For many of us in the Microsoft Data Platform community, PASS Summit is a bit like Christmas. It’s a chance to get together with our SQL Family, make new friends, and start playing with all of the new toys that Microsoft has gifted to us.
By the same token, the first day back at work after Summit is akin to New Year’s Day. We are hungover – often literally, but almost always metaphorically too – from the high of the previous week. But we are also energized by the sense of community and shared excitement that we’ve just experienced. It’s a great opportunity to turn that feeling into a new start!
So I am taking the opportunity to declare this day as the first day of my SQL year, and I’ve got a couple of New Year’s Resolutions to share:
1. I resolve to spend at least one hour five days a week on physical exercise. I spent all of this year’s Summit under the weather. A sizable (pun intended) component of this is the weight that I’ve put back on in 2018 after losing fifty pounds in 2016 and 2017. This has had a noticeable affect on my breathing, sleep, and general respiratory health, and it’s time to reverse the trend.
2. I resolve to spend at least thirty minutes five days a week on professional development. There’s so much cool technology to explore in the data platform space, and I find that as a consultant I am often too busy implementing techniques that I’ve done 1000 times before to learn new ones. This will also include trying to produce more technical blog posts, as well as creating new content for presentations. Speaking of which…
3. I resolve to not submit any abstracts for new sessions or pre-cons until they are at least 75% developed. I’ve caused myself a lot of unnecessary stress over the past couple of years by procrastinating about finishing my presentations. I must do better on this front!
4. I resolve to document the previous week’s activities on my blog. Hopefully this will help me to keep myself accountable for sticking to the first three resolutions.
I invite you all to make your “New SQL Year’s Resolutions” with me, and look forward to toasting to our successes together at next year’s PASS Summit!