Voice of the DBA

Tag: life

  • How are you recharging this year?

    This is the end of the first half of the year. I’m hoping it’s been a good half year for you, as it has for me. I’ve traveled less, done a few more things outside of work, but had a good time at work as well. I’ve had to work on some projects and content that are engaging and fun. I’m looking forward to the next half of the year.

    No matter how much we enjoy our career, we all need to get away from work at some point. It’s important. We would love the perfect work-life balance, though I don’t know what that means or if it’s possible. You can make your job a little better taking some time to get away from work and getting refreshed and recharged. Today, I wanted to ask about your plans this year.

    How are you recharging?

    I just got back from a vacation with my wife. I had to travel for work and she came with me, putting up with a couple days of my work commitments before we took a few days to tour and enjoy the west coast of Ireland together. We are trying to do that more as my kids get older and more independent. We’ve taken a few trips over the last couple years and have another one planned later, when she’ll travel with me to Norway.

    It’s not just work trips. We also have a long family vacation planned in July, with two weeks of camping as we drive up to Glacier National Park and try to keep everyone mostly unwired. We’ll see how it goes, and certainly my middle son will need some connectivity as he’s in the middle of Linear Algebra and C++ programming classes, but hopefully the time will be minimal. Maybe I’ll get to watch him code some C++ and remember how glad I am that I don’t have to do that anymore.

    Let me know today if you have any plans for this year (or if you’ve already competed them). It’s always neat to hear the ways in which people look to spend their spare time. If you haven’t made any plans, I’d suggest you stop for a few minutes and think about how you might recharge away from work and try to get some plans in place.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 4.3MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and Libsyn.

  • In Memory of Robert

    I was returning from a trip yesterday when I got an email from a friend that Robert Davis (@sqlsoldier) had passed away. Unfortunately, this happens more and more to me as I age. Family and friends are getting older and some will leave us sooner than we’d like. A Memorial and Grief fund has been set up, if you’d like to contribute.

    There are various tributes from Kendra Little, Thomas LaRock, Jen McCown, and likely a few others. Robert was a friend, and I’m again saddened by his passing. If you knew of Robert, either from reading his blog, following him on Twitter, or attending one of his talks in person, you know he was a very intelligent, humorous, and as Tom says, quite generous soul. I was honored he syndicated his blog at SQLServerCentral, but it wasn’t because of me or the site. Robert was overly giving of his knowledge, always looking to help others with their problems. He probed and questioned the questioners, trying to ensure that he could provide the best advice and solutions to others.

    It wasn’t easy, physically, for Robert to always get around, but he made the effort to attend many events in person, and help others even though it was a challenge. I was always pleased to see him in person, shake his hand, and marvel at the lengths he was willing to go in order to help others and share his wisdom and experience. Others have noted his sharp mind and amazing recall. I’ll point to the 92,800 tweets he left behind, many of which were in service to others.

    Kendra noted his New Year’s Resolutions for 2018 included more time for Robert and less work. Those are important mantras for us all.

    I encourage people to work on their brand, or their career, or improve their skills. I really want all of you to do those things. Become better craftsman and craftswomen and improve the state of our industry. I want you to work at being better. When I present this live, or even write, I do want you to always keep this in mind.

    We work to live; we don’t live to work.

    Find a balance in life, find time for family, faith, hobbies, and friends. In the last decade, I’ve lost a number of family and friends, far too many in their 40s or 50s. I’m at the age where I likely have less life ahead than behind me. Each of us never knows how many days we have left.

    Find a balance and ensure you enjoy your life along the way.

    Robert, you are missed, and I hope Chrissy finds solace and strength in your memories. Please consider contributing to the Memorial and Grief fund.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 5.1MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and Libsyn.

  • RIP, Robert Davis

    A sad day for me.

    A Memorial and Grief fund has been set up, if you’d like to contribute.

  • Thankful

    It’s been a long career for me. In fact, I’ve been a SQL Server data professional for 17 years, just over half my life and almost the entire lifetime of the product.

    In that time, I’ve worked for a number of companies in different positions. Some were good jobs, some were less good. Some lasted quite a awhile, some were short term engagements.

    No matter how the experience ended, I find myself thankful for each position that continued to move me forward in my career. Even the tough experiences were ones that taught me something that was valuable later on.

    I’m also very thankful that I had the support of my wife, both emotionally and with her own career. That gave me the freedom to try new positions and even start my own business. I’m thankful that I haven’t had any major health issues, nor has my family. That certainly made it easy to focus on my career.

    I’ve had a great life and tremendous opportunities. On this day of thanks, it’s worth reflecting a bit on what has gone your way in life. I do think about this often, but I certainly am happy to take a few minutes and note that there is an abundance of things for me to be thankful for on most days.