Hello 2026: New year, new goals and plans

Hello 2026! I had hoped to launch this blog post earlier, but the start of the year has been busy busy busy. And that fact is a large part of this post. I wrote a wrap-up of 2025 reviewing my goals and accomplishments last year, but with reflection we also get the chance to reset and pivot. This post will cover my thoughts and where we are at the start of 2026. It will conclude with what those thoughts turn into as actionable goals for the year ahead.

Reflecting on 2025

I didn't accomplish everything I set out to in 2025. I also accomplished a lot. 2025 was the year I broke out in community contributions. I presented 16 sessions at conferences, user groups, and at guilds within Leading EDJE. I launched my blog here and posted 11 articles covering Aspire, .NET, and various DevOps technologies. I made new friends at SoftwareGR, Beer City Code, the West Michigan Azure User Group, and multiple other Michigan and greater Midwest developer communities. I was promoted to a Senior Solutions Developer II at my firm, Leading EDJE and took on new responsibilities as a DevOps specialist. Many of these accomplishments pushed me beyond my previous limits in my professional life. They already are opening me to new opportunities this new year. I also fell short a few times too, chances to learn and grow.

My greatest accomplishments last year were none of these. It was buying my first house with my wife and settling into a new home together. That itself sounds major, but it happened suddenly and came with much support. It also was despite a year I neglected many personal goals. That is one area I will do better this year.

The 2026 pivot

With reflection comes the chance to pivot. I have decided to make some changes in 2026. Some are small, some are large. Some are personal, some are professional. Some are public, some are private. Some are continuations, some are new.

When setting goals, I start first with what I want to be doing in the year. When I sit down with myself and ask what I enjoy, I come to the focus of community, learning, and fun. I didn't start with these kinds of buzzwords, instead I find them. I list my passions and start grouping them together.

I get to community by reflecting on the professional successes last year. The greatest new opportunities came from meeting community leaders at Beer City Code and West Michigan Azure User Group here in Grand Rapids. I love my hometown and want to invest in it so the developer community in GR can thrive. I also want to continue to travel and connect with the greater developer community across the Midwest and beyond. Learning is a natural extension of software engineering. The field is always changing, and staying current is vital. Generative AI is an industry wide shift. I also have upskilling opportunities with cloud-native development and DevOps practices.

Fun is what I neglected last year. December was rough and revealed how pushing too hard without balance can throw life out of whack. I want a solid foundation of personal health, relationships, and hobbies to balance my professional life. This means more intentional time with my wife, friends, and myself. I want to play more games, read more books, and run more miles. These are all things that bring me joy and recharge my batteries.

With these three pillars in mind, I can now set my overarching goal for 2026:

In 2026, I will prioritize community, learning, and fun to achieve a balanced and fulfilling year.

From this, I now break down this goal with quantifiable milestones.

Objective 1: Community

Community is about connection. I want to grow the Grand Rapids developer community. I also want to have real conversations with others. One personal belief is the best way to connect is over food and drink. Sharing a meal or conversation over coffee establishes real relationships. I also got some amazing invites from new friends last year that enable aggressive goal opportunities this year. To these ends, I set the following community goals for 2026:

Objective 2: Learning

Learning is about growth. I want to continue to grow my skills as a developer. Learning itself is hard to quantify, but I can set goals around outcomes that naturally follow learning. Certifications provide a formal validation of learning. I also tend to write posts as I learn. I was torn with grouping for blog posts as I also write to contribute to the community, but the reality is my blog content is about sharing what I learn with readers. Therefore, I set the following learning goals for 2026:

Objective 3: Fun

Fun is about living. Last year, I started running including my first formal race. This year, I want to resume running and push myself toward sustainable fitness. I also love video games. I want to play more with less guilt. Reading is another hobby I neglected but love. Those cover personal fun, often in solitude. However, I have a wife I deeply love. I also own a house now! I've found joy in hosting friends and family. I also want to invest in this home we are building. Finally, I want to travel unrelated to developer conferences. Exploring new places with my wife is a joy I want to prioritize. Therefore, I set the following fun goals for 2026:

Ready, set, go

With these goals set, I feel ready to tackle 2026. Most of these are already in progress. Altogether, they feel ambitious. They are also achievable. Many of these are metrics I have already achieved in the last year and only ask to do them again. Some are new challenges that will push me. But one missed fact in goal-setting is that goals are not set in stone. If I find myself overwhelmed or under-challenged, I can always pivot, adjust, or scrap goals as needed. What is important is that I have a north star to guide me through the year. With that, I am excited to see what 2026 has in store.

Here is to a 2026 filled with community, learning, and fun. Cheers!