Image of a hammer and chisel being used to create a globe from stone.

2020 = over.

Time to rethink everything and set new goals.

New Years' is a bit arbitrary when you really think about it. Is there that much of a difference between December 31st and January 1st? More than between any other consecutive days? Anyway...

The Cortex podcast by CGPGrey and Myke Hurley introduced me to yearly themes.

You know SMART goals? Yeah, it's the opposite of that. Not specific, it's a general vision. Not measurable, they're directional. Achievable? It'll guide your actions but you can't "do" your yearly theme. Relevant, sure.  Time-oriented? Well it's a yearly (or quarterly or other-time-denomination-ly) theme!

I've decided that this year will be the Year of the Chisel.

So lets talk about the chisel - it's an artisan tool. You hit it with a hammer.  You create beauty from a stone block.

Cool, we have a chisel, so what? So metaphors.

Artisan Tools - really good at what they do. They don't do much. The chisel carves stone. It isn't a paintbrush. Electronic devices are amazing. They're too versatile for my own good. Focusing on defining their purpose as tool. Using them to do my work rather than using me to do their work.

The Hammer - the chisel doesn't do it alone. Needs a driving force to be effective. The systems in my life are my hammer. Exercise and other practices are non-optional. Honing these systems to let me create more.

The Stone - artisans create. They're skilled at creation. Email, LinkedIn, Facebook – not creation.  This year I want to really prioritize creation over consumption. Already started actually, see this article's images.

The idea of the chisel combines all of these aspects. This year, I want to use these concepts to guide me. Let's see how it goes.

Happy (arbitrarily) new year!

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