I’m not a huge believer in resolutions. If you have a resolve to do something useful and dynamic, something outside of your norm that you think will take your life beyond, start immediately. Why wait for some special time of your life, like a 30th birthday or January 1?
So this won’t be a post about how I’m going to be so much more awesome in 2012, and how I’m going to do things differently for the new year. I’ve been reflecting on how to improve my professional profile, connections and knowledge for a while. In my personal life, I learn from my conversations with family, friends and my significant other and that informs the decisions I make.
As I’ve grown older, I recognize my personal symptoms of ennui: a sense of restlessness, a general irritation at stagnation. These all propel me into action to get beyond my “wall.”
Moving into the new job (gulp!), I am finding inspiration in a book I’m reading: Sophia Nelson’s Black Woman Redefined: Dispelling Myths and Discovering Fulfillment in the Age of Obama. I initially heard Ms. Nelson speak at the professional development conference from the Young Professionals subgroup of the Urban League of Greater Dallas. Although we are separated by a generation, and lots of income, her passion for empowering men and women to recognize their own power to make a change in themselves, their communities and their companies, whether they work for themselves or someone else, stayed with me after the event was over. I’ve been following her on Twitter, and she is prolific in her communication. She hosts #KnowURValue chats that bring some good advice from her community, and takes me to church almost every morning. Suffice it to say, you need to get up on her book.
Now that I’ve enjoyed a quiet New Year celebration, no club for me thank you very much, I’m enjoying these black eyed peas, cornbread and coleslaw. My prayers go to you and yours in 2012. Start it on the right foot with a prayer/meditation and then go be awesome!