Life Lessons from 2018

How can it already be time for another life lessons blog?!

Between the kiddos and the businesses, life has kept me a little busy! I’m extremely fortunate and thankful to be in this position, and as we close the books on 2018, I’m taking a moment to reflect on a few of the life lessons I’ve learned this year.

At Work

2018 was a year of tremendous change for Techvera. We started out the year on the tail end of our service model evolution and decided to phase out our consumer services entirely, so that we could focus on working with small businesses.

This decision did not come easy. I faced criticism and doubt when I finally pulled the trigger. Once we made it through the other side, clients and team members alike benefited and it ultimately drove tangible improvements to our already rockin' service delivery.

Change is hard. That goes without saying. More so than any previous year, I was pushed outside my comfort zone in 2018.

I started working with a publicist and booking public speaking gigs at local chambers and networking groups. The first presentations were a little rough, but eventually they got better. A few weeks ago I was a guest on my buddy's radio show. More media events to come...persistence pays off!

Personal development was a focal point for me in 2018. I joined HTG, a peer group for IT professionals, and that has been a life changing experience. This peer group has challenged me to become a more responsible leader, plan for success, and to hold myself (and my team) more accountable. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made as an entrepreneur.

As a result, I’ve got a much stronger grasp on my future thanks to being in HTG. Shout out to the guys in my specific group, HTG05, that have been extremely influential and encouraging during my first year in the group.

The business taught me two key life lessons this year:

• The importance of pushing outside your comfort zone and working with your peers.
• Aligning the company’s culture, team, and my vision are critical to long term success.

At Home

The Ormand bambinos are growing up way too fast! Henry is almost 3 years old and Aria, our little girl, is 16 months old. These two are quickly becoming best friends and it’s adorable to see them play together.

I love hanging out with my family on the weekends, where our time is spent playing Hot Wheels, having tea parties, watching Paw Patrol, and of course, eating snacks! Henry has the best sense of humor and is such an intelligent little guy. Like seriously, he’s a genius!

And as for Aria, in the past few months, she has gotten quite attached to her dad and loves to snuggle with me in the mornings. Christmas as a parent was especially fun this year, watching the kids open gifts and visit with family.

Of course, the glue that holds us all together is my wife and best friend Jordan. She’s such an excellent mother to our children and is always supportive of me. Thank you for everything you do Jordan, we all love you so much!

My family continues to teach me what I consider the most important life lesson every day. It has been my greatest joy in life to become a parent. To watch my children grow, learn, and love has given me so much more balance, happiness, and purpose. I hope this look back at 2018 has given you insight into my life and an appreciation for your own good fortunes this past year.

As we turn our attention to 2019, I encourage you to make the most of every opportunity thrown your way. Be bold. You know why?

Fortune favors the bold.