Pre-Thanksgiving Thanks

 

I am on the eve of taking my son to Florida for the first time for a Thanksgiving vacation.   This will be his first introduction to Walt Disney world.  I have been planning this vacation for nearly 7 months and tomorrow at 2:50 pm, our flight will leave the ever growing chill of Vermont for some temperatures in the 70's and 80's.  My packing for this trip began about a week ago, in true DingosMom form and I feel as though I have all my I's dotted and T's crossed.  I have even included my son's Mickey Mouse Halloween costume that he has been wearing religiously ever since the Saturday before Halloween.

Given the excitement of a destination Thanksgiving, I thought I would take a moment, in advance, to observe and share what I am most thankful for this year.

I am Thankful for:

1. My Son - I cannot imagine my life without this little boy who constantly is learning and growing.  Everyday I see him evolving into a little man gathering the tactical and emotional knowledge of how to become the best loving, caring, independent little person he can be.
2. My Family - may they continue to be strong (healthy) and in good spirits though I am unable to share this holiday with them.
3. My Job - It provides me with never ending challenges, personal/professional growth opportunities, personal/professional rewards, and the means to have choices in life many others are not afforded.
4. My home - There is security in knowing you always have a safe place to come to at the end of the day to cook a meal, read a book, relax and make your own.  I'm so thankful for being a home-owner.
5. Food - I'm thankful for the food I'm able to nourish myself and my son with, learning the value of organic food and healthy preparation.
6. My Son's Father - I am thankful that my son has a father who loves him and wants the best for him.
7. Unconditional Love - I'm thankful for the opportunity to feel and give love unconditionally to my family.

I could go on and on as I feel incredibly blessed.  May everyone this Thanksgiving season, take a moment and do a personal inventory on what ways they are blessed too.  

Milestones ?

 

Within the framework of project management, a milestone is an event that receives special attention. It is often put at the end of a stage to mark the completion of a work package or phase. Milestones can be put before the end of a phase so that corrective actions can be taken, if problems arise, and the deliverable can be completed on time.


Ah, what to say about the above definition...there are so many avenues to take.  But it all depends on context, even in project management.  The more important question to ask as it pertains to project management is what is called "critical path".  What is it?   It's what I refer to as what absolutely must happen in order for a given project to be successful, on time and meet the requirements of the business needs.

So how does one apply this theory to every day life?  I'm torn; life doesn't follow a project plan, despite many of my prior efforts to make it do so.  At any given moment, life can throw you a curve ball and may change your overall objectives.  If I may be so cliche, life IS a journey, not a destination; which underscores why this milestone philosophy may be inherently invalid as it pertains to life.  But then how does one achieve personal goals?

I generally operate under past experience and knowledge gained from those experiences with a smattering of gut feeling and hopefulness where things just feel right.

I'm still navigating this dichotomy between rigidity of planning and just rolling with it and have yet to formulate a solid foundation of thinking.  70% of the time I follow the planning route, which has shown me many successes and few failures, the other 30% has shown me many failures and few successes, but those few successes have tended to be the most personally fulfilling.