The Bears won. And its looking really good Albert Ma is going to lose. I think I’m going to like 2012.

Of course, as I look forward to a great 2012, I also reflect on 2011 and wonder what I can do differently to make 2012 better. That’s where these silly resolutions start to come into play.

A Fresh Start

Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account. ~Oscar Wilde

Its always exciting at the chance to start fresh! I’m guessing that’s how a million dollars feels… but I have no first hand knowledge of that, so emphasis on the guessing part.

A new year means new beginnings. A chance to start being the people we want to be but who we clearly and empirically are not. I love this. Its like our collective better selves get together once a year and cheer, “hey, we can do this!”.

Its also sort of like Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny having a love child… or love animal. Or whatever would be the out come of such an affair and naming it New Year’s Resolution.

The Elephant in the Room.

I don’t have a problem with new year’s resolutions really. I think I may have actually met someone once who actually followed through with (part of) their resolution for (possibly as long as) a week.

But that’s the thing, right? These damn things just don’t work.

Personally I stopped making them a few years back anyway. Not only do they not work, they also have the added benefit of making me look like a bigger liar and flake than I already am! Perfect. No wonder these things are so popular!

And when we get right down to it, if I was going to start going to the gym, I’d already be going. Same with that foreign language thing or the get organized thing or the whatever thing.

So What’s a Guy to Do?

Trimming up the Plant that Grows the Magical Fruit

But its a new year! A new start! Not making any resolutions is totally unsatisfying. And its akin to sending out a family update to all your friends proclaiming, “2011, our last great year!”. Unless, of course, I actually do have a million dollars forgotten away somewhere. Then…

I made an interesting observation today as I was out trimming my small vineyard. (And for those who haven’t seen it, I live in town, its SMALL). As a pretend vintner I’m a lot more concerned with the health and well being of my great producing vines than I am in the craptastic vines.

Those great vines… well, they are great. Really great. And I know they can be even better. They’ve shown their potential. And I’d rather spend my limited time and resources on making them the best than trying to make something bad, just okay or average.

I’m shooting for blow your mind good. Not just better. Or good enough for government work.

Funny how that’s the exact opposite of my resolutions normally. But not this year.

2012 = Focusing on my Strengths

(And ignoring my weaknesses.)

That’s my New Year’s Resolution.

I’m focusing on the things that make me great. Not the things that make me… well, less regrettable. In 2012, I’m bringing awesome back.

Worth 5 Minutes? Yep.

One of my less endearing qualities (although I admit I have many) is impatience. Its never done fast enough. I’m never there soon enough. And I’m always getting ticked off about it.

I’m Getting Impatient

But the truth is, its usually done fast enough. I’m always there soon enough. And I’m getting mad for no good reason.

So I’m done. I’m getting impatient with my impatience. And I have an action step. Or at least a first step.

I’m taking 5 minutes. 

Its Always Worth It

Is there anything that isn’t worth taking 5 minutes for? I’m sure there is. Of course there is. Right?

But I don’t care. I’m going to take 5 minutes.

My neighbor wants to talk (again)? I’m going to take 5 minutes instead of blowing him off.

My friend wants to tell me one more story (again)? I’m going to take 5 minutes to listen.

I see a beautiful sunset? I’m taking 5 minutes to pull over and take that picture.

I’m Going to Take 5 Minutes

So effective immediately, I’ll be Taking 5 Minutes.

5 Minutes to pull over and take that picture.

5 Minutes to go look at the monkey’s in the trees (that don’t exist) down by the river with my 3 year old.

5 Minutes to sit down and give my wife my undivided attention when she asks for it.

5 Minutes to stop what I’m doing to do that thing that’s not as urgent, but probably more important.

No doubt this idea probably won’t change my life. But hopefully it’ll make it just a little better.

Is it hard for you to take 5 minutes out of your day to do the small things?

Me! Sort of.

I can’t quite pin down the first time I heard about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or personality tests in general, but I fully remember my response. Bull Crap! Actually, it was probably a little stronger than that, but this is a family friendly blog. I thought it was laughable, and no doubt insulting, that you could answer a series of questions and voila! out popped a pre-packaged personality type that could describe you in great detail.

Well, I was wrong. At least for me. At my previous employer, I had the privilege of getting some great training on personal and team performance based around the MBTI and look back at that training as invaluable to me now. Not only do I understand myself better and how I function best but have the tools to see how teams and other individuals function best (or not) through the lenses of the MBTI. If you’ve never had the same privilege ask your employer to consider providing it for you. And if you’re self-employed its worth the time and money investment. And if you are an HR professional and don’t use MBTI you should be. You’ll love yourself for making the decision to do so.

My MBTI is ENTP. That’s Extraverted, iNtuative, Thinking, and Perceiving for the uninitiated. And I’m a perfect example. Here’s the Myers-Briggs description:

ENTPs are quick to see complex interrelationships between people, things, and ideas. These interrelationships are analyzed in profound detail through the ENTPs auxiliary function, introverted thinking. The result is an in-depth understanding of the way things and relationships work, and how they can be improved. To the ENTP, competence and intelligence are particularly prized, both in themselves and in other people.

