Summer ... for me the word holds such promise, the days are longer, the weather inspires outside action and the sun is therapy after a long Chicago winter. (06/07)
By Bridget MacMillan
Last year, two of the columnists for the Chicago Tribune® shared an idea, to use summer as a time to make a mini-resolution. (If you are interested in reading the columns, the columnists are Mary Schmich and Eric Zorn, and the articles are “New American Resolution: Let’s Make Them Now,” May 28, 2006, and “Pass the Butter, Turn on the TV: Summer is Over,” September 3, 2006.) This concept has remained in the back of my mind since I first read about it. I made New Year’s resolutions this year, but that attempt was immediately destined for failure when I woke on New Year’s Day with an upper respiratory infection that sidelined me for two months. This summer offers me a chance to revisit my aspirations and ascertain if I can include them in my summer plans. I look at this summer as a chance to rekindle my personal growth, as well as physically refreshing myself. I like the idea of mini-resolutions because it is not about changing my life; it is about changing a habit, or making a small change, and keeping it for the summer. Knowing that, I can commit to a new behavior and be mindful of it for the next three months. And if I waver, I can quickly refocus so that in September I can look back at my summer and not only be amazed at how quickly the time passed, but also be proud of myself for accomplishing a goal.
Are you equally challenged by the lack of time and the lack of space between life’s events to plan effectively for change in your life? Usually I am energized on Sunday evening with lots of plans for the week ahead, and by Monday morning I am already trapped by routine and daily trauma that my lofty hopes to effect change or initiate a thoughtful approach to a recurring problem are derailed. And then another week passes without a sense of accomplishment. This summer, the three-month period offers us the chance to enact a change and see if it works. This technique can be applied to both your professional and personal lives. Do you have a pile of unread journals and newsletters? What about committing to reading one article a day? You can start by tearing out or copying the articles of interest, and jettisoning the rest of the issue. Always carry one or two of the articles with you, and have them available when you have down time, like an unexpected wait at the post office. Are you attending a conference? Consider stretching your comfort zone and dropping in on a session that is outside your area of expertise. Or make a commitment to expanding your network by meeting at least three new people who you keep in touch with after the conference ends. Are there sessions or ideas from conferences you have attended or articles you have read that you have not had the time to implement? Can you turn one of them into a summer project? Evaluating the library’s Web page for consideration of a new format? Initiating a survey to determine if there are any current library processes or procedures that need to be changed? Your only limit is your energy and enthusiasm.
I have made two resolutions, one personal and one professional, that dovetail into one another. If you are in need of a boost join me in this mini-resolution effort! I look forward to reviewing my summer and celebrating success in September!
Further thoughts on this topic can be found in the following books:
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
- One Small Step Can Change Your Life, The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer, Ph.D.
- The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
