Doubling Down
Happy New Year!
Our annual pork and sauerkraut feast came off without a hitch. January 1st is the only day each year when you can be certain of what we are eating. Lori and I did the math - we have executed the same New Year’s Day menu twenty-nine times so far. In line with Appalachian tradition, my mom always insisted that we include a dish featuring black-eyed peas for good luck. All these years, the black-eyed pea dish is the only item that has changed (it’s been hard to find one that people really liked). But we may have found a permanent answer to this issue: This Greek Black-Eyed Pea Salad was good enough that we just may stick with it in the years ahead. Sourcing the beans from Rancho Gordo didn’t hurt either.
In the quiet since the holiday, I’ve been spending a fair amount of time nailing down my vision for the year ahead. Last year I did a pretty good job of both identifying and driving the leading activities to create the outcomes for which I am striving. Sustainable growth only comes from focus on the proper leading activities.
No duh, right? But it can be harder than it sounds. I have been more guilty than I would like to admit to losing focus on this simple truth in two different ways: First, I am sometimes seduced by novelty. There is always a new way to do just about everything, and I am often drawn to these new ways - when the old way is simpler, and just as effective. Second, I get too focused on outcomes, losing sight of the fact that it is the leading activities that create those outcomes (in short, I become impatient.)
As I look into this New Year, I am realizing that I simply need to maintain (or even increase) my focus on the leading activities whose effectiveness is well-established. To the untrained, this may sound like “rinse, and repeat,” which could be boring. But I’ve been at this long enough to know that this is where the fun starts. This is the time to double down and get the growth flywheel turning faster.
No doubt I can refine what I’m doing, but my work does not require wholesale revision. I expect to learn and grow a lot - all while performing the same basic actions that made last year so good. Evolution, not revolution.
However you are approaching the game of life in the year ahead, I wish you much success!
Sunday Supper
Although I feel like I managed to be relatively moderate with my holiday indulgences, I did in fact indulge and so it is now time to rein in my approach to food. This Sticky Miso Salmon bowl looks good. We enjoyed these Red Curry Lentils this past weekend. This Steamed Halibut w/ Ginger looks nice. I would pair it with this Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad w/ Chickpeas.
Sunday Music
Here are the Milk Carton Kids, at the Ryman Theater in Nashville, Tennessee. Jeff Tweedy at World Cafe. And Prince, Live at the Los Angeles Forum in 2011. Enjoy!
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Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,