Alfred Perlman on Starting Over

After you’ve done a thing the same way over two years, look it over carefully. After five years, look at it with suspicion. And after ten years, throw it away and start all over. –  Alfred Perlman

End of year is usually when people get introspective. Take advantage of that reflection and ask the big question Perlman implies. What do you need to throw away and start all over?

This might be difficult to admit – it could be a relationship you’ve outgrown. It could a belief that is preventing you from making a change or taking a chance. It could be a habit that you do by default.

Make a list of any areas you’d like to improve. Try to think of at least 5 alternatives to take in each area.

Don’t assume you need to more of the same thing.

Richard Sapit on Time and the Trivial

Time has a wonderful way of weeding out the trivial. – Richard Sapit

We’re almost at the end of another year. What did you spend it on?

Did you worry about things that didn’t happen?

Did you complain about slights that no longer matter or problems that worked themselves out?

What do you want to carry over into next year?

What do you want to discard?

 

Barbara Sher on Now

“Now” is the operative word. Everything you put in your way is just a method of putting off the hour when you could actually be doing your dream. You don’t need endless time and perfect conditions. Do it now. Do it today. Do it for twenty minutes and watch your heart start beating. – Barbara Sher

What could you do right now that moves you toward your goal?

Set a timer for 15 minutes so it’s not a big block of time, and just do something. If you mean to do more networking, email people in your contact list that you haven’t connected with in the last 30 days. Do part of that exercise routine you mean to do regularly. If you want to do more reading, pick something up and read as far as you can in 15 minutes.

Stay at 15 minutes for at least a week so you work on consistency and routine and not just duration. You also now build you goal into a daily habit.

Dave Barry On Potential

If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be:  “meetings.  – Dave Barry

If you didn’t laugh out loud at this quote, then check your pulse. Even if you didn’t think it was LOL funny as I did, you probably still agree. Who wants more meetings?

What meeting can you cancel in the next month? Perhaps you and a colleague get called into similar meetings, and you can each attend half and trade notes.

What other task on your to do list can you cancel? Sometimes things just end up as a must-do out of habit. Take the time to reconsider all your tasks and decide anew if it stays or goes.

William Feather On Happiness

Some people are making such thorough plans for rainy days that they aren’t enjoying today’s sunshine. — William Feather

I’m very guilty of this one, as I am a worrier. (I also harbor grudges so if I’m not worrying about the future, I’m stewing about the past!).

Are you so focused on problems that you can’t see solutions, opportunities, or lucky breaks? If you find yourself focusing on what you cannot do, ask yourself, “How can I…?”

Are you spending more time planning for contingencies than preparing for success? You want to play offense, as well as defense. Assume that the project goes well – now reverse engineer what you did.

Are you always planning for the future or lamenting the past that you are not fully experiencing the present? I have found that improvisational theater keeps me in the moment because it requires a high degree of listening. Find a pursuit outside your day-to-day that forces you to exercise different skills.

Christopher Reeve On Possibility

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. – Christopher Reeve 

This is so true of big goals. Graduation seems daunting to a child, but we’ve done it multiple times – elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and beyond. It is impossible and then inevitable. Saving money sometimes seems futile till you check your account balance years later and realize that the drip savings have become significant. I just celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary – in high school, when we met, I still remember wondering if we’d ever start dating!

What would you do if you believed your goals were not impossible, but inevitable? What would you start? Start this now.

Ben Stein On Achievement

The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this; decide what you want. – Ben Stein

One exercise I give all of my clients when deciding on the ideal next job is to make a list of everything they want. This typically numbers in the dozens – salary, bonus, flexibility, great boss, mentorship, etc. Then, they pick their top half. Then, the top half of that. Then, they keep dividing in half until they can no longer imagine taking a job that doesn’t meet the remaining criteria. These things are the real deal breakers. These things are what you really want.

You can do the same exercise outside of career – with your personal goals, your weekly to do list, even your list of approved cheat foods (my deal-breakers here are chocolate-covered nuts and ice cream).

What are the nice-to-haves and what are the MUST-haves? How much time and attention are you giving the MUST-haves? How can you better preserve your limited bandwidth for what you really want?

Ralph Waldo Emerson On Obstacles

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine. – Ralph Waldo Emerson 

One of my favorite scenes in the sitcom, Seinfeld, is when perennial loser George commits out loud to Jerry that he will change his life, do what he really wants, get on the path of a dream career. He names history, sports, and other interests. Then, Jerry shoots him down at every turn. It’s funny because it rings so true, except in real life, the role of Jerry is played by that inner voice that stifles our dreams before we have a chance to go after them.

Are you standing in your own sunshine? Do you talk yourself out of dreaming too “unrealistically”?

When your negative inner critic surfaces, visualize the shadow and the sunshine. Tell your critic to step aside so you can enjoy the warmth and light of your natural optimism, hope and confidence.

Henry David Thoreau On Change

Things do not change: we change. – Henry David Thoreau 

What is bothering you? In what areas of your life are you hoping that something or someone else will change?

You have a role in this tension. If your workplace should be more collegial, you can start by being a better team player, becoming more approachable, or listening more. If your family should be more helpful, you can ask for what you need and step back when people do try to help. If your results have plateaued, you can switch your strategy, get help, or drop old goals altogether.

We can hope for change or be the change. What are you going to act on right after you read this post?