Hunting the New Year: What Neovenator and Retail Taught Me About Growth

As the new year unfolds, I find myself thinking about Neovenator—the “new hunter” of the Early Cretaceous. One of the most striking theropods discovered in Britain, this carnivore once roamed southern England, stalking the herbivore herds that gathered near ancient waterways. As a leading predator, Neovenator belonged to a global clade of carcharodontosaurian allosauroids—kin to formidable hunters like Megaraptor and Australovenator.

But Neovenator wasn’t defined by brute strength alone. It survived through strategy, adaptability, and precision. And as I look back on my year in retail, I’m surprised by how often those same traits surfaced behind the counter. The instincts I sharpened on the sales floor echo the very qualities that helped this ancient hunter thrive.

Here’s how the spirit of this ancient hunter can inspire personal growth, sharpen productivity, and shape meaningful goals in the year ahead.

Observation and Awareness – Spot Your Prey

Neovenator survived by carefully observing its environment, noting patterns in prey behavior, and knowing when and where to strike.

Working in retail taught me a similar skill: paying attention. Observing customer behaviors, trends, and small details made all the difference in providing good service. Applied to life, this translates to noticing opportunities, habits, and areas for growth. Before rushing into goals or projects, take a moment to observe and understand your landscape.

Patience and Timing – Stalk Before You Strike

A predator’s success depends not on speed alone but on patience-waiting for the perfect moment to act.

In retail, I learned that timing matters. Whether it’s assessing a customer, restocking, or managing a busy shift, patience and awareness often lead to better results than acting impulsively. In the new year, this lesson reminds me to plan strategically, pace myself, and wait for the right moment to move towards my goals.

Adaptability-Change Tactics When Needed

Neovenator had to adjust to changing prey patterns and environments to survive.

Retail drove this lesson home: no two days are ever the same, and flexibility isn’t optional-it’s survival. From unexpected challenges to sudden shifts in priorities, learning to adapt quickly helped me stay grounded rather than feeling overwhelmed. In terms of personal growth, that same mindset matters. It means staying open to change, pivoting when the moment calls for it, and treating challenges as opportunities to recalibrate, refine, and rise stronger.

Precision-Use Your Energy Wisely

A successful hunter focuses on what matters most, conserving energy for high-reward targets.

In my work, I learned how to prioritize what truly matters-focusing on the tasks with the greatest impact and letting go of the distractions that don’t move the needle. Carrying that into the new year means investing my energy in the goals, projects, and habits that genuinely matter, and resisting the urge to stretch myself too thin.

Resilience – Recover, Rest, and Hunt Again

Even the most skilled hunter fails sometimes. Novenator would have had its misses – but it didn’t give up.

My work showed me firsthand just how essential resilience really is. Tough shifts, mistakes, and setbacks are inevitable, but what matters most is how you learn from them, recover, and keep moving forward. In 2026, I’m reminding myself that failures aren’t endings—they’re part of the process, shaping me into someone who can push harder, think smarter, and move closer to my goals.

I am a retail naturalist, studying the modern mall as if it were a Late Cretaceous ecosystem. Through the eyes of T. rex, Deinonychus, Dreadnaughtus, Oviraptor, and other ancient creatures, I observe how shoppers gather, migrate, clash, and comfort one another. Shelf Life: Lessons from Retail From Display to Decision is where those field notes become warm, thoughtful stories about the humans who move through my contemporary retail ecosystem—interpreted through the logic of creatures long extinct.

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