My Plans for 2015

The final quarter of 2014 was an especially introspective period for me, both personally and professionally. Closing my second year as a start-up founder, I experienced some of the most mentally-taxing periods of my life as well as great moments of clarity, focus, and optimism. I transitioned between exhaustion and rejuvenation more than once– sometimes within a few days of each other. But with that chapter officially behind me, I am moving into 2015 feeling especially excited/hopeful in regards to my future. These are some of the personal goals I hope to achieve in the next 12 months.

Get back in shape

I work almost exclusively in a sitting position and in addition to other bad habits (late night snacking, too much TV), I have lost the physique I used to have. I’ve been getting fatter because of my own choices, nothing else. By the end of the year, I was over how my body looked and more importantly, how it felt. I know that personal fitness can help multiple aspects of my life and this is the year it becomes habit for me.

Eat Better

I know, I know, what an original New Years resolution. But it’s something I want to work on so I’m adding it. This goes hand-in-hand with getting back in shape but in order to feel/look better, I need to change more than just how often I hit the gym. I’ve become lazy with my eating habits and I’d really like to reverse this. I intend on going the entire year without a single fast-food meal (I average 1-2 times a week). Also the standard, “more fruits, more vegetables”… stuff I know but don’t do. Oh and more agua!

Book Wormin’

Sustained reading has never been a natural activity to me but as I’ve grown, it has become more enjoyable and more valuable. I haven’t ventured into fiction but I have a great list of non-fiction books I want to get through and if I read ~20 books in 2015, I’ll be very happy with myself.

Pick up the Pen

I need to make my “blog” an actual blog by publishing stuff. In 2014 I only added 3 new posts– this was somewhat intentional as I felt like I didn’t have anything worth saying but I’ve been thinking about some topics that could make interesting reads. I miss the practice of writing; it’s a great challenge. I am shooting for one post per month and hopefully that achievable number leads to more when the year is over.

Get Artsy

When I was younger, I used to be more artistic: I loved drawing, sculpting things with clay, working in wood shop, and making short videos. Building things on the internet is exhilarating because it has the potential to reach millions of people but it is very intangible – I never get to touch anything I make when I’m constantly making things. That can kind of suck.

I consider myself a creative person but it’s only visible through one medium and that medium is also my work. I need more separation between personal creativity and professional creativity. I’ve been longing to use my hands and want to make designated time for artistic projects like painting, drawing, photography, and maybe a wood-working project or two.

All of the points above very personal and within my control. If I work hard to turn them into habits, not only will I be a happier and healthier person, but I’ll be a better leader, founder, and friend to my teammates at Medko. I think 2015 is going to be a breakthrough year, both for me personally as well as my peers and our company.

I can’t pin-point exactly why or what – but I feel like something huge is going to happen this year and that’s a great feeling to have. In the mean time, I’m going to continue pushing forward and trying to create my own luck. I hope you are as excited for this year as I am.

¡Salud!