2015 Was Real Good to Me
My 2015 Year in Review
Yeah I know this is a tad late as we are heading into the 2nd week of the year…but oh well here it is!
2015 was one of the best years of my professional career as well as probably the best year of my married life. I accomplished a ton of goals I had set forth as well as took on new opportunities that I had no idea were available to me at the time. 2015 marked my 10 year wedding anniversary with the love of my life, I turned 40, I was able to reconnect with my wife after her major career change. I was fortunate enough to be able to enjoy these moments and reflect back on life from the beaches of Jamaica. 2015 treated me well.
At the end of 2014 I told myself to be sure that I wrote down next year’s goals as well as read them out loud. I never used to do this in my younger years but I can almost swear by it nowadays.
My list wasn’t very long but here it is:
- Renew my VCP5
- Pass the VCP–DT exam
- Get a promotion at work
- Use more power shell
- Write more blogs
- Spend more time with my family
I’m happy to say that I was able to accomplish all of these goals in 2015. I renewed my VCP, I finally passed the VCP-DT, I successfully negotiated a promotion at work, I began writing a lot more blogs this year than I did last year, and I definitely feel that I spent more family time on the weekends versus working. What I didn’t plan for was all the other amazing things that happened in my life in 2015.
And Then…
At the beginning of the year I had the pleasure of working with VMware and their SMB blog team where I was asked to write a post about Horizon View & Printing that was published in April. In March I was promoted from Steering Committee member to the Leader of the Houston VMUG. Then I was selected to attend VMworld & VeeamOn as a blogger, wait what?! It was all happening so fast!
During the summer, I came up with this crazy idea to interview fellow vExperts around the world similar to what VMware had done back in 2012, but I set out to make my project different. I wanted more than a 3 question Name, Title, Role, type interview. I wanted give the community of the experts a little different angle to this shine. Little did I know how successful the #vExpertSpotlight would become! As of this post, I have interviewed over 35 vExperts in just a few months after launching this idea. Most posts ran for the weeks prior & leading up to both VMworld conferences.
After the summer my wife and I were honored to be selected to speak at SpiceWorld 2015 in Austin, Texas. We wanted to discuss our crazy work lives and how we balanced work with home, kids, dogs and all family emergencies in between. We co-presented at SpiceWorld in front of over 75 attendees in our session. We were also the 1st ever husband and wife presentation team during SpiceWorld, and it was well received to say the least.
The Next Episode
The biggest thing that happened in my life and for my family was my wife making a huge career change. My wife Heather was able to step down from her 80% travel job that she kicked ass at for over the last 10 years to stay closer to home for our family. Man we all love that! This was a pivotal moment in our lives, and for the family. It was a tough thing to do after being in a role where she was so well respected and trusted to carry her team over the years. We had met while working at her firm, and that is always a special piece of history we hold close as well. 2015 has been such a wonderful journey that I am looking forward to making 2016 so much better.
What Now?
So to round out this post, I will share my short list of goals for 2016. Yeah, I think the list is small but thats OK, at least I have something to work towards and kick ass at!
2016 Goals:
- Update my VCP to version 6
- Grab the VCIX-DTM cert for Desktop & Mobility
- Find a new challenge outside of the Customer space
- Take the #vExpertSpotlight to the next level
- Continue to grow as a Leader & Influencer within VMUG
- Write more technical blogs
- Buy a new car! (I hope)
Thanks to every single one of my blog readers, vExperts who have helped make the Spotlight series a success, Mr. Community Corey, Ms. Cloud Cred Noell, Emad Younis for being a great mentor this past year, Emily/Brandi/Carly/Renee & the entire VMUG HQ team for helping my wife I with our Backpack donations (Jeff in Vancouver also!), and the Geek Whispers for believing that Heather & I had a good story to share on your podcast!
And last but not least, my wife Heather and my kids (Gabby, William, Bradley, and Sara). Without them and their undying support for my busy life, I would be nothing. I love you guys!