As the 2009 arrives, many of you will be focused on resolutions of what you'll do in the new year. Get a body like Obama, a love life like Gere, success, fame, fortune, wisdom… most will undoubtedly be broken by the end of January. Matthew May over at Elegant Solutions reminds us there's a different path, a different perspective. One that is more "lean" by focusing on removing instead of adding and improving the fundamental value.
What WON'T you do in the new year?
Jim Collins was Matthew's inspiration almost five years ago, with this article in USA Today.
Each time the New Year rolls around and I sit down to do my annual
resolutions, I reflect back to a lesson taught me by a remarkable
teacher. In my mid-20s, I took a course on creativity and innovation
from Rochelle Myers and Michael Ray at the Stanford Graduate School of
Business, and I kept in touch with them after I graduated.
Rochelle's challenge forced me to see that I'd been plenty energetic,
but on the wrong things. Indeed, I was on entirely the wrong path.
Rochelle spoke
to me repeatedly about the idea of "making your life a creative work of
art." A great piece of art is composed not just of what is in the final
piece, but equally important, what is not. It is the discipline to
discard what does not fit — to cut out what might have already cost
days or even years of effort — that distinguishes the truly
exceptional artist and marks the ideal piece of work, be it a symphony,
a novel, a painting, a company or, most important of all, a life.
Matthew adds the following.
So what doesn't fit in your life? What is sucking up energy that could be better used elsewhere? What is taking away from the efficient, calm elegance that your life could be?