A New Year
January 1st, 2008 Posted in General | No Comments »Welcome 2008. Goodbye 2007. Last year was a relatively good year for me and my family. Our business continued to grow, our family was healthy (with the exception of a all night visit to the emergency room for a lacerated finger - thanks Jack! and Sophie’s relatively mild bout with pneumonia), and our circle of friends continued to expand. Many people like to use the holiday to look ahead. I do as well, but sometimes more importantly, I like to look back. Each New Year, I set myself goals for the coming year to improve myself as a husband, father, professional, and community member. Though I had a good year, I feel I missed the bar on improvements I was trying to reach this year.
As a husband, I wanted to created a better living environment for Nissa and the children. Our home is in need of many improvements. A bathroom that I started renovating many (that would be 6 now) years ago - still incomplete, not even worked on. An exterior wall needing rebuilding and new doors and windows - not touched. A basement needing cleaning and renovations to increase our living space - at least I got the junk out.
As a father, my goal was to spend one-on-one time with each of my children at least monthly. I fell a far cry short of that. There never seems to be enough time. Time - God’s greatest gift to man. Does anyone know how to manage it properly? Work, sleep, chores, personal time, family time, time for God. All priorities, all demanding time, none getting enough. Did I use God’s gift to the best of my ability this past year by giving enough of it to my children? I don’t think so.
Professionally, I fell short again. Though I as employed for the entire year, I wanted to 1) move away from having to direct billing my time as a consultant (there is that time gift again - I hate having to sell time) to helping my colleagues find more rewarding work and increasing the priorities of their own families in their lives by finding a contract I could hire them for, and 2) growing our own family business(es) to the point that I didn’t have to consult at all. At the end of the year, I did not find contracts that I could give to my colleagues and our businesses are still struggling to grow.
The only area I feel I truly met my goals was as a community member - I started the year with a goal to enter the diaconate program for the Diocese of Worcester. I decided I would work to become a Deacon, something I knew I would be as a youngster, but never did anything about. I met that goal in December when I received acceptance into the program. Classes start next week for the class of 2012 (that sounds so far away).
I know I shouldn’t feel too bad. Though 1 out of 4 isn’t normally considered successful, I don’t allow failure to entire my vocabulary. It was a learning experience. I look back today and see where I came up short, determine why, and set my goals for 2008 knowing that I need to do something different or better to not only meet my goals, but go beyond them.
As a husband, I will complete all the household projects I promised Nissa I’d do many years ago. I need to put my pride aside and ask for help when needed. Where I do not have the confidence to complete something on my own, I need to locate professionals to do the work for me. I believe this one area of improvement will help grow our personal relationship, one that I believe is already very strong, and make it even stronger.
As a father, I will find a way of spending time with each of our 6 children. Though spare time is not always on my side, I will endeavor to teach each of them by showing them how to do the work I need to do anyway, and give them the confidence to do the things I currently do not have much confidence doing.
Professionally, I will move past consulting as a way of earning income. I will locate contracts that will allow me to hire others to do the work they enjoy, while I manage the project (work that I like doing the best). I will make one or more of our businesses operationally self-sufficient to the point that we can hire others to do the majority of the work I don’t have time to do.
And Spiritually, I will be the best Diaconate student possible - learn what I need to learn to be the best I can possibly be. And most importantly, I will be able to spend that time with Nissa - which will inevitably help with all the above.
I wish you a Happy New Year. May you reach your goals for the New Year. And may God’s blessings be with you and your family.
