Let me be honest upfront: I failed at my New Year’s resolution again. Another year, another missed goal to lose weight and get healthier. But here’s what I learned - sometimes the most important growth happens in areas you didn’t plan for.

2021 marked a fundamental shift in my career. Instead of diving deep into technical details like I always had, I found myself leading multiple teams within our Information Security organization. As Director of Security Architecture, my focus shifted from being the person who solved problems to being the person who enabled others to solve them faster.

The biggest change? Learning to be a better business partner. This meant fewer things falling through the cracks, faster response times to requests, and actually understanding what other teams needed from us instead of just what we thought they needed.

Image of Cessna 172 - N523AB

But the real milestone this year? Finally earning my private pilot’s license.

Eighteen years. That’s how long it took me from my first flight in a Cessna 150 at Ryan Field in Tucson (July 26, 2003) to passing my checkride in a Cessna 172 at Erie Municipal Airport on February 2nd, 2021. Some goals take longer than expected, but persistence pays off.

Since earning my license, I’ve taken my family on multiple flights, explored airports across the central and western United States, completed mountain flying training, earned my high performance endorsement, and even briefly owned a share in a Cessna 182 partnership. The freedom to go places on my own schedule, to share aviation with my family, and to continue learning new skills like instrument flying has been incredible. 67.5 hours logged in 2021 - not bad for a new pilot.

Image of Cessna 182 - N5788J

“I flew for a total of 67.5 hours in 2021.”

2021 Airports

  • Erie Municipal Airport, Erie, CO (KEIK)
  • Centennial Airport, Denver, CO (KAPA)
  • Central Colorado Regional Airport, Buena Vista, CO (KAEJ)
  • Meadow Lake Airport, Colorado Springs, CO (KFLY)
  • Steamboat Springs/Bob Adams Field, Steamboat Springs, CO (KSBS)
  • Pueblo Memorial Airport, Pueblo, CO (KPUB)
  • Lake County Airport, Leadville, CO (KLXV)
  • Las Vegas Municipal Airport, Las Vegas, NM (KLVS)
  • Payson Airport, Payson, AZ (KPAN)
  • Scottsdale Airport, Scottsdale, AZ (KSDL)
  • Marana Regional Airport, Marana, Arizona(KAVQ)
  • El Tiro Gliderport, Tucson, AZ (AZ67)
  • Limon Municipal Airport, Limon, CO (KLIC)
  • Kit Carson County Airport, Burlington, CO (KITR)
  • Renner Field/Goodland Municipal Airport, Goodland, KS (KGLD)
  • San Luis Valley Regional Airport/Bergman Field, Alamosa, CO (KALS)
  • Northern Colorado Regional Airport, Fort Collins/Loveland, CO (KFNL)

Coco

In May, everything changed again when Coco arrived. Becoming a father for the second time, I took advantage of Alteryx’s generous parental leave policy - three months off compared to just one week with our first child.

I’ll be honest: the longest I hadn’t worked since I was 14 years old was three weeks. With big projects and tight timelines at work, I definitely experienced some FOMO before going on leave. But that anxiety disappeared quickly once I embraced the time with my new daughter.

What I didn’t expect was to discover a love of reading. Inspired by mentors and leaders who always had book recommendations, I read more in 2021 than in any previous year. My wife read over 100 books that year (which puts my progress in perspective), but I finally understood why she’s such an avid reader. Here’s what got me through those early morning feedings and quiet moments:

  • Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right - Jamie Glowacki
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable - Patrick Lencioni
  • An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management - Will Larson
  • Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders - L. David Marquet
  • Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink & Leif Babin
  • Staff Engineer: Leadership Beyond the Management Track - Will Larson
  • The Managers Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change - Camille Fournier
  • Death by Meeting - Patrick Lencioni
  • The Kubernetes Book - Nigel Poulton
  • This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race - Nicole Perlroth
  • Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility - Patty McCord
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the and Middle Class Do Not! - Robert Kiyosaki
  • Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly - Anthony Bourdain

I had another 8-10 books that I started, but did not make it through them yet.

“I read more in 2021, than I had in any previous year.”

Returning from leave, the second half of 2021 brought massive changes:

  • Career pivot: Transitioned back into the Engineering organization to build a new DevSecOps team
  • Geographic reset: Sold our Denver home, packed up the family, and moved across the country to Poulsbo, Washington
  • Family expansion: Welcomed our first au pair to help manage the chaos

Denver Home

Poulsbo Home

Moving with two kids is exponentially harder than our previous dozen moves. But sometimes you need major change to create the life you actually want, not just the one that happened to you.

Looking toward 2022, I’m setting more realistic goals:

  • Keep writing - Continue posting here and actually improve my writing skills
  • Finish what I started - Complete my Instrument Rating
  • Maintain the reading habit - Match or exceed this year’s book count
  • Priorities first - Keep my family healthy and safe

Stretch goals (because why not dream big):

  • Buy my own airplane
  • Actually take that scheduled Maui vacation in February

2021 taught me that the most meaningful growth often happens in unexpected areas. Sometimes missing your original goal opens space for something better.