“How do you measure yourself against other golfers?” – Judge Smails in Caddyshack
“By Height” – Ty Webb’s response
Now that January is approaching an end, I’ve noticed the gym has been less crowded than it was over the first couple weeks of the year. Obviously, this has me feeling a little more smug on days when I’m actually exercising than on days I’m one of those absent.
I’ve actually given up setting New Years resolutions. Instead, I tend to measure myself on four basic criteria on an annual basis. Here’s my report card for 2016:
- Performance – Am I taking care of the nuts and bolts of my various responsibilities? I feel pretty good about how I did during 2016. My business is doing well, and I believe I was a better husband, father, and friend during 2016 than I was in previous years. While some parts of the year were better than others, I’m comfortable that I did my best. So far, so good.
- Innovation – Am I innovating so that my effectiveness improves related to my various responsibilities? The world is constantly changing around us. Innovation is necessary to improve in both static and relative ways. For me, 2016 was a year full of challenges and opportunities. I’m comfortable with the creativity and innovation of my response. This is a hard thing to measure, and can always be better, but I believe I’m on the right track here.
- External Influence – Do I look outward rather than inward? Am I a good “team player?” Do I try and lift others? Do I engage and try to help my community be a better place? Frankly, this was a mixed bag for me during 2016. I try to help and serve where I can, but for large stretches of 2016 I was fairly self absorbed and worried about my own difficulties. More improvement is necessary here.
- Joy – Am I happy, and do I find joy in what I’m doing? I love my work, and was able to consistently find joy in it during the year. That’s good. I love my family, and I believe they have no idea how much joy they bring into my heart. That’s good (except I need to make sure they know it). However, for some reason I found myself feeling relatively joyless for some stretches of the year. This troubles me, and I need to get it figured out.
Overall, a good year. I’m grateful for the experiences that I had (yes, even the challenges) last year, and I’m looking forward to the remainder of 2017. I have things to work on, and I’m optimistic about the future.
