2010 was a big year. I wrapped up my role as President of GOOD. Got a place in the Big Apple. Raised a venture fund. Hit the reset button and reconnected with some old friends and family. It was a year of growth and achievement in many important ways. However, such progress has brought on additional responsibility personally and professionally, and I enter the new year with a long list of to-dos.

Here are a few big ones:

Passion. When I think about my professional career beginning as a paper boy for the Chevy Chase Gazette >> washing utensils at Honey Baked Ham >> interning at Adworks >> business development at Modem Media >> Proteus >> Helio and GOOD, I've been fortunate to work with and learn from an incredible group of people. In addition, despite huge swings in the economy and other externalities, I never experienced any fatal failures or easy successes. All of the progress was based off of hard work, teamwork, discipline, luck and a positive attitude. This path has conditioned me to believe that failure is not catastrophic and success does not come quickly or easily. In addition, I've learned that my happiness, earning potential and performance are all directly tied by a common thread -- Passion. It is a fairly simple conclusion, the more time I spend doing things I am passionate about, the better the result all around. I'm not sure why it took me 33 years to figure this out but I am glad to have arrived at this conclusion and have it branded in my brain (and written on the top of my whiteboard). My true passion is investing in and working with entrepreneurs to build great companies. Solving hard problems by being creative. Competing and making money. Given these specific interests, I could not be more excited to launch my first venture fund -- Collaborative. It cements my transition from an operator to a full-time investor. Lots more on this front, but safe to assume, I couldn't be more excited about this transition and the challenges that lie ahead.

Focus. I want "fewer and better" in my life. I once heard that perfection can get in the way of success - which I believe to be true. But equally debilitating is being spread too thin. I plan to focus more of my time and energy on the people and projects that I care about most. Here is a list of a few things I've started doing that have helped:

• Limit myself to 3 achievable to-dos per day
• Set aside an uninterrupted hour per day to work on bigger projects
• Avoid clutter via replacement only... (ie. every time I buy something new, throw out or donate something old)
• Eat dinner with my family (parents, sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew) at least once a month
• Delete one Facebook 'friend' a day
• Use TeuxDeux religiously
• Cut out the fake work and focus on the projects that really matter

I hope to continue this trend into 2011. It feels refreshing and healthy.  

Creativity. 2011 will have more Graffiti for me (than 2010). The graffiti culture in and around Washington DC in the mid 1990's taught me a lot of life lessons. Taking risk, choosing your spots, creating your own style, accepting that things are not permanent, understanding there are consequences for your actions, camaraderie, respect and loyalty. New York is a mecca for Graffiti and spending time there has ushered a fresh breath of renewed commitment to this part of my DNA.

Learning. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with innovative, smart, creative entrepreneurs who I can learn from and grow with. Personally, I've started to mess with Hackety Hack and am enjoying it. My goal is to build an application that I use on a regular basis by the end of 2011. I can not think of anything more relevant or valuable in today's world than computer programming skills. I wish I had paid more attention in my computer science classes in college! But it is never too late.

Embrace Risk. I recently watched a video of Brene Brown talking about the power of vulnerability at a TEDx event. It was a powerful reminder to embrace your vulnerabilities and appreciate the ordinary things in life. The little things are the big things. And by numbing or protecting yourself from disappointment you do not allow for the potential of true joy and success.

This list is by no means exhaustive but you get the idea. Lots has been done, lots more to do. I am thankful for my family, my friends and for the opportunity to have worked with so many great people in 2010. 2011 should prove to be even better.