“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” -Hal Borland
Is today the last day of the decade? Short answer- yes. For math nerds, here's the long answer: 2010s or 2020s Some Decadent Thinking and from the same author, what exactly is a year? And why does the new year start on Jan 1? It's based on an ancient civic tradition and might also start now because of the Greek god Janus. Janus is where resolutions come from. However I like this quote from Hal Borland- “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” and maybe it's because that gives me a handy excuse not to make them!
On the other hand maybe it's better to focus on the process, not the outcomes. Processes themselves have guidelines and rules in order to follow them. Instead of yearly resolutions some time ago I created simple rules for my life: keep going, be comfy, and nice spice. These were made based on the HSD Institute's Simple Rules and I'll explain my rules a little more.
Keep going. This helps me push through the last 1/2 mile of a long hike. Or persevere through updating content on my web site. So it helps keep me physically fit as well as on task, among other things.
The reward at the end of a long drive. Glad we kept going!
Be comfy. This contradicts sometimes with keep going. It's fairly uncomfortable slogging through that last mile of a hike during a downpour in order to get to camp! Yet this simple rule helped out earlier this month. Not really wanting the stress of travel on my birthday proper my wife used miles and stayed a few nights with me. We wound up lounging that entire day by the beach instead. Of course we checked out all the beach gear we could carry from the hotel which made it a rather comfy day!
Nice spice. Sometimes I'll say this when served delicious food and asked, "how is it?" and it's become somewhat of a joke between my wife and I. Yet it's also a compressed version of the cliché that "variety is the spice of life". Having been a consultant almost my entire professional career I've found that I thrive on frequent changes in roles, work domains, and locations. This also contradicts be comfy- sometimes change is VERY uncomfortable- as well as contradicts keep going. Don't like what's happening? Change it. Sometimes prematurely.
While these simple rules conflict with each other sometimes they guide me in life's decisions. The guidelines create less stress than being fixated on obtaining goals. Have you ever created simple rules for yourself, or with your team?
