Goals on A Geek's Life

44: Legacy

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 12:28:00 +0000

The year of being 43 was meant to be the Year of Disciplined Execution, drawing from the Sean Covey book, namely : focus on the wildly important, act on the lead measures, keep a compelling scorecard and create a cadence of accountability. Looking back it is fair to say delivery on this was middling at best, with both high and low lights, summarised below:

Highlights

Daily Bible App story helped me maintain a semblance of devotional life
Highest ever plant performance ranking at work in several categories, increased recognition at the plant of my M&C skills with several key solutions delivered
Good earnings supplemented by decent performance in the stock markets
Greater clarity around the next type of role for me: stay in Upstream M&C Corrosion Management, not necessarily projects etc
Offered roles at bp and Shell after rigorous interviews, great boost to the morale that I can still mix it with the good guys
Bonding with L, despite the distance and intermittent visits from me

Lowlights

Weight stayed high, didn’t manage to bring it down to the low 90s as anticipated
Health was middling, a number of developing issues to keep a eye on as I transition into my late forties
Beginning to feel like I am in a rut at my current job
Didn’t blog/ write as much as I would have wanted

44: Legacy

For the next run around the sun, the word which has bubbled to the fore of my mind is Legacy. It is one which has guided the core of my activities and decisions over the past few years albeit without being explicitly expressed. In a sense, it is a continuation of the Year of Disciplined Execution, as Legacy and its underpinnings should drive the definition of what is wildly important which is then executed in a disciplined manner. Legacy is also inextricably linked to the three interaction clusters of my life plan, personal, professional and public. Of particular importance for me in this context then is being healthy in every dimension of my life whilst adding value in each of those three clusters.

2020: Delve Deeper - The Plan

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 17:25:04 +0000

One of the unintended outcomes of my year of living intentionally was revisiting my life plan and rejigging it to incorporate a Codex Vitae and annual (Life) plans. The framework remains the same: three interaction spaces (personal, professional, and public) and seven life domains (spiritual, physical, relational, financial, vocational, mental, causes and charities) across which the health of my life is measured. The idea is to, on an annual basis, review the health of my life using the seven domains to identify ones that need focus in addition to the three interaction spaces. The output of this exercise then is 10-12 goals which form the main objectives for the year.

Winging It

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 11:54:10 +0000

I am seating in a meeting, listening to the folk around the table drone on about some subject now lost to memory when it hits me – in the way I imagine an out of body experience might – just how much of what is often dressed as expert opinion is little more than strongly expressed opinion. Far from thumbing my nose down at others, it is a farce I very much consider myself as a contributor to. That sense of winging it, making things up as I go along, is one which has come to define the first half of the year for me; from the vagaries of the aforementioned work situation to the minutiae of doing life, spread as it has been between the grey, dull granite of the ‘Deen and the leafy, colour-suffused greenery of the Wey country.

2018: The Goals

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 11:54:00 +0000

It felt like I coasted through 2017 in many spheres of life with the main (only?) thing of significance that occurred being getting married to S in October. I’d like 2018 to be a vastly different one, filled with energy and intention and delivery. The seven focus areas in my life plan apply, with a few (Spiritual, Physical & Health, Financial and Personal Development) being focus areas.

A successful 2018 for me is one in which I:

2017 - The Objectives

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 08:04:53 +0000

The following are what I consider my main focus areas and objectives for 2017, derived from the Life Plan. A number of these are long running things I have failed to resolve over the years. Here’s hoping 2017 is a much better year.

The Life Goals Restated for visibility: 1. Be the best husband, father, brother, son and friend that I can be 2. Excel in the Corrosion, Materials and Asset Integrity Engineering Discipline 3. Live in, and contribute to life in, a great church and a great city

#59 - Mosbytis

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 23:09:18 +0000

Spent the bulk of the weekend re-watching Season 9 of How I Met Your Mother, complete with its unsatisfactory ending in which Ted shoots off to Robin’s after all she put him through. Tsk!!! Tsk!!! Before that though, Ted’s summation of his 9 year journey to finding Tracy did resonate with my inner suppressed romantic:

