As the year draws to a close, I was fortunate to spend time with friends and family in sunny Newport Beach, California. And, I recently gave a lot of thought to lessons learned. 

Don’t worry. I’m not going to bore you resolutions and life goals. We don’t need to do that to each other. Social media is full of articles about reinventing yourself and creating attainable results. Sadly, most of them are just not realistic. Maybe that’s why the theme that kept replaying in my mind was this:

No bullsh*t resolutions, just low-key executions. 

Having goals is good. Having wishes is wonderful. But, no one else can really tell you how to be happy...how to achieve what you want. See, most people can only give advice. Don't ask for advice. Ask about experiences and opinions that you can turn into advice for yourself. 

So, I’ve tried to distill my reflections into little things that are meaningful for me. I've used three-word rules, because that is what works for me. And, here is what I’ve concluded so far:  

• Study the past
  
• Keep it simple
• Foster your intuition
• Have a plan
• Never sell out
• Mind your manners
• Factor it in
• Work it out
• Trust your struggle 

This should interesting. 

Interesting to see if the new Secretary will return control to local school boards? Will school vouchers be the new norm? Will more charter schools be open to students? Who will pay for these changes? 

So many questions and no real answers...yet. 

Upside: 

She says technology has a role in the classroom: “I think digital learning is in its infancy relative to the influence that it can and will have,” she told Philanthropy Roundtable in 2013. “I was bored all the way through high school. I can only imagine how much more boring it is today, when you check all of those new technologies at the door and go sit in rows of desks and listen to somebody talk at you for 30 or 40 minutes. Can you imagine sitting through an indifferent lecture when you know there are programs that make learning fun, resources that make information instantly accessible? I can’t.”