Lifelong Project

Creating Requirements for Your Life

It’s the end of October and I’ve the entire Grand Canyon to myself. Before me the red, dusty earth yawns and I can see deep, deep into its mouth. Orange, black, and grey cliffs drape, cascade, and roll along for miles, they roll along forever.

Thousands of feet below me, past the fir and pine trees, the Colorado River gurgles southbound. In the distance the bend of the river catches the sun and shimmies like a shattered mirror.

I position myself on this boulder to soak it all in: the powder-blue sky, the cool wind, the whisper of pines, and a herd of cautious, curious deer just a twig snap away. I’m at the lonesome North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where snow comes early and visitors are sparse. The air is crisp, cool, and smells like Christmas.

The road from Utah down to the canyon meanders through the desert like a blacktopped river. The land is flat, dusty, and specked with tumbleweeds, cactus, and an occasional town with an infrequent stop sign. You can drive for hours without seeing another car, finding a radio station, or any distraction from everything you came to leave behind.

And then you’re in it: mountains, massive meadows, thick haunted forests, and a living postcard around every curve. Nature swallows you whole and your world, your problems, are somewhere, anywhere, other than here.

There are few places in the world that can make you and your worries feel as insignificant as the Grand Canyon. Here on the literal edge of civilization with the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, you can accept that your life may end but this, this majestic, never will. This was here long before you and will be here long after. It’s a peaceful escape from our hectic, instant-everything world.

And then it’s time to leave. Once you climb back in your car and your last view of the canyon is in your rearview mirror all those troubles, worries, and realities are straight-ahead. All roads in the desert seem destined for disappointment. But trust me; it’s only the desert’s mirage, the pessimistic shadows, and cynicism of lost ambitions. The desert does end.

The Best Day of My Life

Today is the best day of my life! That's right - today, December 30, is the absolute best day of my life. Why? It's because I have never lived this long before!

Today I am 38, an old-man by my son's standards and still just a pup by my dad's. The funny thing is that I still mentally feel like I'm about 17 and can do anything, though my body doesn't agree. Lately I have noticed a lot more popping, creaking, and aches than I’ve ever felt before. Advil has become a good, good pal.

All my friends are talking about 20-year-high-school reunions, how the 1980’s are retro now, and how strange teenagers are today. When we get together some of them talk about their lawns, fertilizer, and how their investments are doing. Others talk about their kids, school programs, and little league games. Sure, I do too, sometimes, but I often think they’re just kidding with me; these are things our parents talked about. They can’t really want my opinion on the type of grass seed they’ve ordered or their snow blower.

People no longer ask me for ID when I order a beer. The bag boys at the grocery store call me sir. The kids in my neighborhood call me Mister Phillips. Mr. Phillips! That’s my dad - not me. And then I look in the mirror and I can almost see my dad: balding head, some lines around my eyes, and some sprinkles of gray around my temples. When did this happen?

I really don’t mind - I’m just happy to be here. I’m happy to be healthy, to be able to hear, see, taste, and experience so much in my life. I’m thrilled that I can still run, contribute in some way, and help others in their lives. I’m thrilled that I’ve good friends that I can rely on, spend time with, joke with, and share my life. I’m thankful for so much in my life. Yeah, I’m 38 today and I’m happy, healthy, and I’m thankful for all that I have.

Creating New Year's Resolutions

What will you do with the next year of your life?

2008 is but hours from being gone forever and 2009 is waiting to rush in. For many people 2009 represents a clean slate, a new start, and 365 days of opportunity. Many of those people, maybe even you, had the same thought a year ago. Some made promises that this year, this time, it’d really count.

Here’s some news: it’s not the years that count, it’s the days, hours, minutes, and moments.

Life is wonderful. There is so much beauty in this world, so much to experience, to sample, to learn, and to love that it’s sometimes difficult to know what to do. The key, in the Project Life, is to identify what’s important, create priorities, create plans, and then to act on those plans. If you want to make 2009 a year full of memories, great experiences, and a year to become a better, richer, more joyful person you can.

