Dull thoughts in a sharp world.

As I reflect all that was 2008, everyone always asks the questions, “what are your new years resolutions?” and “what were the greatest and worst parts of 08?”.   Here are mine:

Greatest moments of 2008

1)  Spending an entire year in San Francisco - Naturally a transient individual, I’ve always been in a constant state of change, moving from city to city looking for a better situation.  After living in Scottsdale, Arizona for almost 3 years years after graduating, of which I despised the latter half, I found a place I can call home.  For me, it’s not the vast nightlife, abundance of young professionals, or big city lights, but the opportunity to meet interesting and real people who care about solving real problems. 

2)  Raising funding for RentWiki.com –  Though there are definitely drawbacks to taking in capital from outside investors, I would consider it a highlight for 08.  Investing a large portion of my own money and working without salary for over 3 years has been strenuous.  It is welcomed relief to be able to focus my efforts on what I am working on and not worry about how to pay utilities bills.  

Worst Moments of 2008

1)  Lack of life experiences -  @GregorMacdonald: When you’re young, the most important thing is to have experiences. Though I moved into a new city, I spent much of my time either working, thinking about work, stressing about work, or drinking. Strange combination, but I think the first three led to the latter.  On a run on the last day in ‘08 along Baker Beach, a good friend of my Rahmin Sarabi and I talked about this tweet…how we’ve been very focused on certain business experiences.  Though worthwhile in progressing down a specific track, more knowledge, experiences, and skillsets can help you diversity and make you a better businessperson and entrepreneur.   We’re talking about taking an art class, design class, or even a improv comedy class.  

2)  Leaving LiveByCampus and my old partners – At the time, I thought that leaving LiveByCampus to work on RentWiki.com full-time was the only option… told by multiple advisors that working on too many projects leads to failure.  So I dived into RW, not allocating the time necessary to help transition LiveByCampus to be self-sustaining.  

Goals for 2009 

1)  Stay uber focused – It is incredibly easy to get sidetracked on features, ideas, peripheral services, and the ten thousand new sites and social media outlets that emerge a day.  Though it is beneficial for us to understand social media trends, there are more pertinent tasks that need to be completed first, such as improving consumer outreach and improving the product. 

2)  Experience More… A Lot More. – Though this seems obvious, we are all stuck in a state of inertia.  You get comfortable eating at the same restaurants, hanging out with the same people, running the same route, whatever.  But my goal is to challenge myself to step out of the box everyday.  

3)  Stop the “Grass is Always Greener” Mentality.  - I’m getting much better at losing that nagging, “grass is always greener” mentality.  Everyone spends their lives saying this, “I cannot wait till ____” phrase whether it’s a better job, relationship, or living situation.  I am starting to enjoy every moment I have and will to continue to throughout 2009.