Climbing the Executive Mountain

So today, I had a conversation with a few other local professionals - some of which own their own technology solutions/services companies. I enjoy talking to others that have more experience than I do since it allows me the opportunity to gain a bigger or different perspective on how the business world works for different companies in different situations. I have been thinking for a while on what and how to write for my introductory blog post to this site; luckily it hit me while I was at the gym and it was perfect!

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A little backstory of where I am coming from and why this thought was my ideal start (at least at the moment; feel free to skip this part if you don't want a backstory).

A little over a week and a half ago, I swore off sweets and carbs. I officially started the Ketogenic diet and picked back up at my local gym after over two and a half years of gaining weight, not taking care of myself like I should, and getting lost in what little personal time I have between working full time and maintaining grades as a full time student. I did manage myself somewhat, preventing myself from getting too high in weight, but considering I am already overweight for my height and bone mass - it was high time I did something. Past diets, exercise regimen, and attempts to lower my weight all failed within the first week (And I tried several times on my own and with my family). Perhaps it was due to a lack of self esteem, the 'need' for a cheat day because it was hard, or just plain lack of motivation. This time - I didn't plan ahead like I did in the past. I decided on a Saturday to commit to a diet, the first one I found was the Ketogenic diet. So Sunday I went shopping, spending way too much money on healthy ingredients, veggies, and sugar replacements. I meal prepped (which I had never done before) and stuck to it. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner I have all cooked or premade for myself for the next day. I started counting carbs, sugars, fats, protein, and even ingredients to make sure they were good to use. The first day was surprisingly easy and had me thinking this diet would be a breeze. The rest of the week kicked me in the behind. Keto flu had found its way in and did not feel like letting go; but I had no intention of stopping this time. I made a commitment on a whim and I was going to stick to it because I knew I needed this. So every day I continued making food, watching my carbs, and drinking lots of water. The same Monday I started keto, I also went back to the gym. The goal here is to get healthier and build healthy habits, not to make crazy gains or become some superstar weight lifter. Keto flu and gym soreness certainly hit me hard - and I wanted to quit so bad. My family was buying pizza, ice cream, sodas, and all sorts of high carb goodies that I love which made it so much harder.

Post week 1 of keto me is happy to report I am still here and kicking. The flu is gone and my cravings, although there, are much more manageable. I am getting excited for the things I can make and eat that are keto friendly. I am getting excited about the progress I am making getting back to the gym.

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In all of this I have realized: Small steps, over time, can make an immeasurable impact. Sometimes that commitment to drastic, difficult, but overall relatively small steps are how we have to make progress. This brings me to the entire point of this blog post and the conversation with my colleagues.

My goal is simple: I want to get into the management side of IT to eventually make my way up the ladder of a bigger company to get to the point where I can have a measurable impact on the company in a positive direction. The end goal is VP or a CTO, but I would be even happier to get to a CEO role as someone who understands the workings of an IT team, what can be accomplished, what is silly to try to accomplish, and has seen the negative impacts of an ill informed decision making ladder that have an unrealistic ideal.

The way to get there is those small steps that I have talked about. One conversation here, one introduction there, and one elevator meeting somewhere else can lead to an ever broadening network of excellent professionals that know a lot more about what I want to do than I currently do. Perhaps my favorite idea that I have been writing out is sending handwritten letters (with a typed copy) to higher ups in companies that have a large amount of success in what they do. Introductions are how we meet people and I have neither the time nor resources to meet a lot of these individuals in person or the ability to try and get them in an elevator. This small step with some effort, is a step in the right direction. It is certainly a much bigger direction change than I had previously thought, but one small step closer to what I really want out of my professional career. One step forward and one step up.

To quote myself in my Senior photo of High School:

"You'll never know whats at the top if you don't start climbing!"

Its about time I take my own advice and keep climbing up.