Let's just say 2020 did not go how I expected it to .  Like many others during the Covid fun, I checked out mentally and was not as productive as I would have liked.  It was not all related to Covid, but it certainly did not help.  I was at the gym daily and all the sudden could not go.  There's only so much walking I can do, which is usually at least three miles per day, and I really do not enjoy working out at home.  Part of it is lack of space, but the vibe is not the same for me.  Needless to say, the impact to lifestyle made me a bit bitchy.   I was able to do some great hiking in New Mexico and Colorado, but I still put on more weight than I would like to admit.  I easily put on 30 pounds in a matter of months, but reversed that trend in September and am as low as I've been in years.  I've put on muscle as well, so overall the reduction in body fat has been very good.

Now for writing...what happened?  Like many other things, I simply did not prioritize it.  Due to other stuff going on and needing to balance it all, it went on the shelf while I numbed out a bit.  Yes I'm a coach and professional executive, yes I maintain a rather strict diet geared toward health and all-around performance.  Yes I have machine-like discipline around certain practices that increase my capacity to get things done.  At the end of the day, I bleed red like everyone else....I'm human.  Shit happens and I process and deal just like others.  My feeling on writing is still the same.  It has to be simple and low overhead if I'm going to sustain it, so here we go again.  It's 2021...I'm no longer mentally checked out and ready to have another go.

Covid life is still not over and most likely things will never return exactly to how they used to be.  This is something that will be with us for many years, but I know it will be better.  Humans are incredibly resilient and will adapt as always.  Here's to a better year for all.

I imagine folks have landed here and come to the conclusion that I had an idea of blogging, but did not follow through.  It's true.  I've never really been a writer and I was doing some consistency in 2017, but can't say I fell in love with it.  That said, the intention was always to do better.  It's hard to be good at anything when you don't practice.  What I now know is that my writing needs to be like my hair.  It can't take much time to do or I won't do it.  Being a perfectionist, I would get into long editing cycles, then SEO, etc.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  I just want to write and keep it simple.  I won't try to be SEO, word count, or picture compliant.  I've never been one to follow rules that did not make much since to me, so why now?  This year I'll aim to write something once a week.  I have multiple sites, so maybe not on all of them, but I'll post something.

I will say, the things I write about I enjoy either the topic or just sharing about it.  My writing has gotten much better over the years for sure.  Often times in my work I found myself helping others learn to be concise and say a lot with few words.  We're at a point in our lives where most of us are inundated with noise, information, and distractions.  Hats off to folks that have learned to simplify and be present in life, but it's simply not the norm for most.  Being concise is an art and takes practice.  I suggest honing this skill for professional life.  You'd be surprised how much more effective you could be if folks would read your email the first time.  Here's a hint, nobody wants to read a book or be impressed by your long-ass sentences and incredible vocabulary.  Get to the damn point!