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Things to Share:

1. February is for resolutions
2. Our stories should promote slow change
3. 6 questions to ask at the midpoint of your career

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​February is for resolutions​

A friend forwarded this article after we shared January updates on our respective 2024 goals. At first glance it seems tongue and cheek. What better month – the shortest one – to get started in earnest on your ambitious New Year’s resolutions? We come roaring out of the gates in January with big intentions only to peter out a few weeks later. Gym attendance peaks and then trails off as the mundane and necessary tasks of life crowd out those lofty visions of total physical transformation. But there is some logic to getting reenergized in February. Yes, it’s the shortest month but it's also the second month, and doesn’t come laden with the pressure and expectations of a brand new year when we’re resolved to reach our untapped potential. The shortest month is a good metaphor for starting small and gaining momentum slowly and steadily. The article has four recommendations if you're looking for a boost: Take time to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t. Start small with new habits. Find an accountability buddy. Finally, show yourself a little compassion.

One thing I did at the end of January was print out and read through my journal entries from the month. I usually don't read what I journal, but I thought this exercise was a good synopsis of where my mind and emotions were focused and helped highlight some themes and patterns that I either want to leverage further or change and adjust in the coming months.
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​Slow Change Can Be Radical Change​

If you’ve ever read the book Atomic Habits then you’re familiar with the concept of the compounding effect of small changes. The author James Clear posits that big change comes from 1% daily improvements that accrue and compound over time. He didn’t coin the idea, but he certainly popularized it. The book is a perennial best seller. I was reminded of the book and its core idea of consistent habit formation when I read this great essay by Rebecca Solnit, who touts the importance of slow change and laments our collective impatience as a society for celebrating it. Solnit, who writes passionately about our society’s need to combat climate change, believes that our current forms of storytelling make it really difficult to sustain and reward the type of change that’s truly needed. Too often we expect systemic change to be sudden and transformative. We seek out stories of change marked by climactic epiphanies, turning points, and sudden breakthroughs. But change isn’t linear, so our stories should reflect the step by step iterations that are required to bring about broad society shaping solutions. Sometimes progress slides backward before it moves forward again. The problem with that reality is that our current media distribution vehicles (and business models) of social media and TV find destruction exciting and construction boring, as Solnit puts it. Slow, nuanced change is harder to discern and therefore supposedly less compelling.

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​6 questions to ask at the midpoint of your career​

This set of questions from Harvard Business Review is aimed at midcareer professionals who want to reevaluate their priorities, draw more from their experiences and expertise, and potentially carve out a new path that better aligns with their goals and values. The questions could just as well apply to any stage of one’s career or life. And whether answering the questions yield fundamental change, considering them will likely provide a fresh lens on what currently occupies your time.

1. What will I regret not having done or learning 10 years from now?
2. How do I tap into my purpose?
3. What mastery or gift have I developed that I can offer to the world?
4. What do I want my days to look like?
5. What trade-offs am I willing to make–or no longer willing to make?
6. What’s getting better about my life?

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Next Sunday

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