Planning for 2009
Of course to plan for a whole year, to treat the next year of your life like a project, it’ll take time. If you’ve not read my entry on identifying your project requirements I recommend you do now. Planning is an iterative process that’ll happen throughout the project, not just at the beginning. Planning in your life is no different, but you first must know what you want, in order to create what you want. If you have no requirements for life then you’ll get whatever chance brings you.

In project management we often rely on lessons learned documentation to review what’s been done in the past to predict what’ll happen in the future. By reviewing past failures and past success you can create conditions to avoid mistakes and amplify successes. As you may be preparing resolutions for 2009 I encourage to look back in order to act forward. Examine what’s worked in the past and then plan accordingly.

Creating Lessons Learned Documentation
A recommendation for 2009: document your experiences. I strongly encourage you to create a journal of your life over the next year. You’ll use this journal to record your thoughts, feelings, and conditions of your life. You can make it electronic or use a paper-based book. Create a habit of making an entry each day; even if it’s just a sentence or two, record what’s happening in your life and how you’re managing it.

This journal will help you organize your current thoughts and keep you focused on achieving your goals and maintaining your resolutions. This journal will also serve as documentation for all you’ve learned once you reach the end of 2009 and look forward to this millennium’s teenage years. You’ll create your lessons learned documentation and have evidence of what’s worked, what didn’t work, and how you monitored and controlled your life.

Diana Krall - New Year's Eve

I admit it: I'm a huge fan of Diana Krall. She's sings so lovely and is the epitome of jazz standards. So, with that in mind, it was an easy choice for this week's Around the Web post when I found this video of her. She sings "What are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

Enjoy! And Happy New Year's to you!

Zen and Zoom

Every Friday is Zen and Zoom picture day! Enjoy!

This was shot at the Art Institute of Chicago. It's "American Windows" by Marc Chagall. During the construction of the new modern art wing this huge stained glass piece is under wraps. Here's a link to the AIC for more info.

Alone on Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours. I hope you enjoy this day and reflect on its meaning and the time it affords you to be with family and friends. If you find yourself alone today think back on those past Christmases when you were with those you love. I’ve had more than one Christmas alone and I know it’s not pleasant. I also know, and I’ll share with you, that it won’t always be like this. Things are constantly changing, moving, shifting.

Christmas Alone? Humbug!
Years ago, due to travel and work requirements I couldn’t be with family and friends. I moped around the house with the lights off, munched on snacks, and just allowed myself to be miserable. “Alone on Christmas? This sucks!” That was my mantra for the day. My Christmas was one, big, sloppy pity party and I’ll never forget how miserable I felt.

Three years ago I found myself in the same spot. This time, however, I took charge of the situation - I had my own Christmas. I went for a long hike on Christmas morning, watched football in the afternoon, and then cooked a great meal for dinner. With a nice scotch and a fine cigar I watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” and then read the evening away. It was day to do whatever I wanted - to relax, be thankful for the time alone, and to just be.

A Gift to You
So if you’re there, alone, dreading the day and surfing the web - Stop! Go for a walk, even it is cold and slushy outside, and think about how you can make today a special Christmas just for you. Make a plan on what you could do for dinner, for your evening, and what you can do with your valuable time for the rest of today. Yes, Christmas is, according to television and Hallmark cards, a time to be with those you love, but don’t you love yourself? Take charge of your situation and make today, this Christmas, a great one to remember.

Just Do It

You’ve probably heard Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” at least once, if not a hundred times. This straightforward advertising quip was created by Dan Wieden in 1988 for Nike Corporation. “Just Do It” became a staple of sports advertisements throughout the early 90’s - and still somewhat today. Advertising Age selected the “Just Do It” campaign as one of the top five ad slogans of the 20th Century. Want a little more? Just Do It has its own place in the Smithsonian Institution.

