St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow

Alright everyone…it’s almost that time, and maybe even past that time for a lot of you depending on what area of the globe you live in. I wanted to write a quick post to reflect on this year and comment on the road ahead.

2008 will go down as a difficult year. Here are some of the things I think about in my own life when I think of 2008, good and bad:

• The economy was awful. I mean, awful. I think we’ll be talking about 2008 and what led up to this for many years to come, and it may even be a time period that our grandchildren look at in comparison to the depression. hopefully we don’t reach 25% unemployment, but things aren’t good
• On a side note, so I remember my econ professor’s teachings…this recession was a consumer led recession that was delayed because of a weak dollar, which increased US exports. Nevertheless, the bank failures and credit crisis killed credibility, and the spigot called lending stopped, and here we are. consumer spending dried up because of the housing burst and high oil prices, and the credit crisis killed the stock market, which led to a negative wealth effect. of course, much more complicated, but a quick summary.
• I switched jobs in 2008 after 4.5 years at HireRight. I left a lot of friends at that company, and I kick started a new chapter in my career path.
• My wife taught me a lot about myself and marriage, both good and bad. I’m a better person because of us.
• My sister got a divorce. It wasn’t pretty and she went through (and is still going through) some tough times. May 2009 be better for her and her children.
• I ran a marathon and shared it with some great friends in my favorite city on earth
  

  Ainbinder before marathon

  

  Ainbinder after marathon

• I failed at starting a company, again
• I volunteered…not because i had to fulfill a requirement somewhere, but because my soul told me I needed it
• I discovered cycling
• I did not break my gadget addiction
• I took a first step in my personal branding…and you’re reading it
• I found the value in service (not goods, but services)
• I became a Mac convert, and to be honest, i really think this sparked my creative motivation
• I still don’t know the lyrics to my favorite songs
• I traveled to several foreign countries (Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Russia, Czech Republic), and these experiences really taught me to enjoy being by myself
• I rekindled some old friendships (and one of those friends should give me free food from his restaurant tonight out of the kindness of his heart)
• I lost some friendships
• I discovered web 2.0 and all its benefits, and I will forever love “being connected”

For 2009, well, you’ve read my goals. I want it to be a good year, better than 2007 and 2008, which were not the best years for me. But what I have learned the most over these two difficult years is that pain helped me realize who I truly am and what I stand for. It’s made me connect with areas of myself I haven’t wanted to connect with. It’s made me a better person!

Therefore, the bottom line lesson learned from this year is no matter what happens, failure or success, there’s always something to gain from the experience.

Happy New Year everyone! Be safe and I look forward to a good, shared 2009 with each of you.