Alright. Vacation’s over. It’s time to put the past behind and focus on the year to come!

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2014 will be full of new life chapters.

I will finally be graduating as an Engineer from the University of Toronto. To celebrate, I’ll be taking a couple-week adventure with some of my best friends throughout Europe. We don’t have any details yet. But all we do know is that it’s going to be epic. Finally, I’ll be starting my full-time role at Ubiqua. There are high expectations and challenges ahead of me, but I look forward to the opportunity.

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2014 will bring a renewed focus.

First off, I plan to spend more time reading and writing. These are essential to improving my ability to communicate effectively and will be crucial when I start my role at Ubiqua.

Second and equally important, I will invest more time in nurturing valuable friendships. One of the most valuable things I’ve gained from the last 5 years are the friends I’ve made and that have helped me grow each day.

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2014 will bring new perspectives.

Changes in attitude and habits will be difficult, but necessary for my personal and professional development.

I will Listen > Talk. I have a tendency to blab and share my personal experiences. The reality is that I miss out on valuable opportunities to learn more from the experiences of my peers.

I will Create > Consume. If I do consume, I will do so critically, engaging with the subject and reflecting on the lessons and applications in my personal life.

I will focus on being Present. Rather than being distracted by all the noise of today’s world, I will immerse myself fully and truly experience the moment at hand. Goodbye smartphone texting during lunch with friends.

I will take the time to think and reflect before acting. I want to make sure that I am continuously thinking about the lessons learned from my experiences and how to apply those in my life.

I will seek Simplicity over Complexity, Minimalism over Clutter. The world tells us that more is ultimately good. The more features the better. The more stuff you own the better. These are distractions from the things that really matter. Less material concerns means more time to focus on the things that add value to my life. Less complications means more time to focus on the essentials.

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2014 will bring new levels of personal productivity.

I will exercise the “Complete or Kill” principle from Nathan Barry’s Productivity Manifesto. This is a commitment to finish projects, rather than building a lasting list of works in progress. More importantly, it forces me to be more critical with the projects I take on, focusing my time and energy and high value projects.

I will work on my goals a little bit each day. Skills and habits take time to develop, but are testaments to the value of hard work, discipline and perseverance.

Finally, I will focus on the things that matter most. Time is the only thing we all have in common. It’s important that I focus my time on what adds value to my life: learning new things, exploring my sense of self, spending time with my friends and family, and seeking to help and enrich the lives of those around me.

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2014, here you have it.

These are the promises and commitment I make this new year. I look forward to the wins, failures, valuable lessons, and the new experiences to come!

Cheers to the New Year!