The choice is yours

Day 46 - (Sunday 15th January 2017)

46% of the UK's electricity was generated by clean energy sources,
according to a report released in July 2016 - this was the first year
when power generated by low-carbon sources outstripped coal.

Richard Westney has one of my favourite job titles (although it sounds onerous - Director of Humankind (OK, perhaps the 'of' should be 'at"). Richard lives and works in New Zealand - on the North Island - in the cultural and legislative capital Wellington and the rolling vineyards of Wairarapa. Quite a contrast to where he started his HR career - in the smog and grey of London.

I have met him in person at Tweet-ups in the UK, when he has been over visiting family and I can vouch for him being a delightful companion and a very decent fellow to spend an evening with. He is an experienced HR professional and tries hard to give back to the profession (mentoring and advising others) as well as continuing to learn and grow himself. He established the Wellington HR Meetup and is involved in the Association of People Professionals. He is active on social media - you can hollow him on Twitter (his handle is @HRManNZ) and he writes an excellent blog: Up The Down Escalator. 

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The choice is yours

The end of the year is always a time of great reflection as these series of personal posts prove.

We often get carried away looking back and thinking too much about the bad things, the learning, the regrets and the heartbreak that shaped our year and not enough about the good things. 

So as you look back, I would suggest there are three questions to ask yourself from both a personal and professional perspective. Effectively your heights, hearts and hollows.

1. What did I achieve these last 12 months? 

2. Who/what did I waste my energy on? 

3. What didn't I achieve that I should have done and why? 

Once you've answered these you can plan for the coming year.

I don't personally believe in new year's resolutions. They are just bland statements with no accountability. Think poor performer saying "yes, I'll be much better" who then goes off and does exactly the same thing. 

I am a fan of goal setting though. Not targets or numbers that can be ticked off a list, but big hairy audacious ones that can be broken down into smaller components. In order to achieve A, I need to do X,Y and Z to get there. 

• So what is it you want to do differently or change in your work or personal life?
• What is the BHAG you are working towards that may only be partly realised?
• What are the knowledge or skills you are lacking to get there?
• What obstacles could get in the way that you need to overcome? 

My advice is to think of your life as a project. It's always a work in progress (the scope constantly changes) and you need a project plan, some risk management and resilience to keep going.  But you have lots of choices in how you live your life.

You also need an element of bravery. How we treat other people says so much about us.  As I've grown older I have realised that it's not what you say to people that you end up regretting the most, it's what you don't say to people. Good and bad. For those of us who have lost close family and friends this year I am sure we will all have things we know we should have said that we never got around to saying. 

If you care about them, are proud of them or they have really pissed you off, then say so. Don't be left with that hollow feeling when suddenly they aren't there and too much was left unsaid. 

I came across a JK Rowling quote while writing this which I thought was the perfect way to finish and summed things up nicely. 

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, not our abilities."

On that note I hope you manage to have an amazing 2017 and not an average one. The choice really is yours to make.