Resolutions

Well I'm not quite ready for new years resolutions yet. Yeah it's a hokey tradition, but I usually take some time in January to re-assess the big picture, figure out where I went wrong (and right) the last year and plan my course corrections or new directions for the year to come. In Japan a bell rings 108 times at midnight to purge each of the 108 sins of the last year. I think you're supposed to keep present enough to hear them all, but my memories of said event at Meiji Shrine are a little fuzzy; I do remember lots of excellent amazaki though, drunk from a square wooden cup, which may have had something to do with losing track of the bells. But it was dang cold and the drink was hot. In any case, I'm not ready for the count-down just yet, maybe next week. In the interrim, I came across this article that fits in with the theme of improvements:

77 Ways to Learn Faster, Deeper, and Better

It's an interesting checklist. Somethings you probably already know, some you might discover. Sometimes even a single new approach, or new piece of information, can make a major difference. Maybe one or two will ring a bell for you, and that's plenty, I mean, who commits 108 sins in a year anyway?!