One of our annual tasks at Boeing is to create a personal development plan.  This year we were given a list of "vision questions" to help us create our very own "Vision Statement."  It's both easy and fashionable to deride exercises like this, but I found the vision questions to be thought- provoking.

What is the story I want to tell with my life? "He was honorable and worthy of trust."  "He was loved by his family and friends."  "He lived in a manner consistent with his principles."  Please be aware that this is the story I WANT to tell, not necessarily the one I AM telling so far.

What is the difference or contribution I want to make in the world? I want to leave the world a better place.  What is a reasonable person going to say?  "I want to amass more wealth and pile up more stuff?"  "I want to acquire more power over others?"

What gives me energy?  Feeling passionate about something.

What things do I enjoy doing? Reading, watching movies/TV, writing.

What brings me joy and happiness in my life now? Family, cats, internet.

What do I value most? The good opinion of others.  The drawback of this is that sometimes I care too much about what people think of me.

What do I like about my life right now? I have more freedom than I've ever had before: due to a combination of empty-nest, an income vs. expense ratio based on the "Micawber Principle," and the ability to work "anytime, anywhere."

What would I like to stop doing? Watching too much TV.

What would I like to start doing? Getting more exercise.

What is the life I would like to be living 10 years from now? Flitting about from one interest to another.

What is the life I would like to be living one year from now? Flitting about from one interest to another.  But this (my current life) will do for now.

What things do I do better than most people I know? Communicate.  Cajole.

What are the descriptions that describe my strengths? Personable. Good communicator.  Capable of applying intense focus to a task.

What is my ideal career? That of a male J. K. Rowling.

What relationships do I want to have? The relationships I currently have are the relationships I want to have.

What do people say I’ll be known for? A weird sense of humor and a head full of useless information.

- Poppa

P.S. Photos from Xmas through the Ides of March.  Cats, naps, feasting, fruit, fowl, Fast Eddies.

P.P.S. I put the cow/cat picture in for no particular reason other than because I like it.