Personal

Yes, it has been awhile, but I figured this was as good a time as any to dust off the login credentials for this site :) As the title alludes to, I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the Veeam Vanguard program again for 2022. The last few years have been a bit different for the program, and despite having limited in-person interactions, it did spawn significantly more frequent get togethers (whether formally organized webinars, social events, or special one-off sessions). We’re all hopeful that with 2022 we’ll all be able to see each other at the annual Vanguard Summit. However, with the way the world has been for the past two years, I’m not placing any bets on it yet. ...

I recently took a week of vacation time away from my job; despite the situation that the world is currently in (i.e. pandemic) and the fact that I couldn’t really go anywhere, it was an extremely relaxing and satisfying time off. It was somewhat labour intensive at times (I built a deck, stained and put together some chairs, built some shelving, etc.), but it was a mental break for me. ...

In addition to a couple of recent conversations with peers, a recent comment on a post on my site lead to a bit of a conversation around home labs and setups. Rather than going back and forth via comments, I figured I would write down some thoughts as a post. If nothing else, it will be easier to share and reference going forward. WHAT SHOULD MY LAB LOOK LIKE? Perfection is the enemy of progressIt depends …. But seriously, it depends on what you are trying to learn. If you are looking to learn about Active Directory and SQL Server, it will look a lot different if you are looking to learn more about vRealize Automation, for example. ...

2016 was a big year for me from a personal and career growth standpoint; I obtained vExpert for the first time, I launched my own Veeam User Group and became apart of the Veeam Vanguard, and I also presented at a couple of VMUGs. That in of itself was far more than I thought I could achieve, but something that I thought would never happened did: I was invited to a Tech Field Day event. ...

As has become a bit of a tradition for me, I’m taking the time to review my 2018 and set some goals for 2019. Why do I do this, particularly, why do I do it publicly on my blog? Well for one, it’s my blog so I can do what I want ;) But seriously, I have found that if I write something down I am far more accountable. There are especially some folks within the vCommunity who I know will hold me accountable as well. So in short, I think it is a great way to get things done. ...

Late last year, I wrote up some goals and intentions for 2018. I’ve often felt that actually writing things like that down holds you accountable, and at least for me, it tends to make the likelihood of it coming true much higher. One of those points revolved around career and making a change, whether it be a shift where I am currently or moving on to somewhere else. And that is where this post comes in: a change is in the winds. ...

A little while back I wrote about being frozen by fear of failure when it comes to making a decision. During one of the conversations I had on Twitter, I mentioned that I had experienced something different in the past. Rather than being frozen by fear of failure, I’ve found myself being frozen by fear of success. Sounds odd, right? WHAT DOES GETTING THIS RIGHT MEAN? By nature, I tend to be a bit of a cautious person. This has its benefits, but it also has its downfalls. Being cautious can lead to a lot of missed opportunities. Although that may not bother folks (I’m usually not phased by my decisions), it can be detrimental to career growth. Remedying it isn’t easy - you don’t want to start making “shoot from the hip” decisions to try and offset this. ...

I recently sat down with a colleague at work, and after a few minutes of chatting, we got on to the topic of how to be effective. More specifically, we touched on the topic of what made people ineffective. One trait that we both noticed throughout the years has been the inability to make a decision. Regardless of the role (subordinate, peer, or superior), we can see folks like this in the workplace, or in everyday life for that matter. It tends to be a real issue when it comes to succeeding. ...

Last year I wrote a post summarizing my 2016 - this may not be the most interesting of topics for most readers, but it is something that I have found useful. I get value from this exercise as it forces me to reflect back on my year and see what goals I achieved, and which ones I didn’t. I also find that the action of writing down a goal (publicly, in this case) also makes it real. It makes it something to strive for. ...

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge proponent of the ‘vCommunity’. Since I upped my game at VMWorld 2015, I have been addicted to not just consuming community resources, but also giving back. I decided that I wanted to get involved and help out. Towards the end of 2015, my local VMUG group was not looking for any sort of additional leadership help, so I did the next best thing - I started my own user group. ...