My Review of The Year That Was: 2014
As we approach the end of 2014, now is quite simply the perfect time to reflect and look back over the last 12 months at what went well, what didn’t, what could be improved upon, and what took me by surprise.
To begin with, I must say this year was hugely significant on a personal note – I got married to my wonderful wife in October. We had an amazing day and the memories will be something we cherish forever.
At work I celebrated my one year anniversary with Indeed, I also clocked up some air miles along the way, and this blog had its fifth birthday. Here’s what I wanted to achieve at the start of the year, so let’s see how things played out:
Gain a deeper understanding of Google AdWords
KPI: pass the Google AdWords Fundamentals exam
At the beginning of January I thought gaining this qualification would be useful for my role at Indeed. But as the year progressed it became clear that I already had lots of excellent, and more relevant materials available at my fingertips at work (Indeed’s PPC model is the same as Google’s). So in the best tradition of many start-ups I pivoted, and turned my attention towards something that would provide more value. In this case, studying for HubSpot’s inbound marketing certificate — which I’m pleased to say I passed.
100%
Obtain my driving licence
KPI: pass my driving test
I’m slightly ashamed to say I’m still no closer to getting behind the wheel of a car. 2014 has been incredibly busy and Dublin is a very walkable city. But that’s no excuse. The truth is I live a short 12 minute walk from work and the vast majority of my friends are within walking distance or a short cab journey away. While learning to drive is not urgent, I know that it is an important life skill that I need to have — and I think 2015 will be the year I pass my test (sounds familiar, I know).
0%
Get healthier
KPI: lose one stone
I wanted to lose a bit of weight for my wedding. One stone in fact. And while I managed to lose that amount in time for the big day, I’ve since put about 3.5 lb back on! I’m still 10.5 lb lighter (75% of my goal) than I was at the beginning of the year, but in truth I’ve been less active since the wedding — and this needs to change. I plan to bring my running shoes to Seattle for the Christmas period as I look to begin 2015 on a health kick.
75%
See more of the world
KPI: visit two new countries
This year I had the pleasure of visiting three new countries: the Netherlands, Hungary and Mexico. Amsterdam was an insightful work trip, Budapest was a friend’s raucous stag party, and Tulum was my fantastic honeymoon. All in all, I feel very lucky to have seen more of the world and experienced three new cultures. I also made five trips to the US — Boston and Seattle twice, and Austin just the once. I never grow tired of visiting these places and would recommend them for a trip.
100%
Based on my calculation, I achieved 69% of what I had set out to accomplish in 2014 – which I’m pretty pleased with. I’d like to thank everyone who made it such a great year and hope that I continue to have such good fortune in 2015 and beyond. I’ll be sharing what I hope to achieve next year in the coming weeks.
