What’s In Your 2012?

What a year. But it is soon to be over. Time to peer through the porthole and consider what’s in your 2012.

This site started on a whim and has continued to grow. I’m tremendously thankful for all of you cube dwellers. You are proof that we can be in shape to enjoy all life has to offer even if we spend much of our waking hours in a cubicle.

What Went Well

Overall 2012 was a great year, a year of progress and change. Four things stick out.

Tough Mudder

2012 was the year for me to run in my first adventure race. Take time to pick events that will stretch you. The Tough Mudder taught me a lot about fitness and life.

Action Step: Pick an adventure and do it.

Kettlebell Connections

2012 led to some new connections with fitness fanatics who also love kettlebells. Learn from others, share with others, and grow together.

Action Step: Find topics that you are interested in learning, then start building connections.

Fitness Testers – The Beta Team

2012 let me uncover the value of a beta team, a group that will provide feedback early to help you in the long run. Prior to this year all of my out-of-the-office adventures were solo projects. This small team has been incredible, inspiring, and helpful. What started as a quest for feedback, resulted in a fountain of encouragement.

Action Step: Find people that will help you, shape you, and encourage your dreams.

Published Author on Amazon

For years I, like much of the population, had talked about writing a book. Sure, talking about doing things is great. But Action Trumps Everything (great book, go get it and read it). 2012 was my year to start taking action. Even if it was little tiny action steps, it was action.

In April 2012 I published my first book on Amazon, Ten Tabatas. Since then it has been updated and improved. But this simple book has been helping busy people mix in high intensity interval training to their lives.

Action Step: Take action. Pick one of those things, those dreams you keep telling people you’ll do some day. Then do it.

What Could Have Gone Better

But not all of the year was roses.

Traffic

This is not my full-time job. While I do love researching fitness and can geek out with technology I still have limited time. Somewhere mid-year Google Panda hit. While I’ve had SEO guru’s (Ugh, I don’t like that title) review my site. No one has really been able to explain what happened.

My traffic was growing nicely, then … it just flatlined. Not dead, but not growing like it was. There are still many of your coming to the site, sharing your stories, and finding ways to get and stay in shape in the midst of busy lives.

While I’ll keep trying to figure out “The Google”, I know that the long-slow road to growth is better than cheap tricks that come and go.

Action Step: Impact Takes Time – find ways to help people out, then persist. Ignore the haters, embrace the stories where you’ve helped others and persist.

Noise – Too Much Noise

Stop the voices in my head. Seriously, sometimes there are just too many ideas floating around.

Some say there’s no such thing as a modern day Renaissance man, but I disagree. I’ve met them and I am one.

The term that fits better is multi-passionate. That’s me.

I have multiple passions, multiple interests. There is no way that I can focus solely on one thing.

While being multi-passionate may be fun, it can also be overwhelming and noisy.

I ran across this great video from Julien Smith entitled All Subtlety Is Lost.

I want to take time to just sit and breathe.

Through out 2012 there have been periods of overwhelm when I’ve been flooded with ideas for fitness, kettlebells, DIY fitness equipment, etc. but my work-brain never quiets down completely. So I’m also flooded with business process improvement ideas, product management, product marketing, Information Service Management, Service-Now, Release and Deployment management, etc.

You get the idea – voice, too much noise.

There were weeks where my brain power was completely tapped without taking any action; tapped by just the mere onslaughts of thoughts.

Action Step: Take time to sit quiet, calm your thoughts and focus.

What’s Ahead For 2013

I am excited to start a new year. There is more to come, more ways for us to fight the good fight, to stay in shape to enjoy life.

The team of fitness testers have been working hard, improving their fitness, and giving some awesome feedback. That means there is more to come. For the past 6 months I’ve been working on building a virtual gym just for you.

Stay tuned for more info. If you aren’t already on the newsletter, sign up. The Cube Dweller Fitness team will be the first to know about it.

How Was Your Year?

Take time to review your year. What worked? What didn’t? What’s ahead for you?

Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Thanks for all your support. Get and stay in shape for life outside the box.