Day 12: Reflections of an HRD

Posted by: Alison Chisnell on: December 12, 2011

• In: Advent | Business | HR | Leadership | Reflection
• 10 Comments

 

 

At the half-way point of this Advent calendar of blog posts, it is worth remembering that personal reflection is not everyone’s cup of tea and that we all approach things differently.

 

The extent to which you are familiar with Neil Morrison, author of today’s post, will determine how much of an introduction this post requires: if you are fortunate enough to interact with him regularly on Twitter (@NeilMorrison) and via his Change-Effect blog, then this post needs no preamble and may indeed induce some fond nostalgia for bygone blogging days.

 

For anyone who does not know Neil…….hmmm……what is the usual catch-all of a disclaimer? Oh yes, “views expressed are not my own”….that’ll do nicely!

You have been warned!!

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So 2011 eh? What a year….it ranks up there with 1994, 2002 and 1864 don’t you think? Quite incredible……….  I was going to tell you about loads of semi interesting things that have happened to me during the year, but to be honest you wouldn’t give a shit and….to be honest…….I wouldn’t blame you for that.

The turning of a year always causes us to reflect. In essence, this reflection is an attempt to put meaning on a series of meaningless events that in rank up there with paint drying, nail clippings and conference speeches on social media when it comes to levels of interest.  The fact is that most of us have done nothing remarkable, will do nothing remarkable and are by our very existence…..are……..unremarkable.

Woah…..so this is supposed to be an uplifting blog right?

Wrong. I’m not the wind beneath your wings. I’m the hunter with the shotgun ready to blow a hole in your side. Because that wind….it is hot air and nonsense and you need to come down to the ground tout de suite and with a whopping great force that will separate your head from your arse.

The thing is about life though, the wonderful thing, is that as we count our life in time, as we draw judgment on our existence based on artificial segmentations of nature we are blessed that where there is an end there is a start. Which means we get a do-over every single year. Result.

Which is exactly why you need to stop navel gazing and why you need to stop trying to explain away your frankly embarrassing inertia and general apathy and focus on doing something AMAZING. Something that will blow the whole show up and make a REAL difference. 

I can guarantee right now, that we each have at least three things that we aren’t doing that we want to do. And we aren’t doing them because we are scared, pitiful little wretches looking for existence in the mundane and the ordinary.  But we CAN be different. We WANT to be different. And for our sanity, our health and our happiness we NEED to be different.

So I’m going to ask you not to look back at 2011. We know that was a limp wrist of a year.  Look to 2012.  And don’t give me some balls about, “because” or “however” or “but” or “can’t” or “would”……the moment you use those words you are already consigning yourself to the dustbin marked mediocre.

We know the economics, we know the politics, we know the total fuck up of a world that we are living in.  You know what is going to get us through? People being amazing, not mediocre.

YOU define your realities, YOU define your existence, YOU make your future. And you do it through your actions.

2011 is history, 2012 is the future. Where you focus is your choice.  Make a good one.

Oh….and a very happy New Year to you all…….

Tags: Blog, Neil Morrison