Back to riding my bicycle ⚡️🐌

Mar 17, 2019

“The Things which hurt,” Benjamin Franklin wrote, “instruct.” ― Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage

Mar 2, 2019

# Bill Talsma

Today I feel I missed an opportunity in not spending time with Bill. I have regret. I also have a smile when I remember Bill.

I remember Bill, as positive, easy to talk to, easy to work with, reasonable. Bill liked to share ideas and would listen to your ideas too. He really, really, loved the food court at the rotary, his go-to place for lunch.

We use to talk about his connection with Evanston and Rogers Park, places I had lived. We spoke about application design and design in general.

It’s a bummer that Bill is no longer around.

Feb 28, 2019

Lake Michigan, Illinois

Feb 24, 2019

Feb 18, 2019

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” – Ranulph Fiennes

the first to completely cross Antarctica on foot

Jan 25, 2019

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” ― Peter Drucker

Jan 25, 2019

Snow Run ❄️🏃🏾

Jan 19, 2019

🔥Today + commute

Jan 8, 2019

Signed up and paid 🔛🚲

Jan 6, 2019

Apple fritter ride 🍎☕️🚲

Jan 5, 2019

Goodbye 2018 💥

Jan 2, 2019

No Ride, Yes Run 🙌

Dec 30, 2018

www.strava.com

Dec 29, 2018

Slow run is better than no run 🏃🏾

Dec 27, 2018

Brooks saddle (carbon rails) 🤫

Dec 21, 2018

Last Six Months Reflection Template

I try to reflect how I’m living my life every six months, here are some questions I use to help me. The questions I use come from Tim Elmore @TimElmore and Camille Fournier @skamille, thank you.

Questions

What are my fondest memories of the last six months?
What were the most fun times I had?
Who did I meet, who is now in my life?
What were the “big projects” I completed?
What am I most proud of?
In what area(s) of my life did I make some progress?
What did I do that completely surprised me and was unexpected to me?
Who did I help?
What did I experimented with?
What is the biggest lesson I faced and what did I get from it?
What were the defining moments during the last six months?
What emotion caused me to grow? (e.g., Courage? Faith?)
What emotion was I unafraid to feel? (e.g., Fear? Sadness?)
What did I procrastinate on and fail to get done?
What books and mentors had the most significant impact on me? Why?
Am I closer to my friends and family from my activities this year?
What will be my biggest goals as I move forward into YYYY?
Where did I neglect to live up to the standards I set for myself?
What am I committed to doing in the next six months? What would I
do if I only had a short amount of time left to make an impact?
What goals do I have or know for the next six months?
Am I growing at work? Am I a linchpin at work? (The Linchpin is an individual who can walk into chaos and create order, someone who can invent, connect, create and make things happen.)
What have I said NO to? What have I said YES to?
What advice would I give myself for the coming six-months/year?

Action

After I answer the questions I start planning the next six months, turn every desire into an action that I can follow-up on or add to a calendar. I use Omnifocus, calendar, and a note pad to move things forward and keep myself focused.

Resources

Dec 21, 2018

Books I Read in 2018

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Dick, Philip K., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I’ve been enjoying the Blade Runner universe, this year I saw Blade Runner 2049 and read the book the movies originate. Good writing in the book, strongly recommend if you enjoy science fiction.

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups Coyle, Daniel, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An insightful read for anyone helping teams work better, full of information on how to create a team environment.

Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity Scott, Kim Malone, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read to level up in the manager role.

Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders Marquet, David, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The favorite phrase “Leader-leader,” a recommendation from Steve Pasek that has provided value every day in how I support software development teams.

Free: The Future of a Radical Price Anderson, Chris, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Nothing is free.

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) Jemisin, N.K., ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Next fascinating world after the games of Thrones world.

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters Meeker, Meg, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Solid guidance, disregard the religious content if that’s not your thing.

The Girl on the Train Hawkins, Paula, ⭐⭐⭐

Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1) Herbert, Frank, ⭐⭐⭐

Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2) Corey, James S.A., ⭐⭐⭐

Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6) Butcher, Jim, ⭐⭐⭐

Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude Kethledge, Raymond M., ⭐⭐⭐

Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs, #1) Morgan, Richard K., ⭐⭐⭐

Stay Hungry Maniscalco, Sebastian, ⭐⭐⭐

Woken Furies (Takeshi Kovacs, #3) Morgan, Richard K., ⭐⭐⭐

Legend: * 5 ⭐, it changed how I view the world or gave me immense pleasure, strongly recommend * 4 ⭐, good read, recommend * 3 ⭐, okay read * 2 ⭐, not such a great book * 1 ⭐, for some unknown reason I finished this book, and I feel like I wasted my time