What is it about this phrase that’s so compelling? Many things. For starters, it’s short, easy-to-say, and easy-to-remember. It’s also a command: Just do it. It’s not a suggestion: you should try it. Or a question: did you do it? It’s telling you to get it done. Quit talking about it, thinking about it, dreaming about it: Just Do It. And its theme is broad enough that it can be applied to more than just sports: public speaking to cleaning out the garage. It is advice that prompts action when you’re on the edge of inaction.

Just do it is good advice when it comes to project execution. Just do it is good advice when it comes to plans in your life. In business the planning phase of a project can’t go on forever - that’d be counterproductive and silly. Yet often in our personal lives planning, scheming, and dreaming, seems to linger for weeks, months, and even years. One of the core themes of the project life is to get things done. In order to get things done you must take action - you must “just do it.”

Take a moment and examine your dreams, wishes, and things that you know you could do, should do, that would make your life better. Why aren’t you acting upon these things? Are you torn between too many choices, paralyzed by fear or failure or success, exhausted from other requirements in your life? You know more than anyone else. If you want to accomplish, make your dreams and plans a reality, you’ll have to execute your project plans. You’ll have to overcome the constraints and obstacles in your life to get what you want into and out of your life. You’ll have to do the work that’s required of you. You’ll have to, as Nike said, “Just do it.”

Here's a short video of Dan Wieden explaining the concept of the "Just Do It." campaign:

Planning for 2009 Resolutions

Over the next two weeks many people will begin to craft their 2009 Resolutions. They’ll look at all the things they don’t like in their life, maybe write them down, and try to do something about changing themselves. The trouble with this approach, however, is why many resolutions don’t last for long: there’s no plan on how to actually achieve the resolution.

The point of the Lifelong Project is to first create requirements for what’s needed in and out of your life. You should identify all the things, attributes, and characteristics that’d make your life better, happier, richer, and more joyful. Then you should take these requirements and get as specific as possible on what you actually want. The more specific you are the better.

You Can't Get What You Want Until You Know What You Want.

Once you know what you want then you can create a plan to get it. If you know that you’d like to fly first-class to Hawaii and stay for two weeks at a specific posh resort then you can create a plan to make that happen. If you know that you want to shed twenty pounds off your body then you can make a plan to make that happen. If you know you want to run the Chicago Marathon you can create a plan to make that happen. Just saying you want a vacation, you want to lose some weight, and maybe run a marathon someday is too vague for any detailed planning. You must know what you want in order to get what you want.

Planning is an iterative process that can help you determine the actions needed to go from here, where you are now, to there, where you want to be. One of the best lessons I’ve learned in 2008 is that what got me here, where I am now, won’t get me there, where I want to go. Planning helps us determine what will get us there. Planning helps us decide what actions, costs, and time will be required to reach our goals. Planning is a cornerstone of project management and demands ample time and consideration.

Create Your 2009 Requirements Now

I am creating my 2009 Requirements and am working to be as specific as possible. Through rounds of planning, estimating, and pondering my reasoning I’m create a plan to move me from here to there. The “there” is becoming a specific vision in my mind’s eye. I’m beginning to see it and know where I’m heading.

If you’re about to create your 2009 Resolutions I recommend you read this post on creating specific requirements. Then I encourage you to create a detailed plan of what actions you’ll need to achieve your goals. It’s fine to set New Year’s Resolutions and life goals but if you don’t know how to achieve them you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. You can achieve - it just takes time to plan how to accomplish.

Share your goals for 2009.

How will you get from here to there? What will you accomplish in 2009? What keeps you motivated?

Dumb Little Man Website

Every Saturday I'll share something I found interesting on the web. My latest discovery is Dumb Little Man. It’s a practical guide with loads of tips about living the good life. Recent articles included “5 Reasons to Travel When You’re Young” and “Money and Living the Good Life.”

I’ve also enjoyed their “DLM Blender” where they feature handpicked blogs they think are worth sharing. I’ve found some neat links there (some are useful while some are just silly). Drop by their site for a visit.

Do you have other web recommendations that I should share here? Do tell.

Zen and Zoom

Every Friday is Zen and Zoom picture day! Enjoy!

A favorite place of mine to take photos, run, and hike is Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park.