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.

How do you like them apples?

As a first time parent, I am constantly on the prowl for sharing new experiences with my little guy.  Last weekend I took him on an apple picking adventure, and to be clear, it's not as if apple picking in general was all that new of an adventure, but this time, there was a whole "festival" involved.  There was a bouncy castle, rock climbing wall, petting zoo, face painting, the whole nine yards.

I really enjoy taking him apple picking.  I'm not sure quite why this is such a fun and rewarding experience for me, but I love it.  I was so proud to see him tackle the bouncy castle on our way to the orchard, when just 3 months prior, he was hovering close to the wall in a similar bouncy castle at a local hot air balloon festival where I was sure he was going to end up crying and want to get out.  He's starting to explore his limits and test them.  I am literally watching him grow emotionally as well as physically.

So he tackled the castle like a champ and on our way we went to the orchard.  Once through the entrance way, we browsed the animals and petted the miniature horse (what's a petting zoo without a miniature horse?).  What caught his attention most was the rock climbing wall.  Sure enough, he asked to climb.  I must have asked him 4 times if he was sure and his dead set answer was consistently, "Yes".    So $5 later, he was getting outfitted with all the gear to be hoisted up.  And finally, it was his turn.

He listened patiently to the belay aid (if that's what you call it?) and his belt was hooked up.  Next he was hoisted up into the air about 4' off the ground.  I was amazed at his bravery!  He didn't really know what to do next and I could see a little bit of panic come across his sweet face, so I walked over and got his feet a little more organized to take the next step.  He took one step on his own and that was it.  He was done.  I made sure to praise him for being so brave and I meant it with all my heart.
I believe he even said, "Maybe next time".... he would go farther up.

Now on to the task at hand, actual apple picking.  I bought us two half peck bags so he could have his own bag and off we went into the orchard.  I had every intention of picking the best apples to be used for apple sauce and pie making, however, once we were among the trees, I could not possible thwart my little one's enthusiasm for finding "cute apples".  He would walk up to a tree branch and say, "Here's a cute one" and pick it.  I tried to explain that we were looking for big red apples, but hey... at least he wasn't grabbing them off the ground like he had the year before.  The adventure became even more rewarding as my little guy started to call to me, "come on mom, over here!"

Yes, he ruled the day and my heart.  We finished with two full bags partially containing viable baking apples and the rest "cute" apples... I also ended up carrying him (at 40lbs), two bags full of apples and our diaper bag all the way back to the station to pay for our harvest.  I was a sweaty, yet pleased mess. 

Wrapping the day up with a fresh bottle of water, a couple of cider donuts and lastly a well deserved chocolate ice cream cone on our walk back to the car, I couldn't be more pleased.  Even when half of it dripped down his face and arm.

I love you OTB.