@panozzoaj righteously smited new years resolutions on twitter:
Do you do New Year’s Resolutions? I view them as a retrospective instead of kaizen.
So inclined to not do them and instead make changes throughout the year instead.
Ok, maybe not quite a righteous smite, but he should have. If you wanted to change something, why did you wait?
As he seems wont to do, @TotherAlistair posed a brilliant alternative:
I got tired of making new year resolutions that I didn’t follow up on (lose weight, go to gym, cook healthier, etc), so I reversed the format doing a sort of “new year resolution, seer style” …
So imagine that it is now one year ago, you have full knowledge of what will happen in this year, and you now get to make your new-year resolution … You will naturally make your resolution something that you do accomplish during the year, not something you abandon!
So make a great resolution for the year gone by, and celebrate that you achieved it!
Read the rest of his post for examples.
What a great idea … we engineers are a cynical bunch, and celebrating the positives (especially our own) can be challenging. As a matter of fact, I had to think on it for a day before I could even come up with some. Without further ado:
On the work front, Jan 1, 2009: “I resolve to grow into my new title and role (VP) at work. I’ve been with the same company for 16.5 years (happily), but now find myself far from the day to day work I started with and my role continuing to evolve.” Feeling pretty good about this … I’m finding my path.
On the personal front, Jan 1 2009: “I resolve to take more time off work and to find a way to help my oldest with his math homework while maintaining our collective sanity.” Check (a legitimate vacation in October and two weeks off right now) and check – though surely still a work in progress, our fridge is proudly adorned with a couple A and B math tests.
Thanks Alistair!
