2014 – That’s a wrap and now for 2015

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Well that’s 2014 over and 2015 has begun.

2014 has been about transition, getting over relevance deficit syndrome as I handed over my clients and relationships,embracing study, discovering country music(sorry to my wife, family and friends and my dear blogging friend, David Perry), comfortably meeting my cycling target of over 5000kms for the year and preparing for new experiences as I move from the comfort of working in professional services to something else.

It feels quite surreal. Normally, I find the period after Christmas quite a let down as it signifies the last few days before it all starts again, but this time it is quite different. That shouldn’t be surprising as in 2015 my focus will be completely different. I’m not thinking about finishing off client compliance work, billing targets, collecting cash or winning new work. That’s all for my successor who is now well ensconced.

2015 is about winding out of my firm and embarking on a new adventure. Completing Honours, focussing on building my academic credentials, and maybe some advisory boards. Also it is about planning an extended stay in Italy in 2015, something which has been on my wish list for the last few years.

It seems quite surreal, but as I sit at my desk writing this post, for the first time since 1978 I don’t have my year planned at all. Sure there are a list of “to dos”, not the least of which is a 20,000 word thesis but I don’t have a back log of work and a diary full of appointments that usually fill me with dread in the first week of January each year. What I do have is lots of “white space” and a question about how it will be filled?

So its on with 2015…

My New Veggie Patch

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A few weeks ago we were walking to our favourite coffee shop and noticed in a courtyard of one of the apartment blocks crates with wheels and veggies growing in them. They looked really cool and we thought we might do the same in the courtyard of our apartment block.

After a bit of research we found The Little Veggie Co Website. They had a useful blog and lots of books, but couldn’t get the crates delivered to us before Christmas. We were however able to source crates from elsewhere as well as the requisite supplies. All were delivered before Christmas and made a great present from the family.

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With the Boxing Day Test Match, Australia v India, in full swing and the radio on (what can be better than listening to the cricket on the radio?), I set about filling my crates with sugar cane straw,compost/soil, pea straw, slow release fertilizer and worm castings. This apparently makes a bed which does not require any form of digging.

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Having filled the boxes it’s time to let it all settle for a few days and decide what to plant. Maybe some Basil, Spring Onions, Radishes and Lettuce to get it started.

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Well that’s done but it couldn’t have been done without the music or The future is Streaming!

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20,000 words, an exam and oral presentation and this academic year is done! Maybe just as significant is the amount of music listened too.

Day after day, Spotify has continued to provide a seemingly endless stream of music, supported by Pandora and my substantial iTunes library.

Through this year many of my posts have highlighted a new love of country, a revisiting of Dylan, and how music has been an integral part of my day.

I have since my late primary school days had an insatiable desire to buy Singles, LPs, and CDs. That is until now.

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My purchasing habit led to a brief foray into importing records. For a couple of years a close friend of mine and I started to import records for our friends, less for profit and more to bring down the price of our own purchases. It lasted until the local post office told us that we would be considered a business if we continued,

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A daily occurrence – the best of times, the worst of times

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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” -Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

For me this is a daily occurrence as planning for retirement or transition brings these emotions on a very regular basis.

I often describe my days as a roller coaster of mixed emotions, moving through a cycle of euphoria ( “the best of times”) to ambivalence and then to panic ( “the worst of times”). During a day I find myself excited about my future, a period post retirement from my firm, relaxed that I’ll be able to fill my days with gainful activity and then frightened that I am not properly prepared or ready.

In those times when I am looking forward to the next phase, it can be the best of times. No more time sheets, budgets, and relentless pressure to grow the business. My excitement also comes from the opportunities I have before me.

University the opportunity to learn, complete my Honours, start a PHD, research and teach. These are all things that over the last 12 months I have come to enjoy. I feel confident that my network of contacts will engage with me in a way that neither they nor I have before, providing me new and exciting opportunities. I’ll have more time for travel and riding my bike.

I then cycle through feelings of ambivalence arising from the assumption that it will all work its way through and I’ll be OK.

But then there is the fear of the unknown, the worst of times. Sheer panic!

What happens if I don’t like it. I’m moving from the cocoon of a very large firm where I am relevant to perhaps being completely irrelevant. How will I feel about that? What happens if I can’t afford to live the way I want too? What happens if my planning simply doesn’t pay off? What happens if I don’t continue to enjoy my study, it’s too hard and I can’t make a success of teaching? What happens if I my network no longer engages with me after I no longer have my Partner badge? It’s very scary!

So yes on a daily basis I experience both the best and worst of times.

Daily Prompt – Extreme Tale

Just one more assignment to go this year!

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Just 10 days to go, one more assignment and oral presentation and I will have completed my academic year. So far it’s been 17000 of 20000 words submitted. The last 3000 words are written but are definitely not yet in a form ready for submission. Whilst I continue to enjoy my study, I have to say just now it’s feeling a little like a grind to the line. This was never more evident than last week sitting with my supervisor, who in the most encouraging fashion possible suggested, I might have missed the point!

After I reflected on his comments I had no doubt he was correct, however for someone who has a responsible position and reviews other’s work everyday that was a real wake up call. A few days later and a re-read of key texts and journal articles I am hoping I am on point ahead of one final submission of a draft and final submission by the end of the week.

Included in all of this process is the final step of reading and re-reading including checking the referencing. Even with EndNote getting the referencing right is no small task!

After that it will be preparation for my oral presentation of my literature review and the academic year will be done. Time for some R&R and more time at the Beach!

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