*Note: Forgive me for less frequent activity or articles this week as I’m celebrating lunar new year with my wife on a nice beach. I could negotiate bringing the laptop, but not the hours it takes to write articles, sorry! Be it as it may…
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Dear Good Generation,
Thought I was excited about January 1 when I shared my 2012 New Year’s resolutions? Think again, because actually NOW is the time to really get started!
Not only is it the official lunar new year for folks of Asian heritage like myself, but it’s a special year to begin with. According to the calendar of elements astrology, this year is the year of the dragon. More precise, the astrology symbol is the dragon and its element in the 12 year cycle this time is water, related to the color black. In other words, it’s the Year of the Black Dragon.
Although I can’t say I am particularly religious about astrology, I do like it when the Chinese predict that my natural element, when combined with the element of a particular year, ends up in an auspicious combination. Word has it that this year, I should “do well in social activities.” Whatever that means, interpreting this liberally to the activity of blogging, I certainly hope that Good Generation will continue to grow its community of readers and contributors as it has to-date. Of course, I don’t expect this to happen just out of nowhere. There’s things I’m looking forward to include going forward.
A couple of things that I am particularly excited about introducing and continuing to post regularly for the blog:
- A series of profiles and interviews with young practitioners across a wide variety of “do-good” careers who volunteer to share their experiences and insights with the rest of us. We’ll also hope to keep them around beyond the first profiles for tapping their wisdom in future discussions and debates.
- Weekly mini-polls to keep a pulse on community members’ opinions and views on questions for which answers can widely be considered debatable at best (that means fun!)
- Periodic guest posts and articles by members of the community – students, early to mid-career professionals, entrepreneurs, experts and gurus. It has never been my intention to offer only my own limited perspective, but to expand the views on this blog through a plethora of voices offering deeper insights within specific do-good categories. If anything, we will bring in much-needed discussions and debates led by students, in-the-field practitioners, as well as professional career advisers for CSR/sustainability, nonprofits, and more areas.
- Continued weekly ponders to give further fuel for thought especially for the bored night-owls and early-birds among you constantly wrestling with questions on why you do what you do – and why it is the right thing for you. Hopefully people will increasingly warm up over the course of the year to leave more comments and share their thoughts openly with the community.
- Last but not least, using the Good Thermometer and other tools, I wish for us to get into a habit of providing suggestions for content whenever we see ideas that need discussion but are not getting it elsewhere. I’ll count on you for help on that one!
That said, looking forward to starting the real New Year with you as of today and wishing you all the best of health, happiness and inspiration in whatever you do, wherever you are.
Happy Lunar New Year 2012 of the Black Dragon to all of you!
Sincerely Yours,
Thien
January 24, 2012
