Crawling into the New Year
Woof.
All…
Happy Freakin’ New Year.
This newsletter comes to you approximately 2 weeks late, 3 issues of the newsletter behind, and with all the enthusiasm of a sad, sheepish bargain bin greeting card.
Something about the persistent virus numbers, the need to cancel travel plans over the holidays, everyone I know feeling under the weather (whether suffering from actual COVID, sympathy COVID, a bad cold or just sighing all the time at the unending blahness of it all), has certainly made the start of the year feel… somewhat underwhelming.
OH. And the stock market has been in freefall.
It’s a particularly blah feeling to wander into the new year in a bit of a haze, when I’m sure, most type-A people (like me, and you lovely folks who subscribe to a newsletter about career optimization) prefer to charge into a new year, full of motivation and excitement. Am I the only one who feels like I am definitely not charging… I am dragging myself an inch to the left over the barely perceptible line between 2021 (a year marked by the pandemic) to 2022 (so far… a year marked by… the pandemic?)
This Vox article, sums it up nicely, calling 2022 the “junior year” of the pandemic and using such comforting terms as “crushing defeat”, “grinding aspirations and optimism to dust”, “long uncertain tail”…
If you can get through the first 2/3 of the article - there’s finally a section about a potential positive boon to another year of this slog. That is releasing the need for perfectionism (and toxic positivity), and to be honest with each other about the extreme meh-ness of how this year feels like its starting.
And so, the first edition of The To-Woo List of 2022 is not an uplifting, energizing newsletter about the promise of a new year … it’s a whiny diatribe….but at least it is honest. So here we are, making some tiny baby steps (crawls) into the new year, but they are still technically steps. We are making tiny bits of forward momentum, and I think that should be celebrated.
In lieu of a bubbly list of ways to set goals, I’m approaching 2022 “resolutions” in a different way, because at this exact moment in time, I am keen to complain and whinge. (Whinge is one of those British/Aussie words that is a marked improvement to its American/Canadian counterpart. It means: to complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way. I’m not just complaining, I’m doing it repeatedly.)
I currently can’t muster up the energy to set active resolutions, and declare “I will run x miles”, or “I will achieve these work milestones”.. I currently have merely the energy to fill in a few simple blanks that came across my Instagram.
They aren’t lofty ‘do more, achieve more’ goals. Some are more “do less, think about doing”, which somehow seems easier to me. What also feels easier to me, is controlling the scope of the goals.. whether it’s “Quitting” something as major as something like smoking, to something as seemingly minor as complaining about a work related task frequently.
If you were to complete this mad lib style in 5-10 minutes, what directions would it point you in? For me, two answers that jumped out at me (regarding this newsletter), were:
I want to try: new formats and mediums to create and distribute content. Baby step one, this newsletter now has a Twitter.
I want to continue to: write on a semiregular basis, no matter how busy other stuff gets.
My motivation and inspiration for this side hobby fluctuates on a week by week basis, but it’s an important learning vehicle for me. I’m not sure what the exact format will look like as it evolves this year, but I definitely want to keep working on in (and am very grateful you all read it and support it).
A few asks from you:
What are your career questions, thoughts, decisions or even complaints (since that is the theme this week) do you have heading into this year?
What accounts do you love on Twitter? Anything funny, thought provoking, inspiring, absurd - I’m here for it all.
And from me: a few Resources/Links that make me feel heartened about the upcoming year
Can Companies Force Themselves to Do Good? Using creative ownership structure to bolster the intent of running a company with true social impact. It allows retiring or exiting entrepreneurs to continue their legacy by transferring their company’s rights to a perpetual ‘purpose’ trust vs being transferred to individuals or new owners that have a different purpose/profit hierarchy (New Yorker)
2022: A Year of No Expectations. Author: “Be more like my dog.” Get by from one moment to another, happily. (Mashable)
You know I loves me a late in life experience/accomplishment. “10 Insightful Tips From People Who Prove It’s Never Too Late” serves as a great reminder that it’s never too late to try or do things that you want.. there’s more than one way, and a flexible timeline to experience some pretty excellent things. (New York Times)
Completely unsurprising: Hiring Immigrants Improve Performance a study of European soccer teams found that each additional immigrant player improves a team’s margin of victory by .12 (Knowledge@Wharton)
Cool Ladies Doing Cool Things: Amy Schneider became the first woman to surpass $1M in Jeopardy winnings (Jeopardy is so excellent and timeless, RIP Mr. Trebek you Canadian beacon of grace and class)!! (NYTimes)