Reality Check

Have you also noticed that when you listen to or look at year end lists of the best this, that and the other, that you find that you have not read many of the reputedly best books, been listening to the best music, seeing the best movies, eating at the best restaurants and so on. Perhaps you have done a few of these, but mostly not.

So here is a suggestion. Make your own lists of the things you enjoyed most this past year. You may discover that you have been changing but did not recognize it. Whenever we fill out profile forms, we write in our favorite this or that, and we may have stuff on the list that is no longer true or current.

For example, perhaps you used to read lots of self help books, but this year, you started to read a lot of mysteries. What might that indicate? What if you find yourself less in touch with popular music or rock, and more enamoured of classical music or jazz? What if you have been having fun exploring Netflix at home instead of going to movie theatres and you have been watching a lot of interesting movies that never were big hits? What if you have not been eating at restaurants that are reviewed in magazines and websites, but like the food and the prices at some small places close to home?

What does all of this mean to you? There are no right or wrong answers, just a reality check.

Maybe you have evolved this pattern because you felt it was time for a change, although the shift may have been subtle. Maybe what began with reading the DaVinci Code a few years ago led to reading other works of fiction involving characters from history. Maybe watching Shakespeare in Love or The Tudors whetted your appetite for books about interesting characters from Medieval or Renaissance eras. Maybe the love of a good story led to an interest in mysteries or fantasies.

Or maybe you watched movies that critics said were great, but you came across some others you thought were even better that no one was promoting. And what does it mean if your tastes run to extended pieces of music with lots of violins instead of short, catchy songs that simply repeat the same few lines over an over for three or four minutes?

Answering these questions might lead you to change your profile and allow you to see yourself in a different light than you used to see yourself in.

Looking over your own list, not of things you thought you should do, or things you used to do, but things you actually did, and actually enjoyed, you might change your goals for this year.

Just like your choice of books to read next or movies to see next or music to listen to next or place to have dinner next might be influenced by what you enjoyed recently, the actions you take next might well be decided by what has worked well for you recently. All of these little changes add up to bigger changes, influencing what you do for work as well as what you do for play.

Take a look, see what you notice. Then decide.