🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉
I remember New Year’s Eve 1999. We were hosting a neighborhood party—we played “Pin the ’00 on 2000” and one of my neighbors was convinced that the lights would go out at midnight thanks to Y2K. 😂
This decade will forever the decade that I grew up in. The one that shaped me. The one that I will remember most.
But I am excited to look forward 🔭.
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”
— J.P. Morgan
🥅 Goals 🥅
I have a feeling 2020 is going to be a big year. I’ve made plenty of progress the past few years and it finally feels like I am done actively trying to move or leave a situation. I am working on my goals, but I am happy where I am. Oddly enough, due to this, I feel like this next year had many changes that will be monumental when I look back.
Buying a Home 🏡
My girlfriend, dog, and I have been in Chicago for just over a year. Our lease is up in June after 18 months and my life’s mission is to get my dog a yard 🐕. He deserves it. My girlfriend and I are also pretty frustrated throwing away thousands a year on rent only to have prices increase year after year.
We know we want to be in Chicago for the near term—likely at least 3-5 years. We love the city and it is close enough to our hometown for us to drive back for the holidays.
Learning 📖 ➡ Side Hustle 💻 ➡ Business 👨💼
I spent the latter half of 2019 learning a ton. My buddy Keegan has been super helpful in dealing with my questions and troubleshooting my rookie programming mistakes. I definitely owe him!
I believe the reason I’ve accelerated my learning is that I tied it to a specific project. I came up with an idea and rather than learning to learn, I learned so that I could build something. This attitude has helped me get over the hurdles that typically stumble me. Between Strumm and designing this blog, I have learned more than I imagined—and it is sticking.
In 2020 I want to double down on this. I want to turn Strumm into an actual business. I find it extremely marketable from a consumer standpoint and feel that there is a real value provided—I came up with the idea due to a problem I kept running into.
This pivot won’t stop my learning, but hopefully, it will supercharge it ⚡.
Writing More 📝
It is important. I am bad at it. I know I need to do it more.
People that can communicate effectively through writing in a short, concise manner have my respect. It is a skill that transcends different aspects of life, and it is a skill that I know I need to work on.
In 2020 I plan to write more on here as a way to flex this muscle. Over time I hope to get better, but I cannot get better if I do not practice. Bear with me! 🐻
