It’s time for a yearly review. I don’t have one for myself. I don’t make goals. My excuse is that 1 year is too long for most effective goalkeeping. You could lose 20 pounds and gain 30 within the course of a year. One time a friend said that this year was going to be “The year of KAREN!”. I suggested that while what she meant about getting in shape (“GETTING HOT!”) and improving her job outlook creating her year of successes, it could also be the case that a little addiction, spiraling into a full-blown meth frenzy, and ending in jail and intense social shame could also create “The year of KAREN!”. She proved me wrong and had a wonderful year of weight-loss, lifestyle adjustment, and has a much more positive outlook than she used to have. I’m glad that’s the path she took — even if it makes me slightly jealous.
Anyway, my excuse (goals don’t work over the course of a year) is bullshit. I’m still not making any explicit goals, but I think I should read more. My wife and I have gotten our Netflix list under control, but I think in hindsight I should have focused on getting my Goodread’s list under control. I think if I should set a goal I would say just this, I could probably spend my time better than doubting if Bill Gates uses a Microsoft product, he saved many many lives this year — I did not.
The fate of the country does not depend on how you vote at the polls — the worst man is as strong as the best at that game; it does not depend on what kind of paper you drop into the ballot-box once a year, but on what kind of man you drop from your chamber into the street every morning.
Henry David Thoreau, Slavery in Massachusetts
Nice quote! Read the rest here.
You can also download the PDF: