Month 2 of 12: Journey to achieving my New Year's Resolution, 'I will write funny'.

Feb. 29 '24, You’re going on a trip. How many hours, days, weeks do you spend planning it?

This is Month 2 of 12 of my journey,

to achieving my January 1, 2024 New Year’s Day Resolution, I write funny.  I am writing about my Resolution on Math by Edison, as the process to achieve an objective has a direct relationship to the math skills and habits I use when tutoring my students, as the focus is also on habits, mastering the foundation and The Learning 5 (TL5).

For February month 2, I went deeper into the first of TL5 (the Objective),

and it turns out it’s the step many students give the least thought to. I want to become an actor, play professional basketball, be an engineer, a doctor, do better this year in math, be more confident in math … nothing wrong with speaking those goals, but don’t mix up dreams with goals. A dream is a trip to anywhere, a goal is a trip to somewhere. A goal without a plan gets you where? A goal without a plan is a hopeful goal. A goal with a plan is the start to get where you want to go.

I’ve spent that last 30 days planning the steps to achieve my Resolution.

Yeah, the trip has started, but it hasn’t ‘started’, if you know what I mean! Last 30 days has been - a time-consuming process, tedious, monotonous, and boring at times*, and that’s why many don’t do it. There’s no instant gratification in it – but it’s sooooo essential as it’s building a strong foundation to ensure you stick around long enough to see your building built.

*It’s also thrilling, exciting and fascinating. It’s

a peek into what the trip to the peak might look like. So, actually, there are some instant delights.

Achieving a goal or a Resolution isn’t hard. It’s only hard if you don’t understand the steps to get there. Making a plan helps. A lot.

Recap of Month 0 of 12: Resolution or Re-solution (Jan 3)
Month 1 of 12: Month 1 of 12 (Jan 29)

It’s only hard if you don’t understand the steps to get there!

On Feb 11, in 19th Quick Step, I wrote the sentence, The start is always the hardest part! Did you agree or disagree? That sentence was in reference to starting Math by Edison and also applicable to the start of my New Year’s Resolution, I write funny. I used the word ‘hard’ for two reasons:

#1 I don’t know the steps I need to follow to achieve, my Resolution, writing funny. Once I’ve learnt the steps it stops being ‘hard.

#2 To learn requires a lot of time, energy, thinking and planning to know the steps, as I’ve never done these steps before. I need to understand how to learn and that’s the guide I’m using with this Resolution - it’s what The Learning 5 teaches!

For the last 30 days I worked on #1 and 2

Planning and problem-solving! I’ve been to the End of my Resolution (Resolution achieved) and walked backwards to the Beginning (the start, now). I’ve written about Backwards Objective, in Month 1 of 12, and how it’s a mental exercise that makes the steps to get to an objective a little clearer. It aids with knowing many of the problems that lie ahead.

This planning is massive as it means that I’ve increased the probability of achieving my Resolution, as there will be fewer problems to solve and less obstacles to overcome. Why? I’ve solved many problems in advance – that’s what planning does 😊! It’s problem-solving the problems before you begin the trip. It’s creating your journey twice – first mentally and second in reality, which turns out to be true for 99% of the tasks you do.

Hardest part means I don’t understand. But once I understand, it ceases to be hard.

You’re going on a trip. How many hours, days, weeks do you spend planning it? Replace trip with New Year’s Resolution, objective, goal in math … how many hours, days, weeks do you spend planning it?

How many hours, days, weeks do you spend planning the steps to achieve your Resolution?

A goal without a plan isn’t a goal. Speaking the goal is a miniscule part of the whole process (0.1% of the journey), what happens after you’ve said that 0.1% communicates to yourself how serious you are about it.

I have a question for you, math student, reader

You set an objective in math – do more homework, do better, get an 80, not give up, understand more, memorize less … How much time do you spend figuring out what you must do to achieve that objective? Do you spend 30 days as I’ve just done? More than 30 days? Less than 30 days? A week? A day? Less than a day? An hour? No hours? None?

Here’s something you should know: Many math students don’t spend a lot of time planning or figuring out the steps they will have to follow to achieve an objective. Wondering why?

How to achieve a goal is never taught in schools (aka goal-setting)! Math students are never taught the steps on how to achieve a goal. N-E-V-E-R ever!! How can that be?

Why is that?
Students have goals too, don’t they?

If schools are not going to teach you, I will. But know that the planning is the part where you’ll do the most thinking - it will seem like the hardest part but it will be worth it. To overcome, you’re going to need a goal moves you, a lot! If you have one, let’s do this! If you don’t, go here for help - find a reason that will motivate you.

The plan tells you many steps and makes the journey easier as you will have done the hard work upfront, before you begin! But give little attention, or no time to planning an objective, then the results will be predictable.

Okay, now you know the back story of my February,

here’s what I got out of the last 30 days of planning.

1.      I’ve tweaked my BIG objective – it’s now, I write funny, not, I will write funny.
How to measure it? I smile or chuckle when I read the words I’ve written.

