It is the time of year when our digital feeds are flooded with previous year (2024) recaps and big hairy and audacious goals and resolutions for the next year.  The past few years I have been keeping these and my gratitude journal private.  The support and encouragement I received in 2024 to share my struggles as well as my victories along with my personal brand, purpose and mission being aligned with Trust, Truth and Transparency, you have encouraged me to publish these again.  Lucky you!  

Seriously, thank you for taking the time to read this.  I was hesitant because often people only see the good stuff or the end results.  They miss the struggle, pivots and set backs.  They think I am lucky or blessed (Yes!  It is both, but so are you).  Almost all of my growth, learning and healing can be traced back to this traditional practice.  Having practiced goal setting, scenario planning and progress reporting most of my life, it has been fun to see how my focus has changed so much from my incarnations as from Tim 1.0 all the way to my newest resilient reboot as Tim 5.0 over the past 5 decades.  

Another reason I was hesitant to share is the growth, healing and evolution I have experienced during this time as an artist and a human being has shifted my perspective on things I felt so strongly and passionate about a few years ago.  Working professionally in the digital landscape I know the social media trolls and algorithms feed on that kind of thing.  I recall a collaboration with other social media professionals that did not want their children on social media because they understood how it worked.  I did not think that many people cared about what I was thinking or doing, and sometimes it felt like I had more haters than fans.   Turns out they do care, and by sharing some of my haters turned into supporters and fans!      

It is fascinating the metrics we track.  My younger days had me chasing adrenaline and pushing boundaries, and now I have boundaries for people that I do not want to impact my blood pressure.  I have sleep goals and relaxation metrics.  I am going to be the best at rest and relaxation, without compromising in growth and positive progress.

If ever I needed a reminder that this is always the top priority and most important goal, 2024 certainly gave it to me.  I had my 5th regeneration this year.  Like Doctor Who, James Bond, or the Starship Enterprise, I typically have an end/near death/paradigm shift every 7 or 10 years and then a resilient rebirth or reboot.  Having nearly died or ended 4 times previously I have been extra careful the past few years.  Last year there was some foreshadowing that maybe this time it would be more magical like Gandalf. 

At the end of 2024 I felt like a younger soul in a new body.  Here is the short version of what happened.  When I saw my Primary Care Doctor when I turned 50 she said I was the healthiest 50 Year Old she’s seen. (Not that it was a competition).  However early 2024 I started feeling weak, gaining weight and having other issues.  I thought I was just getting old.  When I saw my Doctor around my 51st Birthday she seemed concerned for the first time since I’ve been her patient going back to the 1990’s. She is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) and her sister is an MD.  They have been seeing me through my Performing Stunts, Spartan Races, Horse Shows and they always had me back on my feet the same day as the visit.  She suggested that I sit out a horse clinic I was very much looking forward to. My horse was also trying to tell me something was wrong with me too.  (It’s always the riders fault).  I got referred to a cardiologist in Louisiana that squeezed me in the week of my Birthday on my way out of town.  

Next thing I know I am being admitted to the Emergency Room and scheduled for Open Heart Surgery.  Follow my social media channels if you want more details.  The point is my health is literally being rebooted.  There were weeks when I was focused on such primal things as my next breath, heartbeat and/or piss.  As I closed out the year I am literally rebuilding each of my systems and I use the Doctor Who analogy because everything feels a little different.  In many ways I feel at least 10 years younger if not more.  In other ways I am appreciative of the miracle for every ice chip I get, every step I take and every little thing I used to take for granted that is now a goal.  

So my 2025 SMART health goals are both audacious and modest.  I want to get back to my weight and strength from mine and Charlie’s wedding (2020) if not better.  200-210 Lbs.  Able to do a mile in under 12 minutes and where I can at least fit back into some of my fancy clothes.  I want my strength so I can finish Spartan Races/Trails with a medal.  At least 1 Spartan Trail in the books. I want to have the strength and flexibility to improve our Dressage Scores at the horse shows, take our new dog Dante on long walks, adventure hikes and play.  I want to be an inspirational story to those wondering if you can recover from heart failure.  The answer is YES!  Yes you can.   

