Blame It, or Fix It?

One of my favorite comic strips of all time is Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson.  The strip still appears ... in re-runs these days ... and I enjoy reading it every morning.  In today's punchline, Calvin comments. "It's a lot more fun to blame things than to fix them."  (According to information found on Wikipedia, this strip originally appeared on May 18, 1992; it was re-run today, May 21, 2012.)

While Calvin's comment is humorous, it is also sad -- because of its truth.  Too often, people are content to make excuses and pass blame, as opposed to making a different and righting what is wrong.  We allow ourselves to think like victims, failing to assume responsibility for what becomes of ourselves.  And that is dangerous.

I have recently found myself thinking about my "bucket list" -- the things I'd like to do before I kick the bucket.  I've also been reading some motivational literature, and I find continual reminders that I need to set goals for myself.  Without goals, we can't hope to excel.  Without a goal, you lack direction and the motivation to achieve.

And yet I am not good at goal-setting.  People ask, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" and I honestly have no clue.  I find it extremely difficult to visualize the future in that way.  And yet, I am learning -- through various sources -- that you have to think big and take action toward specific and measurable goals if you are ever going to bring about effective change.  You can blame things, or you can take responsibility.

Over the past few months, I have found myself watching a series of videos on Yahoo! Screen.  The project is called Failure Club, and it chronicles seven New Yorkers who have goals they are seeking to achieve within a year.  New episodes are available each Monday and Friday -- this morning, episode 45 was released.  (You can access these at http://screen.yahoo.com/lifestyle/failure-club/.)  Without giving away all of the plot lines that are involved, I will admit that I have been amazed by the transformation in Meg -- the subject of today's episode.  At the outset of the series, were I asked to place money on those I thought would be successful in achieving their goals, I doubt she would have made my list.  And today's episode showed just how far she has come.

The power of goal-setting is slowly sinking in for me.  That doesn't mean I've actually done it yet.  It also doesn't mean I'm any closer to knowing how to visualize a future worth pursuing.  But I need to start that process, instead of continuing to spin my wheels.  Whether it's a bucket list or a five-year plan, I need to start getting something on paper ... and, more importantly, making the effort to bring it about.