I am ahead in the game but not done yet!
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill
Sure - I am continuing. Nothing extraordinary about that. Bouncing back from failures is human nature. Some of us do it well and some of us not so well but ultimately, everyone does bounce back.
What is important for me though, is that I need to learn from my failures and successes equally. I need to understand my failures well enough to know what NOT to do and of course, I need to analyze my successes calmly to see what my strengths were...
Why am I sharing this here, you may ask. Good question. One of my greatest inhibitions has been about talking about myself on social media. I was a complete virgin (LOL) when it came to social media or blogging. My impression of both was that it was for self centered people who wanted to incessantly talk about themselves. Couple of things have changed my opinion a bit. A bit - mind you, not completely (which is one of my failures. You will read about it if you survive without dying of boredom till you reach that portion of my blog! ).
Anyway - one of the things which changed my mind is the encouragement I got from many friends and seniors on Steemit including 
The second thing is this great contest hosted by @anomadsoul. I truly believe that this contest will help many Steemians come out of their shell - just like me.
Anyway - without much further ado and before 2018 comes up, let me talk about my successes and failures. Failures first (they are fewer!! LOL)
Failures in life goals for 2017...
I have failed horribly in managing my anger well. I have always had a short fuse and have resolved to control my irritation in 2017. So far though, I have only managed to do that about 50% of the times. Rest of the times, I blew my top and acted like a general neurotic idiot!
I have to learn to be in others shoes a bit! My anger is short lived and I immediately apologize and make amends but that does not always wipe away the scars I cause. So ... I need to keep trying.
Failures on Steemit goals for 2017...
I have not really been able to keep up lately with all my followers and the excellent authors that I follow to read posts and provide meaningful feedback.
I have had a situation at hand due to some health issues of family members. I have also been extremely tied up with work due to my transition I carried out. I am feeling rather like this mule -
However, I am NOT going to use my situation as an excuse. I should be able to manage my time better and resolve this!
I have also not been able to come out and tear off the mask of anonymity. I am still hiding behind my lovely lion avatar though many Steemian friends have asked me to put up my picture. I also am kind of inhibited in talking about my personal things.
I have no remedy so far for that. This post is the pushing those boundaries but I do not know when I will break out my identity. (I feel like Batman!! LOL)
Whew.... it is hard to talk about failures - isn't it? I am glad this ordeal is over and I can move on to my achievements/ successes.
Successes in Life: 2017...
The major success in 2017 was that I have established myself as a consultant. As my Introduce yourself post said, I stepped out of the rut of being a successful executive and started working for myself in 2016. Building on that base, in 2017, I have established my routine, a work-life balance and have devoted a lot of time to family and my passions.
I am sure that I will never get stuck in a rut of running after perceived 'success' while ignoring my family and friends.
Not a planned thing but this also happened in 2017. My parents developed health issues and I have been able to devote my full attention towards them. Further. I am proud that, finally, I have been able to support my wife in taking care of everything that the family needs.
I have realized that families need my TIME and attention way more than they need money, fancy houses and cars. I count that as a major success for 2017.
On the hobby front, I took my photography passion to the next level and started capturing flying birds... Here is an example of a blog with a flying bird photo and my thoughts...
Success on Steemit: 2017...
I count my blessings in terms of the enrichment of my skills that Steemit has brought about. Steemit has awakened a passion in me to learn many new things. In 2017, in a few short months, I have taught myself the following things that I am proud of...
* SQL query language and the ability to analyse Steem databases
I analysed various things on the Steemit database and produced a post showing analysis that people could engage on Steemit on a regular basis and earn a living far better than the average earning capacities in many countries in Africa...
* Brought out the hidden artist in me
I created my Lion Avatar as my own brand and did lots of other artwork.. I had never been big on art, though, as an engineer, I did decent sketches. I managed to combine my skills with digital art and voila .....
My Lion Avatar
I even wrote Sci-Fi with my own Lion Avatar as the central character...
* Learnt GIF making..
Inspired by 
* Made many precious friends on Steemit
I am not a big fan of virtual friendships. However, I must admit that the friends I made on Steemit have added a completely new dimension to my life. The intellectually stimulating dialogue and the wealth of information that flows in is just awesome! Stay blessed my friends.
This, for me is the biggest achievement on Steemit!
What - you have reached this point in my blog and are not dead of boredom yet??? You must surely be either a politician or a diplomat since you have the ability to survives such an extensive discourse about NOTHING really!!
To cut the long story short, I have had a wonderful 2017. Obviously, like every other year and like everyone else, the year has been a mixed bag for me but overall, I am a better person, my skills are enhanced and I am ahead in the game (whatever game life and I are playing at the moment). I, therefore, conclude with these borrowed words:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost
Steemians, please comment freely and let me know what you think of my failures and successes. Also - I would love to hear about your own adventures in 2017. Thanks.
Note: All images except for the wildlife photos and the title image created by me are from pixabay.com. Wherever other images are used, Image credits are indicated.
