Blog Post #13
Well what a year that was. A testing one for many, and one that’s called on collective action. As I see, read and hear how many are dealing with the year that has been, particularly as I reach out and speak to friends and family over in the UK, I realise I am very fortunate not to have been impacted the way many others have. Was this down to luck? A better government? More resilience? All of the above, more than some and less than others. For me this has actually been one of my best years to date and for a number of different reasons. For the past 5 years or so, around this time, I review the year just gone. I ask myself what went well, identifying successes and wins. I then consider what did not go so well: what lessons am I taking into the next year, what bad habits did I have? I combine the above with a simple tool I term ‘The Hand’. This tool helps me check in with the various areas of my life and whether any are in debt, which areas am I neglecting? The areas are rarely in balance for long and regularly fluctuate. This simple tool helps me re-calibrate. Once I have reviewed the year just gone, I shift to considering the next year. What will my focus be for 2021? What goals do I desire to achieve in each area of my life? I usually spend around a week on and off completing this review, and have learnt to commit the time to it that it deserves, particularly the goals for the upcoming year.
You can see some of my highlights from 2020 above. Professionally, the obvious highlights were starting contracting as Asset BowManagement Ltd, and completing 7 contracts for 4 different clients. One of the most recent contracts , undertaking physical inspections of flood protection assets in the Bay of Plenty Region, has honestly been my favourite so far. This contract differed from the majority of other contracts. A more ‘hands on’ and physical contract. More tactical, and less strategic. A contract where I could see results and influence action far quicker than strategic infrastructure planning, where you may not see any changes or results for many years. It was an immediately rewarding contract. One that was never dull and had it’s exciting moments. Whether that was being chased by a bull or a landowner, involuntarily completing my first somersault off an electric bike, or a cultural encounter with the local iwi (check out my LinkedIn post here).
This contract had it all, I loved it. An added bonus was staying on the beautiful Ohope Beach with a lovely family who I spent a lot of time with. Playing pool, lots of BBQ’s, I was even taken out on my first fishing boat trip!
This contract also served me appreciation for not only field workers, but data analysts. Having spent 26 days in the field over 6 weeks, you quickly value the effort field and operational staff put in week in week out (and I even had an electric bike!). Likewise, having validated, cleansed, processed, and analysed a large volume of data, I gained an insight into the daily life of a data analyst. One is physically exerting, the other mentally. I loved the variety. It’s made me realise that I want to pursue more of these contracts, so I was super pleased when the same client asked me to return and undertake another 100+km of floodbank inspections. Contract #9 secured. In April I will return to the Bay of Plenty. Before this in March I will return to where it all started, Gisborne, where Contract #8 will see me spending around 3 weeks supporting the Rivers team with their work programme.
Contract #10, while not yet secured, I have been in talks with another client with regards to a contract I had not anticipated. At the back of my mind I have entertained the idea of expanding from the flood protection field, the ‘4th water’ as some term it. However, I did not expect this to happen for a number of years. I learnt that a previous client had recommended Asset BowManagement to one of their colleagues in another department who was seeking some asset management support. So while the dotted line has yet to be signed, I am excited at the prospect of moving into the Regional Parks space and welcome the new territory and any challenges that come with it. Assuming all goes well, I’ll be extending my time in the Bay of Plenty. Hopefully more on this as things start unfold at the beginning of this year.
So if the next contact doesn’t start until March, what about now? Having spent Christmas with my family on the North Island indulging in some filthy treats with no guilt, I have returned south to this lovely alpine town I now call home. Over the next 2 weeks I will be finishing off Contract #7 remotely from Wanaka. For the 16th of January I am staring down some additional time off where I look forward to doing a paragliding course, heading into the bush for some hiking, and attaching my tent and other essentials to my mountain bike and heading off into the wild. Plenty adventures await.
Here’s to a new year, some new challenges, and some ambitious goals…
