Wow! Looking back, this was quite literally a whirlwind year for me! Honestly, the main theme of this year really was self-discovery, learning, and growth! Where to begin…

At the very end of last year, I personally felt that my passion for my business/partnership was on the downturn. I was struggling with if I even wanted to do it anymore. Then, one of our biggest clients basically told us they were hiring someone full-time and bringing all the work in-house. For me, this was a clear sign that my questions had been answered and it was time (for me) to move on.

A friend that I hadn’t been in touch with in over 15 years caught up with me via LinkedIn and we met up for lunch. Fast forward 3 months and he lands me an interview with the company I’ve now been employed with since April!

  • I’ve learned more in the past 9 months working with him and the team at that company than I have in the previous 4 years running my own business. (Well to be fair, I learned a shitload running my own business but 90% of it was stuff I’d just as soon rather forget!)
  • I started seriously working out for the first time in my life by joining Crossfit!  I love it and hope that I can continue it all through 2013 and beyond!
  • I started eating better, watching what I eat and avoiding junk a little better now. I saw actual changes in the results of my bloodwork after only 3 months!
  • I started going to events and trying new things that I just never would have before this year! (Philly Tech Meetup, Startup Weekend, Philly Code Camp, etc)
  • I started using Twitter more actively, following the right people (developers, startups, entrepreneurs, etc), and just generally interacting with the world!
  • I went ALL digital with my movie library, ripping 95% of all of my DVDs to an NAS drive, and hooking up a Western Digital Live TV box. (read my Amazon review)  Use VUDU, Amazon Instant, et al for my digital movie purchases.
  • I rode a Waverunner for the first time!
  • I watched all 4 seasons of Castle! (Great show!)
  • I watched 4 seasons of Big Bang Theory! (very funny show, I don’t know why I avoided it)
  • I broke 41k gamerscore on Xbox Live!
  • I launched 3 new websites; FillThePart.com, TumblingInferno.com, this blog, and started work on [Secret Website]!
  • I posted my first public GitHub! (SlideIns.js)
  • I ditched the iPhone after nearly 5 years and (finally) got an Android! (Google Nexus 4!)
  • I rolled 30 strikes in a row in Kinect Sports! (Was playing as 3 different characters at the same time.)
  • Some of my favorite movies of the year include: The Raid: Redemption, Warrior, Avengers, End of Watch, 21 Jump Street, Attack the Block.
  • I still don’t have a Facebook account 😉

In the end, this year has been crazy/stressful/fun but ultimately I’m psyched!  I’m much happier now that I was this time last year, and that’s all that really counts right?  For me, it was all about learning and growing.  Next year, I look forward to being all about doing! (Coming up my post about my Goals and Ambitions for 2013.)

Take a look back and try to reflect.  What was your year like?  Do you have any accomplishments you can be proud of?  If not, why not? Are you generally proud of yourself this year?  If not, again, why not?  If so, keep up the great work!