On Monday this week I was downtown for some business as the new MVP awards started hitting Twitter. As several of my good friends were awarded this round, I was very happy and excited for them. They’ve all worked long and hard for our wonderful community, and it felt absolutely amazing to see them get recognized. My business concluded, I walked home in a warm, early autumn drizzle and felt rather good about things. This year has been absolutely exceptional i so many ways, as I’ve been out speaking in 15 different countries thus far this year. Fifteen. The speaking have taken off in a way I could not have imagined as I continue to receive favorable responses to my abstracts.

The podcast is up to 50 episodes plus around ten extra episodes such as the preIgnite as well as the Ignite ones. There are several interviews that have yet to be released, but suffice to say we’ve had the pleasure to talk to a lot of very interesting people at Ignite. We’ve started toying with video (which turned out to be about an order of magnitude more difficult than expected), and we have a lot of ideas there under the auspice of Knee-Deep in Tech. I’ve had the profound honor of mentoring a handful of new and upcoming speakers this year as well, and I’ve been completely blown away by their results and ability for growth. To get even further, I will be starting to help out with the Swedish Power BI User group this autumn as well – things are most definitely going in the right direction.

I thought back to my first PASS Summit where these mythical creatures with “MVP” and “MCM” badges roamed the halls. I didn’t dare talk to them to begin with, but it gradually dawned on me that these people were just like me, only even more driven to share and help others grow. I decided right then and there that I too could play that game, and that I would do what little I could to spread the word, mentor people, speak and train as many as I possibly could. I immediately loved every opportunity to share knowledge and help people out.

After I came home I spent some time with my wife and played with the cats, so it wasn’t until 7 or 8 pm that I checked my email. In my inbox I found an email I had not expected – an email that congratulated me for being awarded Microsoft MVP for Data Platform. I’m now one of those “mythical” creatures I met so many ears ago. I’m now an MVP, but I’m also exactly the same guy I was last Sunday – nothing more, nothing less. I am humbled by this award and I can’t wait to use my newfound powers to do even more My mission remains.

To everyone who has helped me and encourage me along the way: thank you from the bottom of my heart.