The roots of last year's roses

[oursin]

Have been observing hither and yon (and have done it myself) the auditing of last year, stock-taking of successes and failures, gains and losses.

And am beginning to be bit iffy about the whole process.

Without wanting to get all Last Great Scorer about it, or to channel an inspirational poem I had to learn (aged something like 9 years old) for an

Comments

[gillo]

there seems to be rather more self-beating-up about the failures or the not-achieved. Maybe this is just an admirable desire to avoid smugness and the kind of hubris about one's actual successes and achievements that tempts nemesis. Or perhaps it's because it's the mistakes and failures that gibber at one at dead of night, whereas I don't think contemplation of one's getting things right ever put someone back to sleep. Do they burn deeper?

It depends, as does everything.

Yes, failures are always easier to spot than successes for many people. And Simon Hoggart has discouraged a lot of people from announcing successes in case one sounds like one of the letters he quotes. I think a lot of women in particular (and possibly it's a British thing too, so a double whammy) are trained to downplay achievements.

Unless they are Lionel Shriver. And that's not a model one would really want to emulate now, is it?

[oursin]

I do think that 'success = fluke/happy accident' while failure is the default is very deep-rooted. I wonder how many of those round-robins are whistling in the dark and making desperate attempts to find positives to accentuate.

[cassandre]

A very reassuring post. I had been thinking of making a take-stock post (and still might) but reading this entry, I realize my imagined post was mostly along the lines of self-recrimination. Hmm. Now you have me thinking of a different take on things.