I always, I never, I usually, I sometimes

The New Year: Identity Through Actions

It should sound funny that I tripped over a pile of frozen manure in the aisle at my horse farm and face planted. Except that the experience wasn’t funny at all.

It was dark, I hadn’t turned on the light. After all, I’ve walked down this aisle for 30 years, I know where everything is, right?

It happened so fast and so unexpectedly that I didn’t have time to break my fall in any way. Serious face plant onto frozen ground. Luckily ok except for a few bruises and a some osteopathic cranial/sacral adjustment a few days later.

I’m used to frozen uneven ground outside in winter but didn’t expect it in the barn aisle

One of the behaviors I mindfully changed after that is “I always turn on the light when I’m in the barn and it’s dark, or use the light on my phone”.

The New Thing in New Year’s Resolutions is to base them on Identity instead of, well, resolutions (“I’m going to lose 30 pounds, exercise every day, etc.) (Or maybe it’s the Old Thing and I’m behind the times. Entirely possible.)

“I am a person who” is the identity statement.

And I strongly applaud this approach, and have been cogitating on it.

But just as a Vision without an Action Plan won’t get you there, “I am a person who” without some further translation into actions won’t either.

I’m framing the following in terms of Safety since that’s such a core part of what I want to share.

What I realized as I started my “I always” and “I never” lists was that it’s a lot more nuanced than that.

There were a lot of “I almost always” and “I almost never” rationalizations.

There was a huge value in examining those “edge cases” and mindfully deciding whether to move something from an “almost always” to an “always” or an “almost never” to a “never”. Or realizing the nuance around what you thought was an “I always” such as me with wearing a seat belt.

For example, "“I always wear my seat belt”, well, I always do except I don’t latch it before I head down my 1/4 mile driveway. I always fasten it before I turn onto the road. I’m ok with that one, move that to the Almost Always. I always have it fastened when driving is still true (or is it really? Do I ever unfasten it when driving to get something out of my pocket? Do I want to mindfully say “I’m going to pull off the road for that from now on”?)

What are your nuances?.

“I always wear a face shield when doing my night cleaning job”. This one is truly an Always. Twice I’ve been tired or distracted and sprayed in the wrong direction. Into my face. This was an “always” before either of those incidents.

“I always wear a face shield and nitrile gloves when handling chemicals”. Last year I turned this from an “almost always” into an “always” by doing my cleaning at home decked out in face shield and gloves. (And made it easy by having the face shield and gloves right next to the cleaning chemicals).

What are your “I always” “I sometimes” “I never” and “I almost never” principles for yourself? Which will you try to move up a notch and which are you good with and why?

What are they for your team? It’s a great exercise done with your team, not for them. Or do it yourself first in terms of what you think they’ll come up with and compare your prediction with their result, probably without telling them what the differences were..

Here’s to a Safer New Year!

Community Outreach:: Share your best/most impactful “I always” “I almost always” “I almost never” and “I never” statements. And especially the ones you are changing going forward and why

Til next time…