It is a New Year and already we are knee-deep in its work.

But it is a NEW YEAR and it is important that you take time out to make new plans and then review them often.

Life Works in Cycles

Each year in Wisconsin, the leaves fall and then the snow falls. But by July the strawberries are ready for the pickin’. Every month, we can see the full moon. Each day, we can see the sunrise – if it is not cloudy.

In human endeavors, we seem to follow this natural rhythm of following cycles. After we finish the 9th grade, we are ready to begin the 10th grade. We are excited to finish when we get out of school for the summer, and then again, eager to start the new grade when we begin again in the fall.

These are all cycles.

What would happen if you stayed in the 9th grade, year after year? How would you feel?

Yet, in our work life we fall into the trap of doing the same thing over and over and over. This is not the first unique and special patient you have ever seen…this patient is a customer just like all the others — just another case. Today is not the first day of the rest of your life, it is just like yesterday which is the same as a long line of days that go on and on. And on…

We get beaten down by the tedium, working endlessly for some forgotten purpose, as if the assembly line we were on never stopped and was always the same.

This is a major cause of stress.

Groundhog Day Syndrome

You can’t do one thing forever, like in the movie “Groundhog Day.” In it, the main character visits a town in Pennsylvania where everyone watches to see if a groundhog can see its shadow. This is traditionally on February 2 (This year, it is on a Saturday.) The only problem is, for this character, the day keeps repeating and repeating, the same each day. It drives the character to suicide, but even that doesn’t work. Finally, he falls in love and wins the girl and has a new life.

Anything in life that begins, it seems, must end. It can start again, but it must end so that a new iteration can be created. It is the cycle of life.

Goals and Games

This is an important factor in what is called Gamification. With the advent of computer games, design elements are added in to make the game fun, challenging, and motivational.

But games are nothing new. Baseball is a game. It has a season and games and innings. It has cycles. Games have been part of human behavior since the beginning. The Olympics started in 776 BCE.

One aspect of games that can be overlooked is the fact that they are just an activity for play. Play is something we do naturally as toddlers. As we grow older, this activity becomes structured into organized sports and games, but at the core is the desire to have fun. To play.

We can lose this sense of play when what we do has no end and no beginning. Persistence is a good quality, but it can lead to an enforced dullness that buries our enthusiasm.

It is important to keep in mind that in business, as in sports, keeping the perspective of play is more effective than bearing down on one’s duties with serious gravity. Practices that incorporate some of the components of a game into their operations are more productive and have a better time.

What are your goals for 2019? For the 1st Quarter? For this month… or for today? Higher numbers? New team members? Community wide outreach program? New training and greater knowledge?

As soon as you make a goal, you start a new cycle and begin a new game. Try to win. But you could lose. Either way, don’t get too serious about it and just be grateful to be able to be in the game.

Set new goals and play. Play — to win. Have fun. Smile a little more!