Personal Executive Summary

In an attempt to reflect on this past year and then some, I decided to write a personal executive summary after reading a great one by entrepreneur/blogger extraordinaire Ben Casnocha. Here goes in no particular order:

Married the love of my life in Plano, TX. Honeymooned through the Western Caribbean visiting Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. Wrote 125 blog posts and received hundreds of comments from readers. Read 25 books. Worked on two business start-ups. Witnessed a friend and mentor realize his business dream after waiting for 20+ years. Kept a promise and read the eulogy at my favorite uncle’s funeral. Played hundreds of hours on the guitar. Wrote bits and pieces of 15 songs. Finished 6 songs. Studied for the GMAT. Got pissed off studying for the GMAT. Spent 6 hours assembling a grill. Subscribed to 3 magazines. Connected with God in ways I never had before. Spent countless hours studying Christianity—specifically Protestantism and Catholicism. Watched 4 full seasons of NBC’s Lost. Went white tail deer hunting for the first time in 7 years and shot my first deer. Broke down and bought a Blackberry Bold—amazing machine. Determined Cheer is by far the best laundry detergent on the market. Played in a hockey league in Arizona—I really miss the thrill of competing at the Division I level. Took a 9 day vacation and went fishing, skiing, jet skiing, and relaxing on Sylvan Lake in Minnesota. Wrote thousands of emails. Earned various awards in Contracting—thanks to all of my mentors. Went to Las Vegas 4 times—3 vacations and 1 business trip (with a little vacation built in). Got published by a major publishing firm in a book about student leadership. Spent 11 weeks at various locations for military training. Went home for Christmas for the first time in 2 years. Volunteered for various events throughout the Phoenix area. Realized how much I enjoy both entrepreneurship and teaching. Watched my investment portfolio fall more than 35%. Bought when things were high. Sold when things were low. Didn’t sell when I should have. Didn’t buy when I should have. Continued to invest and realized that it doesn’t really matter because things will come back. Set-up 4 friends with Roth IRA accounts and gave investment advice. Did thousands of push-ups, sit-ups, and crunches. Spent hundreds of hours in the gym. Religiously read 4 blogs of various mentors, friends, and colleagues. Witnessed the best speech on leadership that I’ve ever heard. Discovered the difference between leaders and managers and witnessed both in action. Lived a lot. Laughed a lot. Loved a lot.

I’m sure there are some things I missed. But hopefully 2009 will be just as great!