One word that captures how I feel about life. I’ve been a bit quiet lately and thankfully, Thanksgiving Weekend gives me an excuse to try and break out of this funk.
This year has been amazing in all kinds of ways and tough in others. While I know that Knowledge ‘24 was many months ago, I still think about it and smile. All the people that I got to meet, all those that I got to see again, all those that I got to know better. Thank you for being unique and adding to how I experience ServiceNow and the world.
Community. I’m so thankful for you all. You make my job feel like fun instead of work. Hell, because of you my job is fun...and also work. 🤣 But I’m always aware of how lucky I am, and I never fail to appreciate it.
Speaking of Knowledge, gracing the stage with my buddy Robert ‘The Duke’ Fedoruk to do ‘CJ & The Duke Live!’ was a blast. Being part of an amazing keynote panel on NowAssist at CreatorCon…just so honored and thankful to be able to share that stage with so many great people. I’m so glad they made room for me.
Hanging out with Chuck Tomasi at what turned out to be his last professional Knowledge. Wow. Watching a legend work and sweat over his last keynote production - talk about proximity to greatness! I learned a lot. His attention to detail is envious. His ability to execute is something I’ll always strive for. Happy Retirement Chuck! Thanks for everything you’ve given this community, for always being an inspiration, and for setting the standard.
And the MVP Dinner! Hanging out with so many folks that I only see through a screen. The energy in that room - wow. Just incredible. And capping it off with the Community Champion award. I’m not worthy but I’m thankful for it all the same. So many incredible experiences that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Family. My wife, my kids. They always have my back. When I’m working too hard, when I’m burning it at both ends. They’re the folks who are holding me up and keeping me steady. My intentions exceed my reach by a factor of ten or more. They never hold it against me.
They just close the door to my office when I fall asleep at the computer (my daughter) because I’ve obviously pushed way too hard that day. Or a random hug and kiss when I’m feeling drained, mentally and emotionally (my son). Or catch all the things that I drop while juggling all the things that I try to achieve (my wife). Wouldn’t be me without them and I’m incredibly grateful to be surrounded by so much love and support.
Loss. Rest Well Mike Lombardo. A great friend that’s gone way too soon. I’m grateful for the time we had and the words we shared and the smile that was always greeting me whenever we saw each other. Man, you were one cool dude and STYLISH. Whenever you and Lloyd SHOWED UP, y'all SHOWED OUT. I always admired your style bro - glad I got to tell you that. Miss you.
My Therapist. The unsung hero of my life. I will always use whatever stage I have to normalize therapy and to lift up mental health to the same level as physical health. My therapist is one of the key reasons that my failures add to my successes rather than preventing them. Appreciate you bro. You keep the wheels on the car and the car on the road. Funny how I never realized I’d been driving off-road in a sports car for so many years before I met you. And how I sometimes still end up in the dirt without knowing.
ServiceNow. One of the things that has come out of therapy is that I hate stagnation. In that context, I’d like to thank ServiceNow for ensuring that I’m never sitting still by dropping certified bangers twice a year (Funkmaster Flex Explosion)! All.Those.New.Features. It’s stressful, but it’s the good kind of stress. And shout out to NowAssist for making it easier than ever to ease some of that stress. GenAI is amazing and ServiceNow is changing the game with NowAssist - especially around CSM. OMG!
Food! I spent the day cooking dinner with my wife which is one of my many happy places. Smoked babyback ribs for Thanksgiving are a great compliment or…dare I say replacement for Thanksgiving turkey! The grill is where I find peace when I’m not behind a keyboard. I need to do more of that. Science + Art = Delicious. That’s a fact.
Hope you all are having an amazing Thanksgiving weekend - or weekend in general if you’re not in the US! Peace!
So many unfinished projects…but I continue to be an advocate for doing something, anything with the ServiceNow platform if you want to learn it. It’s really the best way.
Tune in next time and hopefully at least one of these existing projects will be done and this space will get much more interesting. (I promise it won’t be a year - maybe I said that the last time. Eeek!)
If you have a problem, want to talk shop, or need a ServiceNow Consultant - hit me up.
Click the banner below and choose the ‘Let’s Chat’ option. (That is such an old picture 😩😨😲)
Thanks so much for those wonderful words, I am in complete agreement! May our paths cross at some point in the infinite vastness of the ServiceNow universe. Stay healthy and have fun!