We let you know the major impact we had on the world in 2017 the other week. Now it is time to see how I hope to disrupt humanity in 2018. No, we won’t be making a new technology to connect dolphins to human through artificial intelligence and machine learning. We’re leaving that to the pros. My visionary challenge is more down to Earth. More up my alley. I’m going to beat video games, read books and tackle professional development goals. Yes, I’m going to be a mere mortal and incrementally entertain and improve my brain.
Gaming
#2018Gaming is well underway. I’m continuing to dominate Titan Quest: Ragnarok and have returned to Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest. A game I stepped away from due to frustration for (stupidly) playing on Hard and not allowing myself to have character deaths. Naturally, I’ll be playing random new games as the year goes on, predominantly of PC or Switch flavors. But you know I play retro, or simply older, games as well. Look for me to join the crowd playing Grand Theft Auto V, Super Mario Odyssey, HOB and more. Who knows, maybe I will finally tackle Star Trek Online after capping Neverwinter. Never said that before!
This year’s goal is sticking to 15 games despite falling 6 short of the same goal last year.
Reading
Oh, man did I take this one on the chin. There were so many challenges that kept me from approaching my goal, which is tracked in Goodreads. I didn’t take into account how many magazines I read each week and month. I didn’t take into account how much I’d be reading to my daughter (now two daughters) that I wouldn’t count. I dramatically overestimated how many graphic novels I’d read in the year. I didn’t take into account the reduction in travel, thus reading time. I didn’t, and likely won’t ever, take into account how long the books I selected were. I’ve factored all of these hurdles in.
This year’s goal has been reduced to 22 books.
Professional
Why am I listing professional goals this time around? Simple, research shows that if you make your goals public, you’re far more likely to accomplish them. Might as well put it to the test! I won’t bore you with all the details though.
This year’s goal is 200 Trailhead badges and an additional four Salesforce certifications.
What are your goals?