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The Year 2005

New Year’s is always a good time to reflect on the year that was and look ahead to the year approaching. Of course there are lots of great times to do both, but the closing of the calendar particularly lends itself to reflecting and predicting.

2005 was another incredible year, and you may get tired of hearing this but when I have a truly bad year I promise you’ll know about that too.

Personally I spent it as a married man, new for me, I put on 25 pounds, which was welcomed and fairly well placed and I’ve permanently lost many more than 25 hairs!

During 05 I also spent more time with future oriented thoughts roaming around my brain, everything from family related issues and ideas to what do I want to do next? And “next” does relate fairly directly to work.

05 saw me continue to think through how to influence change. I spent a fair bit of time back-burner thinking about how our systems work, business, healthcare, politics. I am still wondering who holds the power to influence change. The only conclusion I’ve made is that it is within the individual that is within the system, be it business, healthcare, politics or any other.

The question has then become what are the key elements or personal traits that are most successful in influencing change? I’m sure they vary depending on the “system” or environment, but I feel there has to be a common set of characteristics.

As I think through influencing change I’ve also considered what change I want to influence. I know the change RealTime Cancer needs to and will make, but how about all the other things that need attention?

Call it arrogance, ignorance, youthful enthusiasm or, as I would prefer, confidence, but for some reason or many I believe that I can influence any change that I feel needs to happen. Of course the one key element is my emotional connection to that change.

Granted I haven’t tested this “confidence” thousands of times on the scale to which I’m referring, but I have taken it for a spin, and so far so good. I could be better at it and I’m learning all the time, mostly by doing, which is what works best for me.

In 2005 I also acknowledged the resuscitation of my disdain for all things lacking integrity. Through the course of my work and my personal life, I, as I’m sure you have experienced organizations and systems that and people who are suffering from a severe integrity deficit. In those moments I often have this massive urge to expose, “out” and challenge the organization, system or person acting without integrity.

I think I’m a pleasant guy and fairly easy to get along with most times, but I do have a side of me that loves confrontation. Especially when I’m being confronted or when I feel something is unjust. I’m not sure what this says about me but I can say that when I feel I or another is being ‘wronged’ I immediately want to jump to their defense. Fortunately experience has taught me that I can’t effectively do that all the time, and so I have to pick my battles.

For now the battle I’m picking is the one for young adults, who have been largely neglected by our healthcare system. But I know that at some point I’ll add to my collection of change I’m working to influence, positively.

Where I go next I don’t know. I do know that I’ve decided anything I do outside of my involvement with RealTime Cancer has to in some way enhance RealTime Cancer’s work. Not sure where that will lead me at present but I’ve got a few ideas running around my head.

I referenced predictions earlier and I figure I’ll make a few now… two things I’m extremely confident in are my continued loss of hair and maintenance of my 25 pounds, keeping it to 25 pounds is the trick. Outside of those two things I can say that I know 06 will be full of challenges and triumphs, there will be unexpected obstacles and rewards and I feel comfortable saying that no matter what happens if we’re all here this time next year I’ll be saying it was another fantastic one!

The Year 2005

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