Stray Thoughts On A Snow Day
Starting the year
We got over a foot of snow yesterday, on top of a couple of inches of ice. The interstate highways and main roads are all closed. Plowing hasn’t started in the residential areas. Outside, it’s about four degrees with brilliant, almost blinding sunlight reflecting from the snow. Kansas City never had this much snow at once before, so we don’t have the tools of cities like Buffalo or Green Bay.
Inside, the heat pump can’t keep up, so we have the emergency heating turned on and I imagine burning dollar bills by the second. We’re moving in nine days, so the garage and halls are full of boxes. We’re mostly packed because we started way too early and if we keep up our current rate, we’ll be ready to move a week in advance. Everything is closed today, so we’re watching TV and sipping coffee.
So, it’s time for small thoughts.
I just finished my annual review. It was different this year since I had my A.I. assistant quiz me through it. That was a fun exercise but didn’t yield any huge insights. I’m mostly on track to being the person I want to be. I hope you are too.
Sometimes just checking in on yourself is a good exercise.
Last year, I explored Decision-Making, Project Management, AI, and some great ways to thrive.
This year I’m starting to work on a progression of positive things that don’t get enough attention, if any, in our schools or culture. I think the most leverage can be gained by concentrating on things others aren’t already doing.
Here are some of the positive skills that don’t normally get much attention I plan to dig into more this year:
Learning - more specifically, learning HOW to learn effectively. We now have serious evidence-based and rigorously tested strategies to help anyone learn effectively. I’m a committed lifelong learner but would love to have been taught this when I was a kid.
Positive psychology - Building on our strengths versus curing our pathologies.
Emotional regulation - Teaching myself how to guide my emotions and reactions in helpful ways instead of just riding them out.
Negotiation and communication - Our culture is how we can evolve rapidly as a species and surf the tsunami of changes coming. These skills will be essential.
AI - Okay, it already gets tons of attention, but I think I can contribute as both an explorer and user.
Anything I can imagine or find that will help us thrive. Please send me your ideas and let’s see where they lead.
That’s My Perspective.