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Notes on Quotes from our past #83
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A look at Quotes from the past applied to today.
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Please share this with your friends so we can encourage others to consider notes on quotes.
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Thoughts on the intersection of Society/Culture, Productivity/You, and Wisdom/Knowledge.
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Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom – and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech. Benjamin Franklin
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Notes on Quotes January 24, 2026
Our Quotes
In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia." Anonymous
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It is that time of year. We are supposed to have our goals and New Year's resolutions in order. And history has shown that within three weeks or so, we're back in the same rut, with nothing to show except guilt. I didn't lose the weight I said I would. I didn't exercise every day. And on and on. I have never found either of these to work for me.
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A new methodology came out in the past couple of years: Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff. She argues that instead of building your life around rigid, linear goals (1, 3, 5, 10 goals), you get better results by running small, intentional experiments that help you discover what actually works for you. Sort of like a chemist trying to find the right chemical formula or Edison trying to make a lightbulb.
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Try something (the experiment); stop and evaluate your results (success or failure); learn from it (what worked and what didn't), and then create a new tiny experiment based on what you learned from the first try. If the experiment failed, don't guilt yourself because even in failure, you learned valuable insights from your efforts.
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In doing this, you are in fact changing your mindset from 'I must go to the gym every three days' to one that emphasizes curiosity, self-knowledge, and flexibility by conducting a series of experiments until you find what resonates with you and your life.
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Goals create a mindset that says I must do this or I am a failure. Tiny experiments change the perspective to one of learning from both my successes and failures.
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The experimental process is simple:
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Define the experiment. An example for me might be I will go to the gym every other day for the next two weeks at 3 pm.
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Try it for two weeks and record how you did.
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At the end of the experiment, review what happened. Did I do it or not? Then identify what I can try differently to make it happen, or decide it was a stupid experiment and try another.
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This removes the guilt trip that comes with failed goals and resolutions. However, if you believe in goal and resolution setting, here is how to define them to increase your chances of success. Make them SMART.
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Specific: Make sure the goal clearly states what will be accomplished and by when. So you, and everyone else reading your goals, clearly understand the intention. Make sure the statement is clear and does not use vague language.
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Measurable: You will never know if you are done or making progress unless the goal includes concrete criteria or metrics that allow for progress tracking and success to be evaluated objectively.
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Achievable: How many goals or resolutions have you made that don't have a chance of success? The goal must be realistic and attainable, given your current resources and constraints.
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Relevant: The goal must matter to you or your organization and be consistent with broader priorities and your values.
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Time-bound: The goal must have a clear deadline or timeframe.
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Despite my dislike of goals, they can work if they are smart, if you have a plan of action, and you regularly review your progress.
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Do you set goals to please someone else or because they are meaningful to you?
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Do you hold yourself accountable by reviewing your progress?
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Think of a tiny experiment to try? Which is more comfortable?
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Things to do this week
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Write down your goals, resolutions, or your first little experiment.
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Place them somewhere you can see them every day.
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Please send me a comment or a quote you especially like by clicking the button below.
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