And so we arrive again at that point in the calendar where peer pressure dictates that we make some token effort to identify attributes of ourselves that, in an ideal world, would receive more attention -- with an eye towards improvement, or possibly even eradication -- and state that, henceforth, we will make a deliberate endeavour to address these concerns. To make a set of resolutions, if you will, for the new year.
The set of resolutions that I made last year proved too much for my feeble willpower, and I didn't truly manage to carry out a single one of them. I'm not going to do a post-mortem -- it's too depressing -- but if you wish, you can get much the same effect by reading my six-month progress report. Nothing has really changed since then, except that the one resolution that was going well in July has since fallen by the wayside. Failure-tastic!
The task of assembling a new list of resolutions for this year was something I haven't been looking forward to, and so I've been putting it off for the last couple of days. But this evening, while I was playing with a new social networking site that's just gone live, I realised that my list of resolutions was literally right in front of me.
The site in question is 43 Things, and it's based around the premise of recording -- and sharing -- a list of your goals. On the assumption that public goals and friendly advice might help you to complete your objectives, this seems like a good idea. Goals vary from the functional ("full HD backup") to the ambitious ("write a book and have it published") to the abstract ("be happy"). Users can leave comments on goals with questions, thoughts, or advice, and you can see which comments have been left by someone who has actually completed that goal.
I've only been using it for a few days, but I think it might be quite useful. There's the fact that thinking about objectives -- as this site encourages you to do -- gives you a better idea of what you might want to pursue next. There's the hope that exposing your todo list to an active community will be a good motivator. And there's the possibility that getting involved in this community will open doors that lead to things you want to do. Genuine case study: Toby wants to learn about different kinds of mushroom, so listed this as a goal. An hour later there were tentative arrangements for a field trip with a mushroom hunting expert!
This site has already done me a favour by helping me to create my list of new year resolutions without me even realising it. And so, instead of posting them here, I can politely direct you towards my 43 Things profile. They're not all new year resolutions -- some are much more long-term than that -- but they are the Things I Want To Do Or Be, and that's close enough. I'll try to keep the list updated, and if you want to keep an eye on me and give me some peer pressure, I won't complain. And if your curiosity has been engaged, you could sign up for 43 Things -- maybe we have some goals in common.