Well, here we are with another decade under our belts – out with the old and in with the new as they say. But before I talk about 2010, I have to say that 2009 was an extremely fantastic year for me. Being kicked off with my first Mobile Tech 4 Social Change meeting in NYC and meeting Katrin Verclas of MobileActive as well as tons of other great minds, a spark was ignited within my entire being to live and be someone of impact. Since that day in February, I embarked on a journey of speaking opportunities, conferences and brainstorming of ideas with fantastic people who are passionate about making use of innovative tools and technologies to impact the health and wellness of the masses.
It was certainly the year you could say I “woke up” to things I want to do and accomplish. Not a bad way to end the first decade of the millennium huh? Now we all get to take inventory of what we have already done and how we want to see ourselves grow in this new year. With the help of some great people that I regularly keep up with (since they’re pretty smart and have some great things to say), such as Chris Brogan, Beth Kanter and Frank Barry – I’ve decided to think broadly about the words that I feel will be guiding my growth in the new year. I encourage you to do the same.
My words for 2010: Educate, Collaborate, and Ignite
Educate
During some self reflection I was doing towards the end of last year about my personality and things I enjoy doing – one of the things I settled upon was the joy I get from informing someone of something new. But education is not just about handing someone a piece of paper and saying “here, hope you can figure out something to do with it”. Last year I got to make this happen by speaking on mHealth at the North Carolina Division of Public Health and presenting on new media for public health at the North Carolina Society of Public Health Education Annual Meeting. I truly hope I continue to do that in 2010 – some great opportunities coming up so stay tuned. It’s about placing information into their hands and minds in the context of being relevant, otherwise it becomes a piece of trivia that may or may not be useful during game night.
Collaborate
This is where I get a real rush of excitement, mainly because for those of you who have met me or hung around me a while, you understand I really enjoy people. That is pretty much at the core of anything I do or will do on a large or small scale. Interacting with people enriches my life and makes life more enjoyable. So in 2010, I really plan on collaborating with like minded individuals to move things forward. Organizations such as Amy Jussel’s Shaping Youth and Playnormous have huge appeal for me! The way I see it, each of us has something to contribute that the other person can’t. That’s one of the main reasons why I try to surround myself with all sorts of people – smarter, more creative and funnier.
Ignite
Remember when I said that the meeting in NYC last year ignited a spark within me? Yeah, I want to help create that feeling for as many people as I can this year. Last year I got to help out with a new program mentoring students at Purdue University on social media. I also was able to go back to my alma mater (University of Maryland) and speak to the new class of public health students about the coming opportunities they will have to innovative and change the field. How cool is that? The world becomes more alive and full of opportunities when you feel purposeful, doesn’t it? No matter what path you take in life or whatever field you choose to grow your expertise – when you care about it, that’s when success arrives.
I would love to hear your own three words or your own thoughts about what you aim to focus on in 2010. I might even challenge you to create your own post about them and send em over to me or here in the comments section. Would absolutely love to hear them!
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Wishing you a successful and happy 2010
Love it, Andre. Truly inspirational.
Here’s to another year of personal growth.
My three words for 2010 are Focus and Do Stuff.
Let’s roll!
Inspired by your words as always, Andre…
Building upon a collective knowledge pool enables us ALL to venture out of safer waters and splash in the deep end of innovation for education without the fear of drowning on our own.
I value our alliances deeply for all of those reasons; it’s like knowing there are lifeguards around to toss a line even if you never use the full scope of capability; just knowing those skill sets are THERE enables edgier, color outside the lines creative thinking beyond individual acumen…So yep, 2010 should be a year of teaming, participatory learning and raising the bar to ‘boldly go where’…well…you know the rest. heh.
Cheers to ‘augmenting society’s collective IQ’ as Doug Engelbart might say…btw, ck out his latest: http://engelbartbook.com
Onward!
Fantastic post Andre! I have to agree, 2009 was an incredible year!
And as a good friend told me, ’2010 is the year to start getting really ambition!’
Looking forward to more great posts on Pulse + Signal in the coming year!
Ignite – I love that word! Bring on the pyrotechnics!
I only have one word: Colossal: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnhaydon/4222892393/sizes/o/
Great post, thanks. How to make three words from Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Trust. Learn. Build.
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