ENTPs are frequently described as clever, cerebrally and verbally quick, enthusiastic, outgoing, innovative, flexible, loyal and resourceful. ENTPs are motivated by a desire to understand and improve the world they live in. They are usually accurate in sizing up a situation. They may have a perverse sense of humor and sometimes play devil’s advocate, which can create misunderstandings with friends, coworkers, and family. ENTPs are ingenious and adept at directing relationships between means and ends. ENTPs “think outside the box,” devising fresh, unexpected solutions to difficult problems. However, they are less interested in generating and following through with detailed plans than in generating ideas and possibilities. When ENTPs are used correctly on a team, they offer deep understanding and a high degree of flexibility and problem solving ability. The ENTP regards a comment like “it can’t be done” as a personal challenge, and, if properly motivated, will spare no expense to discover a solution.

If you’ve made it this far into this post then congratulations! Your voyeuristic tendancies are as developed as my narcissistic ones are! OK, lets just pretend that’s not true.

Just before Christmas I decided to pick-up Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0 and “find my strengths”. In the book, Tom Rath, takes issue with some of the rubbish I just mentioned. In particular, that myth that we are told that we can be anything we want if we just try hard enough (or I would add, are lucky enough, or are blessed enough). Rath submits that, “you cannot be anything you want to be”, which put a knot in my throat and really rubbed me the wrong way at first. I can be anything I want damn it! But he continues on to say, “but you can be a lot more of who you already are.” Ah… now, that’s something I want! I want more of what makes me good to begin with!

The basic idea here, folks, is quite trying to be something you are not. Instead, be better at what you are already good at… in fact, try to be great at it! Its not a revolutionary thought until you start to apply it to your life! I probably spend a good 70% of my life trying to be something I’m not. Not really on purpose, but because that’s what I’m suppose to do, right? I need fixing, right? Well, in some ways, yes. But I want to spend my life living in the strengths God gave me… not the weaknesses I have been living in!

So without further ado… my top five strengths:

Strategic. I see patterns where others see complexity. Its a way of thinking, a perspective on the world, which allows me to play out “what if” scenarios until I’ve found that path which makes the most sense to move forward with. And then I strike.

Activator. I’m impatient for action. Only action is real. Once a decision is made, I cannot not act. Action and thinking are not opposites; in fact, action is the best vehicle for thinking and the only way to stay fresh and informed.

Adaptability. I live in the moment. The future isn’t a fixed destination but something yet to be determined. I hold my plans loosely because change is expected and inevitable.

Maximizer. Excellence is my standard. Give me the diamonds-in-the-rough, not the other “precious stones”. If I’m going to put in the effort, I want to go from good to great; not fair to average.

Woo. I enjoy winning people to the cause. And I probably won’t give up until I have. I’m rarely at a loss for words or reasons or arguments to convince you the cause is worth your time too.

Geoff is his name, and being awesome… well, that’s his game. (Sorry Geoff, that was crazy cheesy, but its written and I don’t know how to erase yet on the computer screen, so…) He just re-launched his blog, This Tiny Empire and I think you should do me a favor and at least go by once for a visit. I think you’ll enjoy it.

As I’ve thought about my life this evening I came to realize that its easy for me to feel sorry for myself and get depressed and wish for things to be different but what would actually be helpful for me, my family, my business, my everything is to be awesome. I don’t know about you, but I need a little more awesome in my life. In fact, I’ve decided that I need to turn up the awesome in my life… and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Stay tuned…

Those are my 3 words. At least today they are; its the best I can do on such short notice. I’m putting together my résumé and as I’ve been looking at others, one had their 3 words listed under their name (I wish I saved where I saw that, but I didn’t). I loved it. And it got me thinking, what are my 3 words? So today I spent some time thinking about that and this is what I came up with.

Leader. I’m a leader. In my family. In my business. Even in my interactions with others. Every day I have a choice to lead or relegate. I want to choose to lead, and lead well. What’s amazing about leadership is we are all given that choice every day. We are all leaders. Unfortunately we don’t always take that seriously or do it well. But I’m taking it seriously and I’m striving to do it exceptionally well in whatever situation I find myself with that one choice: lead or relegate.

Creator. I debated between creator and inventor. But I felt like inventor sounded like I was some mad scientist toiling away my evenings in the garage. I still wonder if creator is right. Perhaps innovator. Or explorer. Or visionary. Whatever the case is, its that certain way at looking at the world that brings clarity to chaos. It finds the best solutions to complex problems and ways to maximize opportunities while minimizing obstacles. Its that instinct, that way of thinking, that lets you create your own path and see your own vision. Its about helping and making others better because you can see in them what they have not yet seen. Its that creator gene. And I’m making it my 2nd word.

Storyteller. One of the greatest distances between us homo sapiens and all the other creatures in God’s Big Zoo is our ability to tell story. I love story. I could tell stories all the time. True stories, fake stories, those in-between stories. All of them. My favorite program (on any medium) is still This American Life because its all about story and the art of telling the story. I’ve learned more about being a storyteller from that program than all the other resources I’ve ever used to hone my craft. My future is in flex, but I do know that storytelling will always be part of it.

Update 01/31/10: So I did a google search for “my 3 words” and apparently this isn’t a novel idea… at all! Just wanted to let the internets know that before the self-assigned honesty police come on by to flame me!