2022 is going to be a year of change for me. I’m actually setting some personal goals this year [No, I don’t normally] that I believe will lead to a better “me” 365 days from now.

Goal 1: I will read 24 books this year
I spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos (my wife makes sure I’m aware of this). I definitely have some channels that are maybe best classified as “entertainment”, but the majority of my feed and time is spent watching experts and “YouTubers” tell their stories, what they are interested in, and sharing their wisdom with anyone else interested. Taking this feedback from my wife seriously, I’m going to spend more time this year reading. I’ve always enjoyed reading, I just haven’t done it much lately and I want to do it more. My goal, a minimum of 30 minutes per day, which I believe will lead to me ultimately achieving my 24 book objective for the year.

I have already done a few related things associated with this goal that I think are worth mentioning. I’ve cleared my bedside table of my electronics, except for my Amazon Kindle. My iPhone, iPad, and laptop will now spend the evenings across the room and will not serve as the final thing(s) in which I’m focused each night. Rather, I’ll do some reading every night after getting into bed until I’m tired.

Here are a few of the many benefits of reading before bed.

Goal 2: I will listen to 12 audiobooks this year
This one is somewhat related to Goal 1, but I think some books are really best consumed in audio format. I recently took advantage of a great Audible sale which offered 12 credits for around ~$60 (I can’t remember the exact amount). I’ve already lined up six titles I’m excited to start listening.

Goal 3: I will post and share my thoughts online more proactively.
No this doesn’t mean I’m going to begin responding and engaging on controversial posts I see online. Rather, this means I’m going to become more proactive in posting my thoughts. In fact, I’m going to attempt to post/write/update at least once per day for the entire year. Some of my content will be succinct thoughts, some will be a bit longer form but still a <5 minute read (like this one), a few post may be longer form (i.e., >5 min read).

My inspiration to do this… Ali Abdaal and Gary Vaynerchuk. These guy’s are worth a watch if you haven’t already…

I’m a forester by training, I contribute to the investor relations and capital development functions for my career, I closely follow the development of sustainable solutions related to natural capital opportunities, I enjoy learning about leadership and building/contributing to highly successful teams, and love a good piece of technology. My posts will be filled with content that touch on these topics in some way. If this seems like something that might be interesting for you, then I’d love for you to subscribe to my blog, follow me on LinkedIn, and follow me on Twitter.

In a world full of influencers celebrating 100k+ (or 1mil+) subscribers on various social media platforms, it may seem silly of me to even mention this, but [in the spirit of being transparent and proactive] I’m going to. My audience on LinkedIn doubled in 2021 and as I write this on January 3, 2022, I now have 1,312 followers on the platform [I know…small fries for a lot of people, but a big win in my eyes]. I enjoy knowing that there are so many people out there willing to listen to what I have to say.

Ultimately, I’m hopeful that if I can complete my goals as described above, I’ll grow as a person, as a friend, as a father, as a husband, an employee, a colleague, and as a leader. I’m very excited to share this journey with you.

With that, thanks for the follow, Happy New Year, and I look forward to sharing more with you this year.

Cheers!
DAC