The end of the year is here! Rather, by the time this is posted, the beginning of 2013 will be upon us. For the standard re-examination that comes with the conclusion of a calendar cycle, keep reading.

2012 was a time of many changes for me, both personal and professional. I’ve come to realize that I spend far too much of my time dreaming without doing, and an equally disproportionate amount of time being concerned with how others perceive me as opposed to how I perceive and treat myself. I think I’ve made some positive steps into making a happier year for myself and those around me. As always, it is those around me who have made me recognize that it is more about being a “Go-Giver” than a “Go-Getter”, since it returns in spades. A few thank you’s:

• Lisa Melegari, for being a constant friend and eternally supportive ally
• Eric Hoanshelt, for his help, both personal and professional
• Ken Granger, for his insightful chats (including the recommendation of that book above)
• Scott Mann and everyone else at Highforge, who have taught me a lot and of course kept me afloat this year
• Andrea Middleton, for being available seemingly more than I am to answer questions and offer support on matters relating to WordCamp Orlando, a personal triumph of the year
• All of the sponsors and speakers at WordCamp, who have impressed me with their openness and willingness to share their knowledge and time and resources
• Everyone else who in some way has given me their gift of friendship

The wheels are in motion for a much more successful 2013, and I will of course report updates when they are available and open to share here. Looking over on my resolutions from last year I was semi-successful, though there are some things that I fell off the ball with entirely (I’m looking at you, unwritten book). I’m not going to state a lot of specific goals here, since I’ve pretty much said them all elsewhere, and as Derek Sivers says: Keep Your Goals to Yourself”. Still, a few that I have reasonable chance of completing soon:

• Release my first plugins into the WordPress Repository
• Do a more comprehensive redesign of my websites
• Release my WordPress Framework for public consumption
• Release v.1 of another exciting project that I’m working on
• Learn to spend more time doing, but also in connecting with others

Thank you everyone for helping to make me who I am. This is a call-out to a new year, in which new boundaries are broken and exciting things happen!

– david