It's like a meme, but not

[learnedax]

Being as the new year is nigh upon me, I've been thinking about resolutions. I've never, as far as I recall, made any. The point of scheduling self-improvement instead of just doing it always escaped me. However, this year has been very... educational, and one thing which has become quite clear to me is that you can't get anywhere if you don't start somewhere. So here's my personal list of Ten Commandments for 2004.

1. Work Better. If you cannot succeed in working smarter, you should at least work harder.


2. Learn To Keep Your Mouth Shut. You aren't as clever as you think.


3. Learn To Open Your Mouth. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you don't represent yourself, no one will.


4. Don't Be So Self-Centered. Make an actual effort to be there for your friends and generally pay attention to other people.


5. Do Something. Start a personal project and bring it to completion.


6. Figure Out The SCA. Decide what you actually want from your involvement, and actively try to get it.


7. Figure Out Politics. Pick an issue you care about and make a real attempt to affect it, even microcosmically.


8. Figure Out Work. Where do you want your career to go, and how can you get there?


9. Figure Out Life. Perhaps more than one year's worth, but at least try to figure out what you want, and don't be so depressive if you get it.


10. Figure Out Resolutions. Come up with a better set of these for next year.

Comments

[dkapell.livejournal.com]

You know, I'll bet you could make a fair amount of money selling that list in poster form, with some nice graphics. Or really just number 2, done up as an inspirational poster. Picture of Neo in the interegation room above, black border, white writing, "Learn To keep your Mouth Shut: You aren't as clever as you think"

[dkapell.livejournal.com]

since i said it:
took 10 mins

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

hehe

[siderea]

That's pretty cool. I like it.

[jducoeur]

Figure Out The SCA. Decide what you actually want from your involvement, and actively try to get it.

Just keep in mind that "have fun" is a valid answer to this. Not the right answer for everyone, but a fair one. Truth to tell, it's my main answer to this one. That's why I've largely backed off from high-level SCA politics in recent years -- while it carries a certain rueful satisfaction, it's rarely fun...

[learnedax.livejournal.com]

Well, sure, now I just need to define fun. I think that the SCA should pretty much always be some kind of fun, but is it cooking, sewing, fighting, volunteering...? Of late I've found that not figuring out what kind of fun I am trying to have leads to a purely social exercise. That, too, is perfectly valid, but if I'm only in this to hang out with my friends I shouldn't, say, care about what kind of garb I have.

So it's still somewhat ill-defined for me. And maybe that's OK too.