Monday, February 14, 2011

Objective: Great 2011!

I really enjoyed writing to several of the #Reverb10 prompts in December 2010, and I am excited to see that the Reverb community is keeping the great writing, creating, and thinking going as 2011 picks up speed. This is the prompt for February 2011:

One month into 2011, what question(s) are you living? Are there any prompts/questions that arose during #reverb10 that are still resonating in your life? Are you living new questions?

The prompt included these instructions: Like #reverb10, you may respond to this prompt as-is or remix it to suit your needs. Write, blog, photograph, draw or respond however you'd like.

I have been pounding out a good bit of writing lately, don't have any photographs that speak to this topic exactly, and you don't want me to draw. For a change of pace, I think I will employ a SWOT analysis. I found myself recommending this approach to a friend recently as she tried to wrestle with a decision about returning to work after several years being home with her kids. A few years ago, I employed SWOT (looking at the strengths/weaknesses/opportunities and threats inherent in a situation in order to make a well-reasoned business decision) when I ended up one-on-one with a fairly high ranking executive of our Third Party Administrator at a time when I wanted to establish a rapport but also take advantage of an opportunity to share some concerns.

To try to chip away at the questions still unanswered in 2011, here is a SWOT look at my life:

Strengths

Proofreading, editing, writing - I find great satisfaction in using these skills and feel confident that I can serve authors such as Rhett Devane and Senator Bob McKnight, for whom I edited Accidental Ambition, and Donna Meredith, for whom I edited The Glass Madonna.

Weaknesses

I need to get a backbone. I don't speak  up when I am right and I apologize way too often as a way to placate when an apology is the wrong strategy.

Opportunities

They are why I do it all. Despite all of the tension and frazzled moments inherent in being a family of four, I wake up each day with the gift of being mom and wife:

New York City August 2007 (Photo Credit Dan Carubia)
Threats

I read a quote this morning that resonated, especially since I knew I was going to write about this topic tonight:

The greatest success, is successful self acceptance. Ben Sweet

On a day when I allowed a perfectly nice string of hours with my teenager to deteriorate into a spiral of negative self-talk over a $5.99 ring from Target that had not made it into the bag, with a few accusations flying both ways, self acceptance remains a question that still insinuates itself too frequently.
How is a SWOT analysis supposed to end? I suppose that is where this post detours from the business purpose. It won't necessarily help me make more money, get anything done faster, or satisfy a board of directors. But hopefully when I revisit it in February 2012, there won't be a spineless jellyfish to be found.


 




3 comments:

Patricia said...

Wonderful....

Julie Jordan Scott said...

I am going to take this approach today. I appreciate your words... I obviously needed them today!

The question I am living this week is rather "airy fairy" "What can I do to express an abundance of love in my work this week?"

Perhaps if I layer a SWOT analysis over the airy fairy?

Will let you know how that goes...

My question to live...

Port St. Lucie maids said...

You mentioned about having no backbone and then there's a jelly fish photo. No backbone. Right but they do sting!