A year in 3 chapters

Some years have themes, some have chapters.  Some have goals and some have major influencers.

2017 was a landmark year for me. Looking back, there were 3 distinct chapters with 2 major influencers.

My intention for 2017 was not to rush – to realize that there was time.  Yes, I know – I might die tomorrow, but quite frankly, I find that to be a bit of an exhausting mindset.

This pretty successful dude has been known for saying, ‘most people overestimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years’.  That dude is Bill Gates.  I’ve definitely fallen into this trap before.

2017 was a balance of moving towards my long-term goals while recognizing the steps I was making towards them now might seem small at the time, but they would add up.

I’m sharing my reflections on the year for 2 main reasons:

1. I discovered a number of years ago that I think through writing.  It helps me get my thinking straight.  This crystallized for me when I read Susan Cain’s ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking’.  Thinking through writing is a pretty common introvert trait.  If you’re curious, her TED talk is a great 20-minute summary of the book.

2. Perhaps my reflections may lead someone else to some self-insight.  My story is of course only my own, though I know I get a lot from reading other people’s perspectives.  I’ve always mostly kept my writing private, though one of my goals for this year was to begin to get it out there more. Some of it’s been a lot better than others, though it’s been fun working on it more. I audio-booked Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘Big Magic‘ and I think she captured this desire to get your stuff out there perfectly with the sentiment: the ‘arrogance of belonging‘.  Summary here.  The arrogance of belonging – it’s kind of a jarring phrase, but I gotta say, I like it.

The 3 chapters of my 2017 are:

1. A guy named Bill, a radical observer
2. Getting ready or getting ready to get ready? A skydiving preflight checklist
3. Street fighter (Hadouken)

They’re coming up.

Thanks for taking a bit of your time to read this. I hope you’ll take a bit more time to check out my chapters of 2017, and let me know what, if any of it, resonated with you.