I stole this picture from “Ken Carter.” Thanks, Ken.

My motto for 2022 is “1% better is Better.”

I don’t exactly make New Year’s resolutions, but I do set goals. Resolutions sound so vague and breakable, but goals can be defined and refined and broken down into do-able pieces. I guess resolutions can too, but they have such a negative connotation.

This year’s goals are helping me to prepare for my second act. Maybe I’m too old to be going for a second act, maybe it’s my third act. Whatever. I’m still calling it my second act. What I’m referring to as my second act is preparing for what I’ll do after my eventual retirement.

I don’t plan to retire any time soon. My plan is to work another five to ten years. That said, wouldn’t it be cool to spend my retirement years painting and writing? Maybe a little teaching university students? I already have all I need to teach university students and to research and write. I want to spend this time before retirement learning to paint.

I’m committed to painting an hour a day every day in 2022 and watching one Skillshare painting video per day. That will give me 365 hours of painting and 365 Skillshare videos. That won’t make me an expert, but it will bring me 720 hours closer to my painting desires. Some things are hard to measure in percentages, but those things I can measure in time spent on them.