It was at times a long, difficult road. But I’m glad it was long and difficult, because if I hadn’t gone through hell to get there, the lesson might not have been as clear. You see, kids, right from the moment I met your mom, I knew… I have to love this woman as much as I can for as long as I can, and I can never stop loving her, not even for a second. I carried that lesson with me through every stupid fight we ever had, every 5:00 a.m. Christmas morning, every sleepy Sunday afternoon, through every speed bump. Every pang of jealousy or boredom or uncertainty that came our way, I carried that lesson with me. And I carried it with me when she got sick. Even then, in what can only be called the worst of times, all I could do was look at her and thank God, thank every god there is, or ever was, or will be, and the whole universe, and anyone else I can possibly thank that I saw that beautiful girl on that train platform, and that I had the guts to stand up, walk over to her, tap her on the shoulder, open my mouth, and speak.

100 Days Of Being

Sat, 02 Jan 2016 22:57:35 +0000

This year, instead of a bucket list of things I am hoping to achieve, I chose to identify 12 things, key changes which in my opinion if implemented in my life would deliver the biggest value. The intent is to focus on one for each month, the idea (referenced in this Matt Cutts TEDx talk) being that focusing on one change for a thirty day period gives one a fighting chance of making lasting change.

2015 Goals

Thu, 01 Jan 2015 16:59:19 +0000

Three main achievements will make 2015 a ‘perfect’ year, to all intents and purposes, viz:

Spiritual growth as evidenced by a regular routine of bible study and prayer
A new Technical M&C role at an oil and gas operator
Getting married

The wider goals and targets I’m looking to achieve for the year though, aligned with my personal SWOT analysis and the refocused Life Plan are:

Spiritual
- Achieve 80% Daily Bible Reading and Prayer - explore the Lectio Divina process
- Average 6 (of 8) church days per month
- Attend FOL Morning Prayers twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) – 80% target
Physical and Health
- Get fitter – YE target is 15% body fat, weight under 80kg
- Get blood pressure below 140/90 consistently (explore potassium replacement/ supplements as a quantified self project)
- Average 6 hours of sleep/day >80% of the time
- Use the gym 3 times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) – target 80%
- Track sodium and attempt to bring within recommended limits
Social and People:
- Track B contact time (Target > 1 hour per day); track completions in Habit List
- Host a hangout for my 2015 birthday (Aberdeen)
- Drag my London Blogger peeps today for a meal over summer 2015 (CaramelD, Simeon, NoLimit, ToniAnni, Aloted, MizKeji)
- Maintain weekly phone calls home to Dad
Career & Work
- Become staff M&C Engineer at an O&G Operator;
- Attend monthly industry working group meetings – target 80% of months with a meeting (one of ICorr, IMarEST or AFBE) – track in Habit List
- Deliver Work Projects
  - TI Anomaly Risk Review
  - TI Vibration Fatigue Strategy and Implementation
  - ECE Project
  - Procedure Updates - Integrity Risk Screening (PoF Guidance, DAF Risk Assessment)
  - MU Integrity Management - Inspections and Topside Pressure System Integrity
Financial:
- Save 30% of net earnings,
- Reduce total spend; 2015 YE target of £35k
- Grow net worth by 50% (total - investments + savings + pension growth,+ assets, etc)
- Rebalance net worth and elements; buy a house, build ISA back up to 10k, invest excess in index funds
Mental and Personal Development:
- Deliver on a 25 book reading plan (Aim to cover Christian Classics, Literary Classics, Popular Fiction, Current Christian & Non-fiction with 5 each per category)
- Blog here at archive.rustgeek.me at least once a week (Plan is to post something >500 words every Tuesday)
- Learn to write VBA for Excel and Macros
- Learn to play a musical instrument - need to decide between the acoustic guitar and the saxophone, target is to present something at eXpressions 2015)
- Attend Structural Integrity course at Imperial College
Causes & Charity:
- Catch up on my first fruit offering from pay rise in Q1 2013 (as a one time gift if possible at the end of February)
- Write to Moises and RosieMarie twice each during the year
General, Projects and Bucket List Items
- Complete a modified Whole30 or Ketogenic Diet for an entire month
- Walk or run 5 miles daily for a month
- Read 5 Booker Prize Winners (Bucket List)
- Attend the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
- Watch the Ball drop in New York’s Time Square

2014 - The Plan

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 00:33:52 +0000

The prospect of poor health, a milestone birthday of sorts and all round malaise kicked off what was a great plan (in my opinion at least) to deliver change over the course of a year, which as I am wont to do, I tagged with the lofty title ‘ The Year of Living Dangerously’. It started off well – at least with regards to chasing up 52 small changes but the initial enthusiasm seeped out, prompting an attempt to gee myself up for a restart.

