2016: The Year of Staying Hungry

On a recent road trip, Judy and I were discussing our goals for 2016.  We are strong believers in dreaming big and then making those dreams happen. Seeing the world from A to Z is a manifestation of a dream that Judy turned into reality.

As we thought through our goals for 2016, both personally and professionally, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the concept of staying hungry. I’ve often coined the phrase, “Fat cats don’t hunt” to reflect the thought that when one gets too comfortable, one misses out on the opportunities to grow…to learn…to risk. By staying hungry, the body and the mind seek to be filled.

The goals we’ve set for ourselves in 2016 speak to that hunger:

• The hunger to travel, to see new places, things and people, and to engage in new experiences.
• The hunger to lose some weight and get in better shape. And, if we always allow ourselves to literally stay a little bit hungry, the weight will come off faster!
• The hunger to hone our writing and editing craft by writing more blogs and reading more.
• The hunger to buy a place we can call our own, along with the desire to set aside some things in order to make that happen.

Professionally, our desire to “stay hungry” is manifesting itself in similar ways.

For me, it’s about expanding on what I accomplished in 2015…

• Continuing to build a team of folks who love what they do and can be trusted to just get it done.
• Expanding my role as communications counsel to my organization’s leaders; becoming even more knowledgeable about the issues and topics that keep them awake at night and be able to proactively provide recommendations.
• Establishing a strategic plan for the office early in the year and sticking with it; modifying as we go along to address new issues and opportunities.

For Judy, it’s about finding a new opportunity to strut her stuff; something that she’ll find intellectually stimulating and in an environment where she is fully appreciated. That likely means she’ll have to go hunting for it

The point is this: If life is a journey, we must constantly stay hungry and look for new and interesting experiences along the way. Too often, when we tell folks about our A to Z adventures, we hear, “Oh, I’d love to do that.” Our answer is always the same…”just go do it.”

What are you going to do to stay hungry in 2016?

Happy New Year!

© The World A to Z, LLC 2016