So what’s in store for 2014? This year I have four major developmental goals.

1. I want to connect — not LinkedIn, not Facebook, not get their business card, but actually connect, as a human being sharing his passions and potential — with happy, smart people driven to positively and radically impact the world. As many as I can. This has always been an implicit goal of mine, but this year I’m turning it explicit. I will be authentic, I will be alive, and I will be out there. For as many people as possible, I want to know what you love and what you care about, and I want you to know the same about me. So what do you think is your ultimate potential? What idea keeps you up at night? What would you like to build? What sends shivers to your spiritual core? Tell me. I’d truly, truly, love to know.
2. I love technology startups. In 2013 I was very focused on developing a technology startup concept that was novel, interesting, and successful in terms of market share and profitability. I thought that building a “regular” technology startup would be a necessary step for me to learn how to create bigger and better organizations to affect the world. My final goal is not to build a successful tech startup; it is to build an enterprise focused on achieving massive social good, hopefully by providing educational opportunities in impoverished communities. I planned to do that after building a successful tech startup. Now, my goal is to do start doing that now, with no conditionals. Maybe I do need the step of a smaller, “regular” startup to teach me how to inspire, motivate, and organize people, but I’m not so sure. My big goal in 2014 will be to start a social venture that begins to help people in a way that I think will dramatically and viscerally shape a better world. I know certain things are terribly wrong in our society. I have ideas to try to fix them. I may never succeed, but to try is better than to stand here and pray. I love helping people; I won’t say it’s not selfish. It gives me the utmost pleasure to see the people around me succeed in the ways I simply know they can. I want this circle of people around me to expand, and expand, and to encompass the world. If I could spend my life making a huge, true difference… well hey. That’s what sends shivers to my spiritual core. All the while, I want to make sure the people very close to me now get all the help and love from me that I can possibly give.
3. I still want to learn to code, but I have a bit more direction this year. I want to learn basic Python, and then I want to learn R. I want to take classes on Algorithms, Linear Algebra, and Data Structures. Basically I want to go down the data science track. I have always loved data, and I have a very data-focused (I like to think of it as truth-focused) mindset and framework for thinking. I consider analytics one of my key strengths, though I haven’t had formal mathematical training beyond economics, finance, and operations. By the end of 2014 I want to be a master of data analysis. In fact, I want to consider pursuing a master’s in data analysis. I’ve explored some part-time and online options, and will make a call on whether or not to apply to one of them fairly early in 2014. Actually the more I write about this, the more excited I get. I love writing, and I love design — I think I have some natural aptitude in both, though I’ve written a lot more than I’ve designed. So what am I usually writing about? Some form of data. What am I usually designing? The display of data. It would be awesome and fulfilling to have a much stronger grasp on the data itself, to be able to better analyze data and derive important, actionable conclusions from it. In the finance field I think I’m relatively good at this, but I think data is key to the future progress of the world, and I want to be much better. Can you imagine if every politician in the world had a basic data science and statistics education?
4. Finally, I want to work out. In 2012 I achieved the peak physical fitness of my life. It was great, and then I sort of gave up because I reasoned I could get back there anytime I wanted, if I got there in the first place. I’m not terribly out of shape now, but I’m nowhere close to great shape. I recall, however, how indescribably awesome it felt to be in excellent shape, when working out was easy. It’s an obvious virtuous cycle — work out more, and you’ll enjoy it more. It used to be so fun to run 4-5 miles. It felt as close to flying as you could get using only your natural body. Runner’s high is a real and seriously awesome thing. Try to achieve it; I promise you’ll always miss it, and then you’ll never let yourself become too out of shape to achieve it again. Anyways, I want to lift and run a lot more, but I’m ready to completely dismiss this last and final goal if it means I can more easily accomplish my first three.

So those are my goals. I also have a lot of resolutions tied to those goals, which I haven’t organized or codified but which I try to live daily. I also want to make sure my family is as happy as they can be, but that’s a consistent life-long goal and not necessary to call out.

Each of these goals requires a “how.” How I’ll achieve each goal, in the optimal way. These “hows” will be difficult; they’ll be multi-part, with several stages, dozens of steps, and complex if/else scenarios. It’s easy to think that since my goals have been detailed, the “hows” will fall out of them cleanly. But that’s simply not the case. Although I’ve succeeded in very results-oriented sectors (investment banking & consulting), I believe I’m naturally process-oriented. And I think that for most big life goals a focus on processes is more important than a focus on results. Processes are scalable and tuned towards long-term success. Over the course of your life, successful processes to consistently maximize your potential will lead to the greatest possible success. I’m 26 years old — I’m playing a 50-year game, starting now. I’ve got to get the strategy right.

Over the next week or so, I will be working on my “hows.” I have some ideas, but I want to set them down and formalize them. I won’t bore you with that right now.

Best of luck and positive vibes to everyone. 2014's the year. I feel it in my bones.