As the lights go down on this unbelievable year, it's time to pause and consider what happened and chart a course for next year - personally, professionally and for our planet
Okay so what happened?
The inevitable economic meltdown occurred. Who is to blame? Let me list them in self-righteous order:
1.The greedy financiers who gave us money so we could buy things we didn't need. What were they thinking?
2. The shameless politicians who refused to regulate those greedy financiers and restrict our freedom to hurt ourselves. Where was political courage when we most needed it?
3. Those neighbors who bought all those fancy things that we just had to have- you know, to keep up. Why are neighbors so mean?
4. The celebrity-obsessed culture of ours that bombarded us with that Britney-Paris-Amy junk that didn't give us enough time to learn what was really going on around us. It's shameful. Who do they think they are betting that we wouldn't use our brains?
5. The weight that I didn't lose. [Oh yeah...about that 35 pound Resolution from last year....this time I really mean it!] It must be those terrible people who put calorie-laden food near me and didn't force me to exercise more.
So what can we do to turn this around?
1. Stop wasting our time surfing the channels on television and the junk sites on the internet. That would free up about two hours a day right there. Write a book. Or a movie. Or a play. Or a short story. Put our talents to use. You only go through this world once. [My apologies to the Reincarnationists in my subscriber list.]
2. Do something good or kind for someone every day without them knowing about it.
3. Educate ourselves - about the economy, the arts, history, language. The world is a beautiful place but it requires education to really appreciate its fullest beauty.
4. Stop negative thinking. Too many people talk themselves out of accomplishments before they even start. Give yourself a positive mantra every day. Visualize what it is you want to accomplish. Set out a plan. And do it.
5. Get organized. We all waste the equivalent of a 40 hour work-week annually just trying to find files, looking for stuff - and going crazy in the process. If you can, bring in an organizer to help you or spend an hour a day getting organized - in your personal, family, professional, hobby, and every aspect of your life. I admit I'm not there yet. But I'm starting.
6. Tell the key people in our lives that we love them. Often. You'll never regret it and they will always remember it.
7. Have dinner with our families at least three times a week. Those are the times you get to share, learn about each other, and build a family ritual that is enduring for generations.
8. As you do all those, don't forget to have fun. Life is way too short. Even in tough times, you can still give some focus to what interests you, excites you, makes you laugh, gives you joy.
So those are my thoughts on the year that's passed and the year that awaits us.
Caroline Kennedy and the New York Times
Now let's turn to the now famous New York Times Interview with Senate wannabe Caroline Kennedy. I have two words for Ms. Kennedy...'media training'!!! If she was trained then more is required obviously. She would be the hands-down winner of the 'you know' awards for sure (140 times in the interview). It was cringe-worthy in Sarah Palin terms, as you will see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/nyregion/28kennedytranscript.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
However, the following sequence almost redeemed her entire interview:
[conducted by Nicholas Confessore and David M. Halbfinger - NC and DH]
"NC: Was he [your husband] the first person you told — do you know if you uttered the words, ‘I think I’m gonna go for this?’ Or, something like it?
CK: Well, I don’t know if I utter those kinds of words, but yes. You know, it was a mutual decision.
NC: Could you, for the sake of storytelling, could you tell us a little bit about that moment, like, where you were, what you said to him about your decision, how that played out?
CK: Have you guys ever thought about writing for, like, a woman’s magazine or something? (Laughter)
DH: What do you have against women’s magazines?
CK: Nothing at all, but I thought you were the crack political team here. As I said, it was kind of over a period of time, you know, obviously we talked about politics, we talked about what’s going on, we’ve been watching the team that the president-elect is putting together — Hillary Clinton is going to be a spectacular part of that team, you know, then there was a vacancy here, you know, just like everybody else, you know: who’s going to fill it, isn’t that interesting, there’s a lot of great candidates, you know, obviously I have become much more politically involved than I have in the past, so you know, I figure, why not try, I really think I have something to offer.
NC: But there was no one moment you can draw on —
CK: I know I wish there was, I’ll think about it.
NC: If there isn’t, that’s what it was, that’s fine too. We’re not the crack political team, we’re always looking for good anecdotes and good stories."So there you have it: "good anecdotes and good stories". Her crack about women's magazines will be a problem for her, but there is a grain of truth to it. When New York Times reporters start to ask Oprah-like questions, it's hard not to laugh at the crack. All the news that's fit to print' indeed!
I can already hear the cast of 'Saturday Night Live' getting ready to pounce! Hang in there Caroline - it's only the New York Times. The real challenge will be surviving Tina Fey!
Until Next Year....be safe and try to find some joy in this crazy world.
Barry
P.S. watch for our new website http://www.mcloughlinmedia.com which will be up and running early in the New Year. At which time I will move this blog onto the site. All of our old www.ceo.tv web and email contacts will be directed over there during the initial transition phase. It's time for 'change you can believe in'!! [Although I think that slogan has already been taken....]
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