Today is the First Day ... Really this time!

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

I know it's always true, but it's one of those facts that often seems trite.

Yet sometimes life's experience confirms it's really true.

For me, recent experiences have made me aware that life is fleeting and should be savored when possible and that tomorrow holds new possibilities.

Tick-Tock

Stephan

Another Thing to add to New Years Resolutions: Celebrate the Songs that Move My Spirit

Another New Year's Resolution: Celebrate the Songs that Move My Spirit.

I've just begun to compile my list in YouTube. Last night, I was comforted by the tune "As a Child Rests". It gave me the idea to begin to catalogue some of the music that moves me.

This is just a start. The year is young and I've only thought about this an hour.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist…

"Leashy Rider" - a Dog-eared Sequel

Y'all I know this dates us "Hippy" types--but what a straight line. What a topic: Man's chosen form of locomotion with his best friend.

As one of the interviewees said if you can't relate to dogs--this is not for you. I CAN in spades!

Bear with me for the following questions. The answers are multiple choice: A) Wife B)Pooch.

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Be More Graphical this Year

(Note: the title image was done in about 15 seconds in Photoshop using the brush tool. Even someone as graphically-challenged as me can do this with the great videos on Safari-Online and a mouse. )

Every couple of ten years I get challenged to get graphical (No profanity involved!). My wife says if I lay down the feeling will pass. I, of course, don't!

Being a programmer, by trade, for more than 30 years, I'm used to hauling data. You know the stuff: databases, grids, conversions, business forms, dashboards, analytics, and reports.

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Stephan's New Years Resolutions Continued -- S.M.A.R.T.S Goals for 2015

I’ll take it as a good sign I’m still working on my 2015 Goals.  It means they are still important to me.  If I make it to February still contemplating goals, all is not lost.  This may put me ahead of the January gym goers that seem to fade at month’s end.

I first want to expand on my “S.M.A.R.T.S” Goals.

OK,“S.M.A.R.T.” goals have existed a long time. Isn't the way to build something new to start with something old and enhance? Where would Windows be without MS-DOS? Isn't copying the highest form of flattery—at least, when money is not involved?

Maybe Goals should "smart" a little--as in, "that smarts". They should cause us a little pain or at least some effort or consternation.

Since there are reams of information on the internet and business management courses on "S.M.A.R.T goals", I'll leave my expounding to just the the last "S."--which I have deemed to label “Stretch Worthy”.   The word "Stretch Worthy" seems to dovetail with my literal German heritage much like "Weltsmertz" ("World Pain") or "Treppenwitz" ("Staircase Joke") ( http://goo.gl/9t2ujR ).

By "Stretch Worthy", I mean, will the goal cause us to stretch and is the goal worth the effort of the stretch. Does the goal align with our core? Will the stretch to meet it make me better for the effort. Granted that it is hard to appraise all outcomes beforehand but, we can have some intuitive feel or "heart response" for the outcome.

“Stretch” in this context means to extend ourselves beyond our comfort zone.  Being human, this can quickly become a compulsion and, Lord knows, we have enough of those--so we need to be deliberate in our choices of what to stretch. The ending part “Worthy” asks a couple of things of us: Are we worthy and does the goal fit our life’s work?

We all have feelings of self-doubt, so "Worthy" can be frightening--but to achieve anything we need to "belly up to the bar!" and go "in for a penny, in for a pound!".

"Stretch Worthy" adds some forward motion or impetus to what we plan to achieve.  A goal is NOT a "Stretch Worthy" if it fragments and departs from our core values.

"Stretch Worthy" also challenges and compels me. I still need to achieve. Even at 64, I clearly have this need to achieve more..

I’m still evaluating my goals and especially, what to share and what to keep personal.  

Being an educator in a literal sense, I want to share not only what I perceive meaningful but also enough to be accountable and credible.

This is the scary part. My goals are still “a Work in Progress”. But, relax you'll never get out alive.

Stephan