Man, that was a year! I mean, no offense to the previous 32 years of my life but 2008 was both a blessing and a bitch. 

I learned (unfortunately for the third time in my ten year career) that the only way that I will maintain some semblance of balance in my life between work, family and everything else is if I enforce my own boundaries. Changing gigs has proven to be a great step in the right direction but I have to remind myself constantly that it was just that — a single step. It’s up to me to keep moving in a positive direction.

So what constitutes positive steps for 2009?

• Continuing to find new and exciting ways to challenge myself to become better, smarter and more diplomatic in what I do professionally. At the current point in my career, I’ve come to understand that I’m hitting a transition point from being execution-oriented to being more of a strategic thinker. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a while and now that the time has arrived, I’m beginning to relish the opportunity to spread my wings.
• Push myself to improve my physical condition. While not a total slob, I find that it’s way too easy for me to ignore my personal health. And I damn well know that there’s a direct link between keeping myself active physically and managing stress. As the missus says all the time, I’m a much nicer person to be around after having kicked the crap out of myself on my bike for a few dozen miles on a regular basis. 
• I need to get a better handle on what I put into my body and understand how that also factors into the mix as it relates to my point above. Simply put: garbage in, garbage out. So now is the time to start cutting back on the crap.
• In terms of spiritual nourishment, taking more time for introspection, meditation and prayer is a must. Funny how something that is probably the most important to my mental health is the first thing that goes out the window. It was a big reason behind why I started blogging in the first place. And I as I continue to restore balance after two years of being so far out of whack, it also means being a more active participant in my community.
• Most important of all, I need to understand what it means to be constantly striving to be a better husband, father, brother, son and friend. Everything above should contribute to this but is not a replacement for being more present in the lives of those that I love and aware of the role I can (and need) to play.

So there you go. Call them resolutions if you want to, but I’m preferring to call these a reaffirmation of the goals with which I should greet every new day. Every day is a blank slate and every day can be a fresh start.

The tapdance on the tabula rasa continues.