2013 - The Plan

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:39:33 +0000

Develop a daily practice of meditation, prayer and journaling
- Complete 40 consecutive days of prayer
- Make morning prayer meetings @ FOL three times a week (M, W, F)
Weigh 80kg
- Gym thrice a week (M,W, S)
- Improve eating habits - cut down on eba, soup and rice
- Use myfitnesspal.com as food journal
Save 30% of Net earnings
- Min of £1k per month
- Target 12k extra saved this year
Improve Professionally, get Chartered engineer status
- Receive feedback on IMarEST CEng application
- ASME Level 2 Plant Inspector/ NACE Snr Corrosion Technologist certification
- Register for a PhD in corrosion, materials and or welding (Newcastle/ Manchester/Cranfield)
Get a driver’s license:
- Pass theory test,
- Get a driving teacher on retainer
- Get 20 hours practice in
- Get full driver’s license
Resolve long term settlement options
- Base plan - Remain in Aberdeen + progress professional development opportunities(see #4 above)
- Only seek to leave Aberdeen if US/ Canada/Australia opportunities open up
Resolve my dating conundrums; target being in a stable committed relationship by YE 2013:
- Clear all people I’m currently stuck in the friend zone with, gain clarity (Mo, Fola, Ese etc
- Gain knowledge about Dating and Relationships the Godly way;
- Prayerfully pursue the woman God has prepared.
Find a spiritual mentor
Take 2 main trips
- Nigeria
- US (Depending on where I am with Project M by Q3 2013)
  - Oklahoma ?
  - Houston
- Spain or Portugal
Complete a writing project - the3six5N
Buy a house (2 bed)
- Requirements: 2 bed room flat, city centre apartment, parking space, etc
tba

2012 in Twelve Things

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:55:14 +0000

In what is going to be a first for me, I will cross over into the new year aboard an airplane, albeit one headed homeward. It certainly is a far cry from how 2011 started, but perhaps this unconventional start will afford me the chance to pause and ponder a few days early, and agree on 12 things for 2012 all aligned with my seven priorities for life. Here goes:

Develop a daily practice of meditation, prayer and journaling: Taking time out to examine life, capture things as they happen and improve daily has to be a key component of my daily routine going forward. The seven priorities are great on paper, but unless progress on the continuum towards achieving them is measured and recorded, I suspect the end of the year will come, and I will still be where I am as of today, stuck in a rut. Target: 4 of 5 days a week of reading the identified text in the Our Daily Bread app.
Lose 20kg: I am overweight – no amount of faffing around can gloss over that simple fact. I tried for a month, before slipping back into my my routine of Nandos, large potions and baguettes at work. Losing weight has to be a focus in 2012, the target is to lose 20kg for a return to c. 80kg weight and a healthy BMI. Target: Walk to and from work daily, take 2 days in the week to eat only fruits (seedless grapes, bananas and apples only), stay off coffee, eat half of what I would normally eat.
Read (and review) 25 books in 2012.
Call parents and siblings once a week: Quick phone call to Dad/Mum every two weeks; hopefully I can catch the siblings weekly for a quick chat.
Save £1,000 a month: The YE spend data for 2011 was abysmal. For a net (ex. taxes) increase in pay of c. 600 pounds, I ended up doubling my expenditure versus 2010. Some of it was unavoidable – the house move in late 2010, increased bills and rents hit for the full year 2011 versus the one quarter in 2010, but large swathes of cash remained unaccounted for. The plan is to move 1,000 each month from my net pay prior to any expenses coming through, as well as refuse to get involved in providing soft loans to the lads.
Get chartered engineer status: I didn’t make a lot of progress professionally in 2011. There were no conferences attended or certifications gained. This is a focus area for 2012 – I am looking to get at least one of either the C.Eng designation or complete my NACE certifications before YE 2012.
Get a driver’s license: I have had a provisional drivers license for over a year already. The focus in 2012 will be to use the 1st quarter to write and pass the theory test, and the summer months to practice for and pass the practical test for a full drivers’ license. Given my traumatic car crash from 2008, and the fact that I haven ‘t driven since then, I suspect this will not be a trivial pursuit.
Resolve long term settlement options: 2012 will be crucial for me as I decide where I will lay down my long term routes. TheBZ would be a good place, but the increasingly louder anti-immigrant rhetoric is a niggling issue at the bottom of my mind. Canada seems to be a longer term option – one that I will explore to a greater extent in 2012.
Resolve my dating and meeting issues: I am at a stage where I can truly say that I have let got of my EJ issues. Having said that there remain pockets of memories I need to ditch finally. The target through 2012 is to bring myself to the place where I can truly say I have forgotten and moved on, a position where I am free in my head to meet and date again. 2012 in this regards has to be the year of de-cluttering.
Complete FAN integration: Given my constant moaning about how mind numbingly boring the little city I live in is, that I am not taking advantage of what opportunities there are to meet people is a shame. Through 2012, the intention is to reconnect with the Youth and Singles group at church once a month.
Re-engage with FOL service: My service in the group I work with in church was shocking in 2011. Granted, part of it was a busier, less controlled work load, but my worldview issues also contributed in no small measure. The plan in 2012 is to reconnect and reengage with the group, and be useful once again.
Find a mentor: I’m looking to get more intentionality in life, a mentor would definitely help for the accountability bits here.

