New Years Resolutions 2014

I find, as the years pass, that the number of resolutions I commit to dwindles, but that I also feel an increasing urgency to keep them. This is the year that I turn 40 – a new decade, ready to be defined. I feel that it will be new chapter in my life. As such, I offer the following simple resolutions…

1. Create more. I spent a lot of my 30s building administrative structures. I am very proud of what I have done at McMaster – especially my work as program director of the McMaster-Syracuse MCM. However, I focused on admin because I didn’t feel I possessed the maturity to contribute to academic, creative and professional by writing books – I needed the experience that the MCM directorship would give me. This year, I would like to start writing and creating… offering what I know and what wisdom I have to the world of academic research, public relations practice and creative art. I feel compelled to do this. Now it’s time to start producing.

2. Develop my personal life. I have, quite honestly, neglected personal life during my 30s. I was very focused on building professional profile and chasing professional goals. It’s time to move on from those battles and focus on enriching and deepening my personal life. This means deepening my relationships, developing a family life, deepening my personal development through a more profound connection to prayer, meditation and religion. This also means integrating fitness, diet and health consciousness into my everyday life. I know it sounds a lot like “eat, pray, love” but there really isn’t anything wrong with that formula.

3. Start something up. Over the last decade, I have gained a lot of knowledge, some wisdom and a considerable experience in different areas of public relations, politics,  communications and reputation management practice. I want to start putting these things to work – for the benefit of the McMaster community, of course, but also for the good of the economy and the market. I want to put some of the thinking that I have been developing to work in the real world. To test my ideas out in the laboratory of the market and the practice.

4. Express more gratitude. I realize, in looking back over the last decade that many people have helped me over the last ten years. I feel as though I have not always expressed how much I appreciate the astonishing support given so freely and generously to me by mentors, friends, family members and colleagues. I will take the time to be aware of this and express my profound gratitude to them.

So that’s it. I think it’s a doable plan and think that these really do reflect what excites me right now and going forward. More principles than specific goals, but maybe that is a sign of growing maturity. Onward into my 40s!

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