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Excellence in All Things: A New Year's Resolution
by Jeff Fullerton
[email protected]

Attribute to L. Neil Smith's The Libertarian Enterprise

2013 is winding down.
Maybe Neil was right about 2012 being the "Last Good Year". Much of what I hoped to accomplish fell short of my best laid plans—though I did manage to get the greenhouse looking pretty spectacular with lots of new air plants established on mounts and suspended in air above the conservatory. That in itself was a grand accomplishment that I only regret not doing years ago. But it took me almost a decade to figure out such a neat method of using little chunks of sassafras wood or wine corks with hooks and wires.

The learning cure they call it.
Which brings me to the realization that while Rome was not built in a day—it takes sustained commitment and dedication to accomplish anything worth while. And that brings me to New Year's Resolutions of which we often have many but too often fail to follow through with. Be it a commitment to weight loss or being a better person. My problem is that I am a bit of a chronic procrastinator to put it lightly with too many things on the back burner. And I often wait until the last minute to do things and am rushed to meet deadlines. Like this essay which I am composing on a Saturday morning before heading off to work an 11 to 11 shift. In a way that may be a good thing because there is less time to ramble with a lengthy exegesis on the evils of procrastination which may be second only to the evils of Big Government!

For in writing, economy of words is a good thing. It took me a long time to realize that too. Part of the problem being stuck in the mode of filling the minimal word requirements of essays and term papers in high school or college. Or writing magazine articles. As opposed to just letting it flow like now.

Cutting to the chase because I need to get ready—my New Year's Resolution is a simple one that covers a lot of ground. To Aspire for Excellence in All Things. From clearing my back burners to improving on what I am already doing and salvaging old projects that were neglected or abandoned- if they are worth doing. It also involves prioritization and a willingness to make hard decisions because a big part of the reason I have back burner issues and neglected projects is from taking on too many things. There were times in my younger days that I remember having a lot less but what I did have—I did it better.

It will be nice to live that way again.
Excellence in All Things while acknowledging which things are most worthwhile.

Happy New Year to All!

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