It’s easy to misunderstand the idea of agile and the minimum viable product. We shouldn’t forget that the unspoken rule is: Don’t ship junk. We send a message to the market when we’re in such a hurry that we don’t put in the care and focus needed to do great work.
What Godin is pointing at, I refer to as “being professional.” A professional is someone who understands what he’s talking about, strives be what he’s talking about, and—most importantly—is slightly annoyed by people who are not professional. If non-professional people don’t annoy you (a little bit), you need to recheck your self-assessment. Professionals recognize other professionals (regardless of their respective professions) and professionals prefer to associate with other professionals.
2025? Inconceivable! Still, it’s time to settle on my yearly touch phrase for 2025.
SERENITY
In 2012 I began selecting a phrase or word to use as a guide. David Bourne pointed out there’s a word for that: Cynosure.
When I picked the phrase in 2012, I didn’t imagine it would become a yearly ritual. It required significant reading through my journals to realize I even had chosen cynosures for 2012 and 2015. Over the years I’ve used the following:
2012 – Will-power and self-possession 2015 – simplify 2017 – “A dream is just a dream. A goal is a plan and a deadline.” ~ unknown 2018 – hell yes! or, NO. 2019 – NO. 2020 – get less done 2021 – festina lente 2022 – choose wisely 2023 – choose today 2024 – HUMILITY
There are echoes. For example 2022’s is effectively a refinement of 2012’s. And there’s an over-arching story of simplification and increasing self-awareness. What more could I ask for?
Mostly I use these cynosures in my journaling. I generally end each entry by writing it, followed by memento mori. Here’s the end of 2024…
I’m obviously reminding myself of these ideas. I’m also preparing for my certain death. I will one day write a final journal entry, and it would be fitting to have “memento mori” be my final journaled words.
My choice for 2025 is meant to be aspirational. In some journal entries in December I was writing about themes I might seek more of in the new year; Tranquility, contentment, or perhaps gratitude? Serenity won out because I’d like to maintain my serenity, at all times. Even when active. Even in the midst of chaos.
The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; Then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.
Life is rich and colorful but to justify the habit you tell yourself that your phone will somehow be more interesting. This is an excuse. If you’re bored by the situation you’re in it’s your own damn fault.
Yes, absolutely. There are levels to this art of being switched on. First is to be come self-aware enough to notice that you are generally off. Second, being able to notice in the moment when you are off. Third, being on. Fourth—and this makes the first three seem easy—being truly happy when others around you are switched off.
If we possess inward solitude we do not fear being alone, for we know that we are not alone. Neither do we fear being with others, for they do not control us. In the midst of noise and confusion we are settled into a deep inner silence. Whether alone or among people, we always carry with us a portable sanctuary of the heart.
*hunh* I’ve been incorrectly using the phrase, “hauling the mail,” forever. I was going to use it as the title for a post about something else and went to see if I could find something interesting to quote… only to realize it means to move things at high speed. I’ve always thought it meant to do something that was once really amazing or challenging, but which is now so regular and routine as to be forgotten—that’s literally what hauling the mail is. Who (besides me?) notices all the hauling of mail which gets done? Anyway. Okay, mental data updated—and I’ll never use it again since it makes not sense for it to be about moving things quickly. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I often remind myself (in my mind, in my journals, in blog posts, in 7 for Sunday… because I need a lot of reminding) that all of my problems arise because I overestimate what I can get done in the short term. Yes, that usually has a second part about the long term. And that’s not where my problems arise from. For me, it’s all about teeing up too much to do. Working in relatively short cycles, as Fried describes, and put things into the “now” (in this cycle) or “never” (not “later”!) categories is a big part of how I manage to not explode into chaos and depression three times a week.
Conversation is a musical thing, like jazz or birdsong: more ‘call and response’ than question and answer. It enables us to travel great distances, but the joy is in the journey not the destination. We are meant to sing and dance along the way, jamming with others, riffing off them, creating something new right here, right now, in a way that no one can alone.
So much has happened in 2024. What do I have in mind for 2025? I’m looking forward to reading all my 2024 journal entries—I’m excited to see optimistic Craig get punched in the face (only because I know how that story ends.) I’m also looking forward to getting back to writing regularly here on the ‘ol blog. This is, after all, where the shift into my current epoch started.
