2016 resolutions, OK to be only moderately successful?

The article “How to be a moderately successful person” by Emer O’Toole in The Guardian is in my mind with thinking about 2016.

The article says there are 12,000,000 articles purporting to show the secrets of highly successful people. I suppose these people have built the secrets into their New Year’s Resolutions and are now frantically trying to do them.

But do I really want to be highly successful? After reading the article, I’m realizing “moderately successful” ought to be good enough.

There’s a word in Swedish that’s pertinent here — “lagoon.” It mans “just the right amount.” For success, I think what I should be looking for is “just the right amount.”

As for to-do lists, I love the article’s suggestion of having “make a to-do list” the first to-do on my to-do list. That way I will get at least one thing done and enjoy the feeling of success early on every day.

I’m spending some time on the paragraph “Accept your clutter.” I usually have more than clutter I’d like, I’d like to cut back a bit.

As for the suggestion about not asking visitors to use coasters. I’m not sure yet I’m ready to do that. I was brought up on a household where using coasters was a way of life. And a coaster can be fun — if it’s a jokey one:

I identify with a statement in the article: “I hope it will not seem conceited if I say that I am a moderately successful person.” In my case, I’m doing things I like to do. I go where I like to go. I have friends. And there’s the other statement in the article I identify with: “I wrote a book that is doing quite well.”

I don’t need to be perfect — it’ll be OK if I simply make some progress each day — just the right amount.

Leland Carlson
Assistant Vice President
Dull Men’s Club
(AVP the DMC’s highest office)

January  2,  2016