At this time last year I kicked off the Neal4.0 campaign with my 40th year of this life. 2017 was a year of rewiring myself mentally , 2018 was a year of organization and goals. I also found a new level of service and purpose in my life. For 2019, I am focusing on my spirit and giving back to the universe that empowers me daily.
The intention in writing this blog is for self accountability and for anyone who knows me, you will know where my focus is this year and for those who don’t know me and read this, I know our paths have crossed for a reason and if I can add value to your conversation my first question will always be:
“How can I support YOU?”
My theme for 2019 is:
C O N T R I B U T I O N.
In asking myself what that actually means I’ve been taking notes over the past few weeks and I created a framework to work with in 2019.
Cyber-security and my mission
I spent a lot of time in 2017-18 focused on Artificial Intelligence, Block-chain products, and Cyber-security. Cyber-security has brought a personal trinity together of Mission (educating people on threats and protecting them) + Mindfulness (helping others adopt and adjust to new technology concepts) + Influence (giving back to my network and community and those who empowered me in the past.) At AppGuard we are focused on zero trust endpoint protection for everyone from the enterprise to your grandparents and I’m grateful to be part of an amazing team. We are primed for massive growth and expansion in 2019.
Focus + Clarity
For four years Tim Hurja (I love you man) would call me and ask me if I wanted to attend and meet Tony Robbins. TR always seemed to be in NYC on Veteran’s day weekend and having reconnected with my veteran roots over the years there had always been standing commitments and I could not make it happen. This year we agreed early in the summer that this was my year to attend and have a breakthrough. TR delivered and I made a pact with myself to be true to myself and to make contribution a focus in my life. I asked the universe to deliver and she sure did. #grateful.
I’ll be continuing the TR work in 2019 and will attend multiple events. If you would like to attend with me let me know :)
1000 New Connections
A good friend of mine raised to me in 2018 that I need to acknowledge and own my presence, and that people generally want to be around me. I need to accept it not because I need it to be happy but because of the impact and contribution I can give back by being a mentor/mentee and a servant leader. To manifest this experience I will make 1000 new connections in 2019 and take pictures of them so we can keep count. SMILE!
Work/Life Integration
Work and life balance have always been challenging for me. It seems I am always happy in personal OR professional life, never both. Balancing both does not seem to work for me and I really believe that “balancing” is not a human attribute that we are supposed to be good at. From my perspective we are conditioned to sacrifice and pretend life is as good as it can be. That does not work for me any longer. I’m integrating my work and life into one single mindset of empowerment and service. I’ve started a high performance planner and am committed to living in positive ebbs and flows of life and abundance.
Self-Care
With great opportunity comes a need to know where you are as a person and check-in with yourself. In 2016–2017 I experienced so much growth and for anyone who has grown fast, it hurts and takes a tole on you. I ran myself ragged. My family and my self suffered mentally and physically. I’m committed in 2019 to a mix of coaching, focusing on my health and better nutrition, yoga and meditation and being more in tune with true self and knowing what serves me well.
Travel-more
In 2017 I traveled more than I had in the past 10 years, in 2018 I traveled more than that and 2019 is setting up to keep that trend. I’m excited to explore and continue this journey and wanderlust to press forward.
Machu Picchu — One of the many places I would like to visit in 2019.
Legacy-mindset
I’ve listened to other influencers talk about legacy and it never resonated with me until the back half of 2018. I’ve realized that one of my super powers is focusing on the process and the long-term path. The amount of failure I have experienced this far in life has lead me to all my success and I am grateful for being conscious of those moments. I must own the thirst that I have to build an empire and build a legacy and I know the universe will bring it to me.
Family
Quality time with family has become much more important to me as I continue to grow my mindset. I don’t have a traditional family. We are very spread out and have very different views on life in general. I’m looking at 2019 as a year of commitment and contribution to many and my family included.
Be more vulnerable
As a guy who went to an all boy school, joined the Marines and than worked in male dominated industries (finance and tech.) I am committed to being more open and more true to myself. I am a warrior through and through and I can still be transparent with my feelings. I am no longer at war with myself and it’s a great feeling.
Mentor and coach more
In 2018 I fell in love with mentoring and coaching people. I have a unique set of failures and successes and it didnt feel like it served me well to keep those learning’s to myself, especially around cognitive bias, digital transformation, SaaS, and human adoption of new technology.
Step back and Neal Podcast
In 2018 I started a podcast about being retrospective and looking back at the moments that got you and me to the points we are in our lives. I got distracted from the goal and the podcast went silent. I’ll be picking the podcast up each Sunday in 2019.
If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast you can submit yourself here: https://www.thepressforwardproject.com/
I’m excited to contribute in 2019 and looking forward to connecting with you.
If this post resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you shared it.
@neal4.0
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