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The Retrospectoscope
January 22, 2011
One of my teachers liked to use this word, “retrospectoscope”. Everything is a lot clearer when you have access to one. I was just browsing through my latest blog entries, and noticed how lost and frustrated it all sounds. And indeed, when I was in the midst of living through it, that is what it felt like.
Last month, I had to write an annual report for the agency that is supplying the majority of my salary. It is a career development award, so I had to write about all the things that I have done in the last year. As I wrote it all out, it surprised me how much I actually got done. Living through it felt like I was stuck in a rut and not getting anything going right, but with the power of the retrospectoscope, I realized that indeed I had been very productive in 2010.
2011 has started off with a bang. After being encouraged by all I had done in 2010, I put together a Plan of Action for 2011. Things I want to achieve this year. Not “New Year’s Resolutions” that are meant to be broken, but a “Plan of Action”. A kind of a “To Do List”. Things I can check off once they’re achieved. They are categorized in different domains: my career, my health, and my personal life. And the first few weeks of the year have seen great strides in most of these areas! In fact, it’s been a bit overwhelming. Not that I’m complaining, but it has been hard to stick to the plan. The year has barely begun, and I’m already tired!
Need to keep reminding myself of the retrospectoscope. And of the Plan of Action.
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