A New Decade !!

I’m sure that I will be one of many posts about what to look forward to in 2020 and beyond. I’m good with that. I strive to be a person who looks ahead. I value the past and the experiences I’ve had so far over my lifetime, and hope that I’ve learned from both the failures and successes.

It’s odd that we’re now going to be 20 years into the 21st century because I can remember sitting at a friend’s house in 1999 when all of us were sure that everything connected to computers was going to fail as the clock passed midnight because of Y2K. My friend played a hilarious prank at the time as all of us were watching Dick Clark count down from 10 to 1 as the ball descended in New York’s Time Square. Exactly at midnight, he turned off the power to the entire house. We all screamed and thought that Y2K had happened. He waited about 30 seconds and turned everything back on. It was fantastic !!

Going into this new decade we don’t have the fears of all technology failing, but we do have challenges all around us. These include personal and professional areas for everyone. I don’t want to be presumptuous and note any certain factors because I’m sure they’re unique for each person. Also, I don’t look at challenges as obstacles per se. They just “are,” and I hope to be adaptable enough to work in and through whatever lies ahead.

I have to say that I continue to remain geeked about HR and life in general !! Sure, there are areas where the industry can improve, but that makes it all the more enticing to me. I’ve never seen an advantage to tearing things down thinking that if I’m negative enough, then things will turn around. I believe in looking things over, being critical when needed and look for opportunities to move things forward. In the end though, I will be positive first and foremost.

With that being said, I’m looking forward to making more HR peers connected to others. I feel that I’ve been making headway over the past decade in seeing more and more people reach out to do this. It’s astonishing to me that people continue to choose to practice HR on an island. It costs you nothing to connect with a peer other than your time. Trust me. It’s worth the investment. If you are in HR, I would welcome the chance to connect, get to know you and help you find others who could be a resource for you. This isn’t about hitting some invisible goal or number of likes, followers or friends. To me this is about improving the profession by bringing people together.

Here’s my journal with my new llama mug because you just need llamas around if you practice HR !!

Now, I’ve never been a person to make resolutions because I fail at them within days just like most who make them. I do have a new “tool” though that I feel will keep me on track for 2020 and for several years past that. My good friend, Bruce Waller, came up with a journal called Milemarkers that allows you to keep a daily journal for five consecutive years. It’s a simple yet brilliant concept. Every page lists a day and then there are five lines that say “20__” with another set of lines for you to capture a thought for that day.

I plan to start my five-year trek on 1/1/20. I’ve struggled with journals almost as much as I have in keeping resolutions. I’m going to do my best to make this stick as a record of what happens over this time. I’m sure there will be all sorts of ups and downs because that’s what happens in life. That isn’t discouraging in the least. It’s encouraging.

I hope that you’re looking ahead as well. I will be reaching out to ask the folks in my HR community how they’re doing and offer to help where I can. Here’s to 2020 !! Here’s to a decade where people lift each other up and strive to bring people together.

5 thoughts on “A New Decade !!”

  1. I LOVE LOVE L•O•V•E this Steve~thank you! I am an eternal optimist as well because….what else is there? I too believe that by being effective, connected HR professionals, we not only help where we are, ourselves and our companies, but that we can, and truly do, have a positive impact on our communities and our world….yes, perhaps overly optimistic but again, what else is there?! 😉

    Mikemarkers sounds fantastic and I’ll be looking to start that too ~ thanks for sharing and enjoy the next decade!

  2. Steve, I love it! I have never done well with resolutions or consistent journaling. The last 3 years, I’ve been choosing a focus word for the year. Usually an action word. That has been going great because I can reset as needed. This year I added a focus scripture as well! I hope to be able to come back to the roundtables and get more connected to others!

    Here’s to the New Year and the bear m best one yet!

  3. Great post Steve, and inspiring as always. Love this: “Here’s to a decade where people lift each other up and strive to bring people together.”

  4. Next year is going to be huge! Will hopefully be moved to Scotland, new job, new home, new outlook! I have taken my first steps into Bullet Journalling for the upcoming year. Loving the creative outlet it provides me, somewhere I’ll be excited to go to write daily and track habits. Need to make journalling a habit first! Happy New Year if I don’t speak to you before!

  5. Great blog and you are inspiring me to challenge myself to make one new and meaningful connection with like-minded HR folks each day next year. Love the look of the Milemarker journal. All the best for 2020

Comments are closed.