This is going to be something new, in being introspective I have often talked about what I have done, and my philosophy of how I got there. I told stories that somehow had a moral. Those seem to get have the most engagement. But now I am thinking about my life, and I have made a few revelations. 

First, I have won. And I bet most of the people who read this are in the same situation. We do not want to admit it, and we are thinking of the thousands of other stupid problems that can be simple stated as a first world problem. I did talk about my dad a bit, but one thing my mom said a lot when the shit hit a fan, she would just say “It is a temporary inconvenience” or “it is a small hurdle.” It is hard to believe that, but there are things I thought were life changing issues, but really, I survived them. And I am sure there are more coming, and I hopefully will not freak out, and just get over the hurdle somehow. 

Second, at work in the field I am in we use something called a retrospective to help improve. This is a few hours meeting to discuss not what we did, but how we did it and how can we improve the how. Improve the system of how we work, “the what” will get better. I have written about system versus goals before, and I am sure there are dozens of YouTube videos on the topic.  

Why am i not doing a retrospective on myself? Why am I not asking myself how I am doing things and adjust it if the how is not working? Over the next few months, I put together some questions to ask myself daily. I am going to start with one question, and each day answer that question, and once I have gotten good at asking that question daily I will ask a second one. The goal is to ask the questions daily and be honest with the answers.  

You might wonder why I strive to improve even after claiming victory. In Bruce Lee’s film Game of Death, he climbs a tower, overcoming new obstacles at each level—reflecting his belief that progress requires learning. By asking these questions, I am seeking to understand myself and get better, even if my challenges are not as dramatic as fighting Kareem Abdul Jabbar. 

The first question that I will start with tomorrow as soon as I wake up is What is my energy level right now, and where should it be? This question is to give myself the ability to choose tasks the fit my energy level. I am struggling I should start with something small and build my energy level up, if it is high, I should tackle things that are more complex. I want to get in the habit of answering that question every morning and driving my tasks on it. The goal is to see if it will make me more productive.  

This opinion is mine, and mine only, my current or former employers have nothing to do with it. I do not write for any financial gain; I do not take advertising and any product company listed was not done for payment. But if you do like what I write you can donate to the charity I support (with my wife who passed away in 2017) Morgan Stanley’s Children’s Hospital or donate to your favorite charity. The fundraising site had to be restarted, and NYP Hospital made changes to their donation sites. I pay to host my site out of my own pocket; my intention is to keep it free.  You are welcome to comment, but note it is moderated, and all spam will be removed. 

This Blog is a labor of love and was originally going to be a book. With the advent of being able to publish yourself on the web I chose this path. I will write many of these and not worry too much about grammar or spelling (I will try to come back later and fix it) but focus on content. I apologize in advance for my ADD as often topics may flip. I hope one day to turn this into a book and or a podcast, but for now it will remain a blog.  AI is not used in this writing other than using the web to find information. Images without notes are created using an AI tool that allows me to reuse them.