2009 New Years Resolutions Recap - Revisited by Line Item

This writeup has been sitting in my draft folder since mid-December. I was about to write another post tonight and when I did I found this gem, which I barely remember writing.

This would be my list of 2009 resolutions and then a commentary on how they went down last year - in their full unapologetic glory.

1. Have 1 phone that lasts the full year without getting destroyed or thrown.
- Didn't Make it. Not even close. 3 iPhones this year. Loss.

2. Care more about parking tickets. ie try to avoid getting them.
- Got new house with 2 spots in Old City and RevZilla's new DC has Parking. I Cut PPA donations from thousands to probably a couple hundred bucks for the year. Winner. Win.

3. Be more detail / roi oriented in the office.
- Always have room to improve, but am happy with gain. Push.

4. Make it to 2010 without losing a fight with another credit card terminal.
- I actually think I pulled this off. No stitches or bloody clothes in 2009. Win.

5. Be more patient with everyone.
- Meh. Push.

6. Get a piece of my once strong tolerance back.
- Parenting got more manageable. Tara and I bounced back a bit socially. I can hang again. Win.

7. Build a halfpipe in my warehouse and ride it.
- Shockingly I pulled this off. I can do 7 tricks. Win.

8. Strive to continue to grow RevZilla smartly and organically
- blew the doors off it during a frickin recession no less. Such a win.

9. Be more humble
- I was the same humble. Push.

10. Start buying and wearing funny t-shirts again.
- Not taking off my glasses, LMAO, Santa is Coming - Busted Tees. Win

11. Start my own lifestyle clothing brand.
- Gracefully abandoned it for more profitable ventures. Focus is a virtue. Loss.

12. Practice what I preach 100% of the time
- So tough. Had my moments of hypocrisy. Loss.

13. Play more guitar and start learning piano
- Absolutely picked the guitar back up, now doing it with my daughter. I sing and play she sings (jibberish) and dances. No piano though. Half Win.

14. Surround myself with more people who I aspire to be like
- Met some great new friends in 2009 and grew stronger friendships with solid current acquaintances. Win.

15. Go from journeyman to ninja of Analytics, SEO and SEM
- Not there yet. Loss.

16. Hang out with Tommy Lee, Axl Rose and Mr. T & See a good concert.
- Hung out with none of them, but talked to Charles Barkley (fav athlete of all time) twice. Also saw Motley and Def Leppard from the 5th row. I'm taking a win on this.

17. Retire the Trash Truck.
- Still have the trash truck. Wife drives it. Sucks. Loss.

18. Blog more about biz.
- I twittered more about biz. Doesn't count. Loss.

19. Start shooting skeet / trap again with my Dad.
- Nope. Bummer. Maybe in 2010. Loss.

20. Read a great book a month if not more often.
- Nope. Didn't have the frequency. Loss.

21. Learn 3 more staple dishes that don't involve a grill or beef.
- Yep. Asparagus, Baked Chicken, Fajitas and Fish. Win.

22. Snowboard with my wife at least once.
-Damn. Maybe in the next 60 days. Loss.

22. Reduce my red meat intake.
- Nope. Delicious murder all year long and was on a lamb kick earlier in Q1 of 09. Loss (secret win).

24. Spend more time with Family.
- Getting better at compartmentalizing. Win.

25. Stop and relax more often.
- Kinda Sorta, but not really. Loss.

26. Be less competitive outside of the office.
- Ugh. Just give me the fail whale. I still want to conquer it all. Ambitious to a fault. Loss.

27. A/B test when available rather than making a gut decision.
- More A/B testing than not. Its a good thing and we stepped it up. Win.

28. Meet more east coast tech rockstar vc's who shall remain nameless for the time being. Its a short list.
- I met them all. Mission accomplished. One of my favorite things about this year is that I forged some great new relationships with some really interesting smart and accomplished folks. Honored they would share their time with me. Big Win.

29. Become a better listener.
- Incrementally beter. If I was a 5 now I'm a 6. Push.

30. Take more pictures.
- Pictures, Video, Streaming Media etc. This was the year I became super-media focused storage is free or cheap. Why not record it all? Win.

31. Go on more fun "dates" with my wife.
-Mos def. Win.

32. Wear more gold chains and velour track suits around South Philly. (submitted by jody ferry)
- Even though I could, better judgement still got the best of me. Loss.

15Wins - 13 Losses - 4Push

I batted .535 this year. Not bad, but there is always room for better. I still need to make my 2010 list.

We will have to see how it goes.