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There are two schools of thought, it seems, when it comes to the future:
- The School of Plans
- The School of Possibility
It could be argued that the former is an attempt to control an uncertain future and our place in it, while the latter is more about being open to whatever the future holds for us.
I happen to believe that they are not mutually exclusive, but that they each contribute to the other in surprising ways.
For this reason, I take time each December to review prior-year goals and what has happened during the year, and to look for themes and surprises. I use this review to help me plan for the next year – always leaving room for possibility. This year, I went through a particularly rigorous process of reflection and subsequent outlining of a 5-year strategy and 2012 action plan for myself and a separate business of mine.
Despite getting into the planning groove, I completely shied away from creating a similar plan for my work here.
At first I thought it was just procrastination. But, it feels different than that. Kind of like I’m being held back so that things can unfold. This probably sounds a little woo-woo, but given all that’s happened, I’m inclined to keep riding the possibility train for now. Especially, since there is no sign it has reached it’s stop.
So, instead of a “here’s what 2012 will bring” post, I offer you a promise that I will share my plans and possibilities as they develop.
In the meantime, stay tuned for:
- more articles and resources to inspire you to act on your impact goals for 2012
- a series of guest posts from Bibhuti Aryal describing the challenges of starting the Rukmini Foundation
- subtle shifts in this website as the new year progresses
- and, maybe even a few surprises
Happy 2012 to you! I look forward to joining you on the journey through it.
And, if you have a moment, I’d love to hear what plans you have for 2012 or whether you are choosing to stay open to the possibilities that a new year brings.
I really like your idea of taking an inventory! I use my birthday as the inventory day and the goal setting activity time to be quiet and ponder while taking a walk. I’ve kind of decided this year to take a step further into the net of teaching away from the very large university (e.g Texas Tech or South Florida) for skill development, while simultaneously moving into far more significant academics that are multidimensional, mathematical, and try to establish patterns that can truly help people rather than just explain, predict and control some phenomenon that linearly moves business to whatever it says is “success” into far more holistic views involving people, organization and outreach. In management we have the tools, but are we willing to train and then to utilize those skills for good, like enabling the Millennium Goals?