In addition to the conclusions made in my previous post, Academic Miscegenation, there is one other important bloggable item that was discussed in last night’s inaugural project management class. Our professor talked about a year long project and how there might not be the necessary sense of urgency regarding this project, since there’s such a long time before it needs to be completed. It seems appropriate that he mentioned this within the first two weeks of the new year when so many people’s New Year’s resolutions are being challenged. Thus, I thought it was be equally appropriate to do a quick check of my previously made resolutions (as discussed in posts titled Resolutions 2009 and The 11th Resolution; It’s On!):
- Not being hungover on January 1st, 2009. Check.
- Blog more regularly. Check.
- Get my financial house in order. Fail. While I’m paying off debts and living less expensively, I’m not in a position to save and invest. Since my day job is currently having a work shortage, I’m forced into taking an extended vacation. The hunger to meet this resolution is still there. I might start freelancing again or take a part-time project in the meantime.
- Follow my bliss. Check.
- Don’t settle for mediocrity. Fail. I need to get rid of a lot of the clutter in order to be my best. Other than that, I’ve made some tremendous gains on this one.
- Be creative (and leave something behind). Fail. I’ve felt the urge, but haven’t made the effort. The clutter mentioned above in Resolution 5 is really impacting my ability to be creative. It’s blocking my chi.
- Market myself better. Fail. I’m still feeling like I’m coming off as being rough around the edges. A haircut and finishing the redesign of my professional website, HireJohnny.com, could help out a lot on this one.
- Do what Jesus wants me to do. Fail. I’m still weighing whether staging a revolt is loving others the way Jesus would or dealing with evil the way Jesus would. Reverend Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.” I frequently say “Loving others is really, really hard.”
- Remember why I’m here. Check.
- Kill the Devil and strike the root. Fail. I’m still trying to figure out where the root is.
- Improve my physical health. Check.
Well, there I go — complete success so far on five of eleven resolutions, with a good start on the other six. Don’t worry, I won’t post every week on how the resolutions are going (although I’ll be sure to chart my successes and struggles offline to ensure my best chance for success).
I hope everyone’s being successful on their growth plans for the new year. Please feel free to share how you’re doing so far in the comments section of this post. And very importantly, if you are not where you want to be (or aren’t even moving in that general direction), ask yourself what you are waiting for? Remember that today is the first day of the priceless project that is uniquely YOU!
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