John Cox recently announced that Joanna Dalle Nogare (jojodee) and Marc Lutolf (marcinmilan/random) were elected to Xaraya’s Project Management Committee (PMC). Jo and Marc replace Gregor and Paul.

Congrats to Marc and Joanna.

I started 365Lessons.com with the idea of recording some of the little life lessons we often have to learn over and over again. In writing them down, I hoped to share the wealth while reinforcing the lessons in my own mind, thereby reducing the need to relearn them myself.

I already have several positive results. First, both myself and friend John Hawkins have committed to reducing our habit of swearing like sailors. While we’ve both fallen off of the wagon a bit, we are more successful than not. Perhaps more telling, I am getting more sleep. and feeling more rested overall. As a result, I am getting more meaningful stuff done.

Yep. This project is bearing fruit.

Another tried and true adage. When I moved to Las Vegas, I thought about all of the friends I would leave behind. As chronicled earlier, the Internet has helped prevent that. In addition, I’ve met some really interesting folks out here as well. When one considers how much time one spends with friends and associates, it becomes crystal clear.

Friends are the family you choose.

Often, when we set goals we make them too dogmatic, which can quickly become sefl-defeating. “I will lose 50 lbs by March 1.” is a good goal. But if March 1 arrives and one has only lost 30 lbs, the tendency is to focus on the 20 lbs one id off-goal, not the 30 lbs lost.

Goals are all about breaking or redirecting behavioral inertia. If we focus on the shortfall and not the strides made, then we tend to become discouraged and slide back. So, think of goals as guides, not laws.

Inertia: The tendency of matter to remain at rest if at rest or to remain in motion in a straight line if in motion. (see Newton’s First Law)

google.com/define: inertia

Inertia is a double-edged sword where both edges can either cut or heal depending on the application. If you do not take action to change a thing, it tends to remain the same. If you do take action, the behavior tends to continue down the initial path unless one takes additional action to change it’s trajectory. This is as true in life as in physics.

When deciding which aspects of one’s life to change, one should always take inertia into account. Underestimate the effort required to get the ball moving (in a new direction or from a dead start) and one is sure to be disappointed. Disappointment will most often cause one to give up the effort and things will return to their previous state.

On the other hand, once movement is started or changed, less effort is required to keep things moving in the desired direction. So if you would rather not live a “the more things change, the more things stay the same” kind of life, understand the power of inertia.

The TSS crew hit the town last Friday. Organized by Robyn and Pennie, the event was a blast. We are already talking about another such gathering this weekend.