Over the holiday break, a fiction writer that I follow on social media posted the following: “Have made resolution to write and publish a book a week this year.”
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Dang, I thought, talk about throwing the gauntlet down. Even if the books were short, say 120 pages, that still would amount to writing 24 pages a day!
Just as I was finishing the math and starting to think of what my own resolutions would be, this follow-up note appeared: “Nevermind, that’s too many books. I’ll just write whenever I want and that will probably be book a week anyway. I HAVE OFFICIALLY ENDED RESOLUTION. It lasted 6 minutes.”
I think we’ve all been here at some point. The best of intentions collides with real life, especially during the pandemic, and suddenly we’re revisiting our commitments and updating our priority lists. Although six minutes may be a new record.
In fact, Facebook is already reminding me via the Memories section of the way 2020 started for me – dressed in running gear on January 1, and starting to train for a marathon which would have taken place the Sunday before the SMRP Annual Conference, scheduled that year in Columbus, OH. (Spoiler alert: everyone’s plans in 2020 got changed.)
However, this is a new year, and a new opportunity to tackle some goals. For 2022, I hereby resolve to:
1. Run either a full or half marathon. That short break in 2020 turned into two years, so it’s high time to reverse this trend, get back into regular exercise, and get rid of the “COVID 19” that it feels I’ve put on since the pandemic started. Running serves as a form of meditation for me as well, and I really miss the mental benefits of race training.
2. Read more books. A lot of news, articles, podcasts, and other content finds its way to the editors’ desks. It can be a challenge to find time to digest it all, and my stack of books to read is only growing. In fact, an upcoming book by Johann Hari, “Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention,” analyses the stressors that impact our ability to pay attention, and how to better manage those stressors.
This issue of Plant Services kicks off our new department, The Book Corner, where Managing Editor Anna Townshend and I will share our thoughts of books of interest to our industry. We’re committing to one book per month, so be sure to send us recommendations!
3. Earn the CMRP. This is a goal I’ve had for seven years, and it’s time to make good on it. For anyone unfamiliar with the CMRP, it is the baseline credential for certifying the overall aptitude of maintenance and reliability professionals, and the test assesses a person’s aptitude across five areas of knowledge. Most of our columnists have earned the CMRP, as did the previous two Plant Services chief editors, so it is high time that I join the club.
Here’s hoping that you also accomplish all of your resolutions for 2022!
This story originally appeared in the January 2022 issue of Plant Services. Subscribe to Plant Services here.
This article is part of our monthly From the Editor column. Read more from Thomas Wilk.