I will be looking at some new metrics and key performance indicators (KPI) going into 2025.   It seems my loyalty to my personal brand, my experience and expertise has allowed me to create the perfect job which allows me the freedom and authority to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, with whom I want to do it, doing it how I want it done.  Sure I want to continue to grow my top line, margins, offers and opportunities.  I also want to focus on creative consulting, collaborating and building relationships and establishing my legacy.  (Near Death Experiences inspire that.)  

My creative attention deficit disorder (ADD) combined with the talented team we have curated over the past three or more decades utilizing the current tools, resources and breakthroughs in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) has me seeking, retaining and cultivating more than ever. 

I have successfully grown and doubled year over year in the past so for 2025 my SMART GOAL is to (at least) TRIPLE what we did closing out 2024.  I plan to triple the top line numbers from 2024 by the end of 2025, growing our team and our offerings 3 times without compromising on our margins or our level of service.  My time in the hospital and my family having the freedom to support me during this time forced me to take my foot off the accelerator.  One lesson from this year is sometimes you need to slow down to grow faster.         

What I feel makes tripling achievable is my career goals and personal life have merged in a good way over the past few years.  My wife, Charlie Shane, now works for Shane Arts full time and brings a level of organization and expertise that is focused on growth and our legacy.  In the past I have always thought of work/life balance as 2 separate things.  However it does not have to be that way when you love what you do and who you get to do it with.  

My wife’s background is more in psychology and professional organizing which really helps optimize our creativity and balances some of my right brain perspectives.  In 2024 I got certified in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Hypno-Therapy, Animal Communication, got my first Bio-Feedback Machine and got back to allowing my mind to be open and creative as a student and a teacher.  

In 2025 I hope to do more consulting, teaching, mentoring, training and service for non-profits.  Shane Arts literally engages with thousands of business owners each day and I noticed a trend of them reporting to mentors or consultants as if they were middle managers, taking advice as if it were Gospel from people that need to follow their own advice.  When I reflect on my track record of success (and more importantly my failures) with my understanding of how to engage, educate and entertain to inspire results I recognize the need and the opportunity.  There are more small business owners and creative entrepreneurs in the USA than ever before, and I know being an accountable business owner sometimes helps to have a mentor, coach or “accountabillibuddy”.  I also have always found teaching to be incredibly rewarding and I end up learning and growing more.  In 1995 I graduated from TCU and started teaching college.  In 2005 I was still teaching and running several programs from my theater in Deep Ellum.  In 2015 I was collaborating with other entrepreneurs so there seems to be a theme for the mid-decade years and I plan to welcome and embrace it in 2025.  

I am also actively serving on multiple boards of directors and recently elected President of State of Search by DFWSEM where I am confident I can bring other teachers and collaborators to the audiences that need them.  Another passion of mine is working and performing with animals.  I was elected Treasurer for the Tri-State Dressage Society and am learning and growing much more in this area. 

Like other categories, my “horse goals” have been combined into my mental and physical health, spirituality as well as my quality of life.  My open heart surgery and journey down other rabbit holes pulled our focus from our Dressage Medals and Freestyle in 2024.  I have a better understanding of horse shows and competitions now and know it is more about the harmony between my horse and I than anything.  I always knew that in my head but this past year helped me know it in my heart.  I am confident we will be making progress towards our medals, ribbons and other accolades now that we are developing our own horse farm.  Team Capri to improve our scores to get our Medal and qualify for Freestyle.  Our Lusitano baby boy Ono will turn 3 in 2025 and we hope to start him in a program and support my wife and Team Tico in their endeavors.  We hope to build a showcase worthy covered arena as well as develop our own horse show team.