Reflecting on 2011

This is a self-indulgent post just for me.  This past year was pretty terrific, both professionally & personally.  2011 was my first full year of being involved blogging & presenting in the SQL Server community – there’s no stopping now!

Let’s see what I was thinking when I set 2011 goals in my Reflecting on 2010 entry:

Evaluating 2011 Goals

  • Speak at 2 events <— Nailed this one.  Spoke 7 times & loved every minute of it.
  • Post 50 high quality blog posts <— Got 40 posts in.  Life definitely got in the way here, but that’s ok.  On the weekends I didn’t blog, I thought about it & chose fun or a mental break instead.
  • Publish 2 articles <— Not quite; published 1 whitepaper.
  • Improve technical skills <— Well, of course another year of experience does that.  (Guilty of setting a non-measurable goal here, wasn’t I?)
  • Get involved with Twitter in a way that suits my style <— I love Twitter now, although I don’t usually check it during the business day.  I lean towards using it more to obtain & share links with good information.
  • Continue meeting people & learning how to be a helpful contributor to the SQL community  <— I met some cool people this year who inspire me; I can do more to be involved in the SQL Community.

Goals for 2012

My plan for 2012 is just to Keep On Keepin’ On (in the wise words of Joe Dirt).

  • Speak at 4-6 events
  • Develop materials for 2 new presentation topics
  • Post 36 high quality blog posts
  • Publish 1 article
  • Upgrade MCITP and MCTS certifications for SQL Server 2012
  • Continue meeting people & learning how to be a helpful contributor to the SQL community
  • Keep a better balance between work, fun, and health

The theme is:  Keep Getting Better Every Day.   Here’s to a great 2012!