On stuff........This side of Heaven

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:20:36 +0000

Yours truly spent the weekend; the part not spent on Facebook, Twitter or playing Football Manager that is, thinking about all the things I need to sort out in the next phase of life for my aging self! Here are the Seven things I have to get done, in no particular order, before Heaven beckons….

Marry the akara making Halle berry/ Gordon Ramsay/ Martha Stewart superwoman of my dreams!
Write the best-selling collection of poems and or the book that gets me on the cover of TIME magazine and rave reviews as the new Shakespeare (speaking at TED would be a great alternative!)
Swivel in my chair and dictate global Pipeline Integrity Policy from my corner office at Corporate HQ on 800 Bell street for at least 20 years..
Walk a tight-rope stretched taut over the Niagara falls (or if my keg prevents me, pretend to!)
Get to retire to my yacht in the Caribbean and watch the sun set for at least another 20 years!
Make a one time donation of at least ten million dollars to World Vision, Compassion, or preferably Stepping Stones Nigeria.
Last and not the least, get some legit toe-curling, head twisting, mind boggling you-know-what..

Daaaayuuum…. Its a Sunday.. Enough of the day dreams - I’m off to Church!

The Action Item List

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:09:00 +0000

I identified a few key things that I need to work on in my life to improve on myself majorly. The prioritized list I will be working off is below:

Develop a reading schedule: financial, self motivation, self esteem, writing and career related books.
Schedule times for laptop gaming, internet and other non essential activites.
Build a plan for improving my life in the categories of Al Mohler’s excellent piece - The Marks of Real Manhood.
Develop a plan for regular bible study and prayer, determine a time and stick to it
Document my peculiar sin vulnerabilities: identify the triggers and fight for the life of me!
Identify two mentors - one in the workplace and one for my personal life. Set up weekly teleconferences or meetings as appropriate.
De-clutter my life. Reassess all my people connections and downsize to a manageable number.
Complete my MSc, identify critical modules I will require in the work place and read up on them before I get to resume work.
Get a complete physical exam done. Identify any potential health vulnerabilities and ensure they are in line for focused attention.
Maintain my weight - can’t afford to increase health risk levels by bulking up.
Develop mechanisms for tracking and assessing need before expenditure. Consider adding a need assessment module to my excel tracking sheet.
Read up on investment opportunities in Nigeria. Develop mechanisms for assessing investments and prioritizing them for action.
Identify worthy causes and get plugged into a couple.

Hopefully, I will be able to state categorically at the end of the year that I have worked through the list.. I then shall measure effectiveness and decide which new directions I need to chase!