The Year of Being 42 went reasonably well, all things considered. I survived another swing around the sun out in the corner of the world I am now, with a sense of acceptance beginning to predominate. There are still days on which I ask myself why / how I ended up here but whatever misgivings I have tend to recede at month end. In this regard Re:Think, which was the theme for last year was useful, aided by the status game lens, picked up from reading the book of the same name by Will Storr. His argument, that we are all (created, evolved?) to play social status games has been useful for clarifying things both in a work and relational context. I now know that my primary game is one of success. I used to think that I was driven by the inner prestige bestowed by being a purveyor of niche, technical subjects in the workspace. The reality , as I am finding, is that the raw numbers at the end of the month are intensely motivating, not least if the costs of diapers, baby milk and toys are anything to go by. I am definitely not a player in the (physical) dominance or (spiritual/ moral) virtue status game. A highlight of the year has got to be having L & S out with me for the greater part of eight months or so. For all the late nights, befuddlement at my inability to contextually interpret tears and the feeling of being run into the ground, the appreciation of just how much effort goes into child care is one that I will go away with. Rethinking is not done by any means though, rather it feels like it will be a recurring decimal in my life for a long time yet.
As the two or three folk who have known me both online and in real life for most of the last twenty odd years ago will tell you, I was always the guy with the five year rolling plan. I had spreadsheets, charts and dashboards, all ostensibly distilling the essence of what I wanted my life to be about into a few short/sharp bits. The reality of the past few years however has been that whilst I have been long on detailed plans, execution has been somewhat more anaemic, resulting in a growing lag between the plan and reality. True, the overwhelming arc is positive and headed in the right direction but to meet the targets for the next milestone birthday in (shudders) 7 years, some focus on delivery is required.
The focus for the year of being 43 is therefore one of Disciplined Execution. The Sean Covey book, The Four Disciplines of Execution, identifies four disciplines; focus on the wildly important, act on the lead measures, keep a compelling scorecard and create a cadence of accountability. Whilst my life plan provides a framework for identifying what is wildly important across three interaction spaces and seven life dimensions, it has not incorporated the other three disciplines or indeed any means of active monitoring. The intent over the next few month is to take time out to revisit the premises of the life plan and flesh out key goals required to progress along over the next two and five year time frame. I suspect a key part of that will be up-skilling for a life outside the wadi I now find myself.
Bring on the year!