After that shit-show of a year that has passed by, I’m looking forward to 2021, but tempering my expectations.
First, let me recap my goals from last year:
- Start a new business – possible, but not really.
- Finish my M.Sc. project – nope, not at all. Plus kind of hard when schools are closed.
- Keep stepping up my fitness – run two 5Ks? I’ve gained weight during the lockdown.
- Get certified – schools closed, and testing centres as well. Plus I didn’t study a thing.
- Minimise – well, I certainly didn’t add to my things.
- Cook more – I did cook more than I did last year, given that restaurants were closed, but still not as much as I intended.
- Take greater control of my finances – well, I didn’t have much that I could do with my money, so that’s a plus.
- Take control of my time – not really. As an essential worker, I was often at the office.
- A nice vacation – Yeah, right.
Almost all of my goals were screwed. I thought about carrying them over to this year, but I will just focus on three.
Finish my M.Sc. project
Enough is enough—time to take care of this and get it over with. I know I can do this.
Get a new job
My current job is troubling as it is. I’m just not happy here, and it’s time to move on to something with a greater sense of purpose.
Start a new business
I realise that this seems to conflict with my previous goal, but I don’t intend to suffer as I once did while trying to get my business running. But I do need a more manageable job that will let me start a new venture.
Now, these are top-level goals, which will require some smaller goals to be met. These include
- Learn front-end development
- Learn back-end development
- Get certified in a few technologies (Cisco DevNet, Security+, CISSP, Red Hat, AWS, Azure)
Further, I need to build out systems that will set me up for success.
- 30 min a day learning development
- 30 min a day of certification study
- writing daily
- meditation daily
- exercise daily
- reading weekly
I choose to put more effort into building myself to build a better future for my family and me. I’ve spent enough time just doing okay. I can’t excel where I am right now, so I will find somewhere else where I can.