Awards for achievement or something else?

As the time for the Oscars approaches I am reminded of my perception that we  bestow too may awards in our culture.   Perhaps it is just that awards can garner more attention because of the media.  But I rather think we bestow too many awards and in doing so the awards become watered down and less meaningful. In some professions the award becomes more of a marketing tool than an actual award for an achievement.   (In some fields I think it is too difficult to "judge" achievement.)  Anyway I find myself being cynical when I hear about another award or award winner.

Are there too many awards?  Have many of them become more of a marketing tool than a recognition of achievement?   Are some of them bestowed upon people who lobby and network the best rather than those that have "achieved" something noteworthy?  If so perhaps we should be careful to distinguish between types of awards and stop calling all of them achievement awards.  Some of the awards would be better recognized as marketing awards or self-promotion awards. Then we could really honor those who have "achieved" great things.

A paradox in the age of facebook and twitter?

I have noticed what appears to be a paradox.  In this facebook, twitter age it seems the more we reveal about our “outer” lives -activities and opinions the less we reveal about our inner lives – emotions, desires.

 As I reflect on the New Year I have “resolved” to “work” on creating closer personal connections by sharing more of my inner life. I am not talking about spending more time on twitter or facebook. I am referring to spending time in the physical presence of people I want to connect with on a deeper level. (It requires a willingness to be “vulnerable” but that is a subject for another time.) 

When people engage in activities together it seems to be easier to communicate with and open up to each other.  A few activities that come to my mind are cooking a meal together or going for a walk together. These allow us opportunities to talk to each other which activities such as going to a movie together do not allow.  Perhaps it can be described as engaging in a communal activity versus a solitary activity done together.

I have noticed that I often want to cancel these get togethers at the last minute. I don’t feel like it or I have some other excuse.  It seems like so much effort to physically get together especially when we can email, tweet or post something on facebook when we feel like it.  It does take more effort but it is so worth it.   You can only discover that if you give it a try.

New Year Reflection before Resolution

It is the start of a new year and we feel like our lives can have a new start as well.   Often we act on this feeling of “newness” by resolving to shed some of our bad habits or by vowing to create some new good habits.   I have nothing against New Year resolutions.   I just believe they would be more productive if they were preceded by some honest reflection about our lives and ourselves. 

Here are a few of the things I am reflecting on at the start of this New Year.  Has my behavior over the past year reflected my values?  Or perhaps have I strayed from those values in how I treat others?  Am I putting my energy into activities that promote my values?    Am I holding a “grudge” against a co-worker, employer, friend or family member?   How can I resolve that grudge?   Holding onto anger keeps me anchored in the past and in unhealthy patterns of behavior.  Failing to be true to my values causes me to not like myself.

  Sometimes we don’t even realize these things are happening to us.  We just have a small nagging feeling that something is amiss or not right.   It is very easy to ignore those feelings by staying busy or occupied.  We live in a world that values activities and staying busy. Time spent reflecting is often seen as a waste of time and a sign of laziness because we didn’t “accomplish” a task that can be quantitatively measured.

Honest reflection can lead to resolutions for change.  We always have the power to change our lives by changing our own attitude and behavior even if nothing else changes.  So join me in reflecting this New Year.  It may be the most productive thing we can do even if we can’t “prove” it to someone else.