While this year got off to a rough start, I’m really
optimistic about where it’s going.
It was less than a year ago that I started my new gig at
Family Tree (LiveFamily) and it was definitely the experience I was looking
for. I learned so much from my coworkers about product development, team
building, and company culture. In that short period of time, the Family Tree
team was able to transition the product from New York, move databases,
reskin the app, and launch a pretty complex new feature. I could not be more proud of what we accomplished. However, Family Tree was an acquisition that didn’t
quite fit into the company’s core focus so as of 2013 everyone is moving on.
What's next?
That is a good question and one with a couple different
ideas brewing. But the truth is I want to go back to what I love. Building my
own business.
You can follow more specifics of that journey here on my second blog.
My brother has been in Taiwan for over a year. When I studied abroad in the UK, he came with my parents to visit me and I really appreciate now that he was able to see where I lived and went to school.
I secretly hope that being exposed to it had an impact in his decision to live abroad. Although he obviously took it a step further and decided to live in a country that was not only culturally different but also spoke a completely different language. One that was not Latin based and even more challenging, one that was tonal.
Last year, we were able to travel around Vietnam together but I regret flying all the way over to that part of the world and not being able to see where my brother lived and studied Mandarin! I'm so proud of him and for some reason felt that the only way to truly show him that was taking the time and spending the money to visit him to see him in this new environment myself! Even though I had an amazing time in Vietnam, part of me left disappointed.
Fortunately for me, I'm getting a second chance! Kenny stayed in Taiwan for a second year to continue his program and I'm taking my opportunity to see the country that my brother has called home for the past year and a half!
So get ready for more whacky blog posts and pictures from my brother and I at the end of February! I can already tell it's going to be another fantastic adventure!
Like many people, I believe that writing something down is a form of personal accountability and while I don't necessarily agree with New Year's Resolutions, this time of year provides the perfect opportunity for one to reflect on what they have or have not done and what they would like to do in the future.
2012 was a rough year for me. I could sugar coat it but as social media has created such a chasm between reality and what we choose to share with our online communities, I think there is a growing need for a bit of truth and honesty on the internet.
I'm not going to go into details but 2012 broke me. I played a large part in that. Stripping myself down to the bare bones in an attempt to discover who I really am and what I really want from my life. I still have a lot of work to do but feel (and hope) the hardest part is behind me.
Which brings me to 2013. While I understand a quick turnaround is unlikely, I realized something incredible at the turn of this year. Something that I didn't understand and took for granted before. I have an incredibly solid foundation in the form of my family and friends. On any given day, I can count on them to provide me with support, encouragement and unconditional love. I'm so grateful that my first hope for 2013 is to give back that same support to them.
This new realization has had some interesting side effects. What I became aware of was that while 2012 was tough for me there are so many other people in this world who are struggling who do not have the solid foundation of family and friends that I do. While I work hard for what I have, I was born into this life. I don't deserve my good fortune more than anyone else. I just got lucky and because of that, I think it's incredibly important for me to give back to the people who are less fortunate than I am.
I'd like to set an actionable and achievable goal for this particular sentiment since it's really important to me that I follow through. Several years ago I was introduced to a program called Christmas Cheer. Every year, since 1960, the Dallas (in Oregon) community comes together the day before Christmas to collect, allocate and distribute food and gifts for families in need in their area. Not only is it a great tradition and opportunity for the community to come together during the holidays but it reminds those young and old of how grateful they are for what they have. My family lives in San Diego and now I celebrate the holidays down south. They have nothing like Christmas Cheer in their area so what I'd like to do in 2013 is bring that tradition to their community.
Another reflection that I continue to work on but still struggle with is judgement. It's so easy to do and happens so quickly. I've missed judged a lot of people over the years and I finally realized it was an issue for me at the beginning of 2012. Since then I'm really proud to say that I've made progress. The opposite of judgement is seeing beauty in each person. What I was surprised to learn, as I stopped judging people and opened myself up to all of these wonderful and unique perspectives, was that I was the one who benefited the most. In the past year, particularly at work, I've been able to build stronger, more open relationships with my coworkers than I ever had before. That being said, I have a long road to go. The other evening I said something so rude and judgmental to a friend about another friend's new girlfriend that I wanted to run into a hole and never come out again. My friend is a good person and called me out on it immediately. The shame has still not gone away from that moment. So I want to continue working. Continue to improve! I'm not sure how I can make this one actionable but as I mentioned before, writing it down is a start!
To recap, for 2013:
1.) Show my family and friends how important they are too me every day.
2.) Give back.
3.) Continue to work on seeing the beauty of every individual as opposed to judging immediately based on my own insecurities.
That is where I'm going to start. I think it's still a tall order but I'm excited about it!
Reflecting back on 2012, I'm very fortunate to have a younger and MUCH wiser brother, who provided me with this tidbit:
He didn't realize I was going to make it the closing to this blog post. Until now. Love you so much, Bro!
