-end wrap up. I’m going to mention what sticks out in my mind.

• I started a new job. I was just shy of working six years at a pretty good company and then left to pursue another opportunity that didn’t turn out to be what I expected. Shortly after, I left that job and found another company that worked much better for me. From this experience I quickly learned, what I like and what I don’t like. I like product companies.

• My family went through a kitchen renovation and I realized how disruptive a kitchen renovation can be. I learned that locally sourcing contracting work was probably the best move I made. The only company that didn’t give me a headache in the whole renovation process, was local.

• I started tracking time that I spend on personal projects. This was very powerful for me, because I have limited time now and I can look back and see how I’m spending that time and the progress I’m making.

• I realized how difficult being a stay-at-home mom can be. It’s essentially a full-time job and I want to comment on the challenges it can present, but I wouldn’t be able to it justice, because I’m not experiencing it directly. All I’m saying is that I understand that it can be difficult, so I always try to help my wife as much as possible (even though she’s already doing an amazing job).

• I learned to appreciate the journey that I’m on. I try to stop thinking about how fast I can get somewhere and instead enjoy the experience of getting there. If I’m making progress, I’m good. The amount of progress doesn’t matter, so as long as it’s being made.

• I realized that I need to connect with my family and friends more than I currently do. I take them for granted and the reality is that they won’t always be there (as cliché as that sounds).

• I almost memorized all the lyrics to You're Welcome by Dwayne Johnson from Moana.

Wow! Even the semi-rapping part near the end?

Yup.

So what's your plan for 2019?

I’m going to follow my curiosity more often. I’m not going to overthink things. I’m just going to start doing them. In general, I want to explore the more creative and artistic side that I put on hold for so long. I want this year to be the year of (Peter Santos’) curiously creative exploration (for great good). Here are some of those goals:

1. Create a short basic podcast with at least five “episodes”.
2. Write at least one short story.
3. Finish at least one personal web application.
4. Finish reading at least six books that I started.
5. Find and eliminate my own personal junk (stuff I don’t use anymore).
6. Plan at least one date night a month with my wife.
7. Plan at least one family outing a month.
8. Perform at least two stand-up sets.
9. Keep in touch more with my family and friends. Check in with them at least once a month.
10. Exercise at least twice a week.
11. Act in one play.
12. Try to volunteer somewhere at least once a month.
13. Start a tech meetup that runs bi-weekly at the very least.
14. Improve my conversational Spanish. Read at least for 30 minutes a week and converse for at least 30 minutes a week.

Well, good for you, little man

Okay, that's rude.

Sorry, anything else?

Finally, I may not accomplish all these goals, but at least now I have something to check myself against for next year. Which, should make for a more interesting year-end write up. Let’s see where this year takes me :)