2.      I had to come up with many mini-objectives to aid with the BIG objective:
Understand how to write funny - vright now it’s looking at words from a different angle). Thinking funny. See things funny. Write so a reader smiles or chuckles. Make writing a habit. Find time to write. Write to make my heart go thump!

3.      Solved problems in advance!
I’ve solved many of the problems that will arise. Not all, but many. And this investment of time is worth it, because if the journey to my Resolution had 100 problems and I’ve solved 60 already, then that means there’s fewer problems I’ll have to solve. Yay! Much fewer. And that increases the probability of my Resolution coming to life!! I write funny here I come. Ya-hoo!

4.      I feel more confident as I’ve made a plan, and now I have to follow the plan 😊!`

5.      I have NEVER ever been a funny guy. Which means my ‘I write funny’ Resolution is a steep mountain for me to climb. I’m aiming to achieve something I have never done and is not part of my character. Sounds a lot like a math goal a student would set. Interesting … But using the last 30 days take time to think, plan and figure out how to achieve, ‘I write funny, has gifted me a guide, my road map on how to get there. This planning and problem-solving in advance, has made, I write funny, seem more possible 😊.

In business, this is called a business-plan.

With your math teacher, it’s called a teacher plan – your teacher will plan what they will teach you every day of the course. They’d be able to tell you what they’re going to teach on the third Tuesday of each month. That’s the clarity a plan gives.

Planning, it turns out, makes the future a little more predictable.

How’s it going for you and your Resolution?

Happy with your progress? If yes, super, keep the trip alive.

If no, then why do you want it? Does it make your heart go, THUMP? No? Then how can you pour your heart and soul into it if you’re not motivated. Where will you find the motivation, to plan the trip?

If you haven’t launched your Resolution or feel you’re stuck, do not give up. Don’t despair. I’d recommend you take time to plan it – otherwise you’re rushing to nowhere. Doesn’t everyone plan a trip before they start a trip?

If you’re going to the moon … don’t you need a plan? And what about aiming for the stars?

Isn’t a Resolution a trip?

It’s like me asking you, what’s a trip you’d like to go on, and you say drive across the Australian Outback, take a solo portage canoe trip for five days in the great Canadian north* or bike across the USA.

Wonderful, exciting, but you’d want to make a plan for those, no? Then why don’t you make a plan for the math objective you have or for the Resolution you made on January 1, 2024? Why is your goal less of a goal than one of those three treks?

Okay if you have never ever thought about making a plan, here’s what you do: plan your Resolution! Walk the steps to get there (start at the end and walk backwards), see the obstacles you will have to overcome (and solve them before the trip starts). It’s dreaming with blinders on.

*Here’s a bit more details on one of those three treks:

A solo portage is a canoe trip where you drive up north for many hours, leave your car, then paddle your canoe across a lake, then lift up your canoe and walk across land to get to the next lake, then paddle more, then portage more, light a fire, cook your food, set up your tent for the night, sleep, wake up … repeat. You’ll probably see no one for the 5 days. Your cellphone will not work – you’re literally on your own with the wild and the wilderness, with nature, for 5 days. Bears, mosquitoes, leaky canoe, leaky tent, matches get wet, bear steals your food … anything can happen. But you will have planned for those problems, right?

Don’t need to plan for that solo trip as no problems will arise, right? Ah … I don’t think so, eh! Solving problems in advance is a key step to any trip – you’re not aiming for an adventure; you’re aiming to make it as predictable as the steps to adding one plus two plus three (1 + 2 + 3). Math is sort of a solo trip, isn’t it? Have you made a plan?

Physical steps I have taken in Month 2

Writing sentences on cue-cards and a few are making me smile and chuckle 😊. And I am understanding:

• The power in synonyms as one always speaks to me (objective vs goal vs purpose vs calling vs mission)

• The rhythm that words that rhyme have (it’s a peek into what getting to the peak might look like)

• And falling in love with words (which is a minor miracle as words have never ever been my thing - still have poetry scars).

So, not much to show you, but hey, it’s only month 2 of a 12-month trip. What’s the rush? Aren’t you enjoying your Resolution journey so far? I am!

In Month 3

Mental planning of journey done in Month 2.

Month 3, March, starts tomorrow! Now it’s time to ‘re-do’ the journey a second time, this time in real-life.

7)      Will Edison get closer to achieving his New Year’s Resolution, ‘I write funny’?
8)      How much progress will Edison make in Month 3?
9)      Will Edison share more of his 20 or 30 mini-objectives?
10)   I forget why he wants to write funny – will he remind us readers why?
11) Month-1 article was a 9-minute read, this Month 2 is a 10-minute read, will Month 3 be an 11’ read 🙄?
12)   Will Edison write a funny sentence that will make him smile or chuckle?
13)   Will Edison write a funny sentence that will make any of us readers smile or chuckle?

End of Month 2