To-Dos for Greater Philadelphians

If you're anything like me, you're receiving holiday cards in the mail which chronicle the goings on of close and long-lost friends and family members. You might also be starting to think about New Year's resolutions.

Two years ago, I decided to stop making New Year's resolutions and instead to start making to-do lists.   Resolutions and to-do lists might sound like the same thing-but they are different. 

The difference is motivation-resolutions are usually motivated by guilt-exercising more, spending less, eating healthier, dedicating more time to family. But to-dos come from the opposite place-they're the things that we always say we want to do, but because life is so busy, we never get around to them.

Based on a very small sample (1 person) and limited longitudinal data (2 years) I've found that successfully completing my to-do lists is relatively easy and incredibly fun. For instance this past year, I set out to spend a weekend at the Shore (after 12 years in the northeast corridor, I finally made it happen) visit one of the 15 US states I'd never traveled to (I went hiking in Maine) and learn to surf (I attended a week long surf camp-however, I assure you that I will not be quitting my day job to join the pro surf tour). 

You might have noticed that I choose three to-dos.  As I learned from Mayors John Hickenlooper, Anthony Williams, and Shirley Franklin when they spoke at the Economy League's Profiles in Leadership series in 2007-three is, in fact, a magic number: enough to involve effort but remain manageable.

I haven't determined my personal to-dos for 2010 yet, but I've started thinking about them.  And I also started thinking about how great it would be if we made a regional to-do list for the coming year. Recognizing I have no actual authority to prescribe this list, but I've appointed myself the 2010 to-do list writer for Greater Philadelphians and came up with these ideas:

1.       Make the 2010 Elections in Pennsylvania Count--2009 hasn't been a sterling year in the Commonwealth's government: corruption, an embarrassing state budget process (that continues to drag on), and an economy that's forcing everyone to do more with less. In 2010, Pennsylvanians will be going to the polls to elect a new governor, lieutenant governor, and members of the general assembly.  Whether you're a Republican, a Democrat, unaffiliated, or something else-all residents of the Commonwealth have a choice: we can allow candidates to turn the elections into mudslinging, personal attacks, and empty promises, or we can hold government accountable for its actions (or inactions), and require candidates to articulate how their promises and plans will work in reality (not just in stump speeches). We can hope that this will result in leadership in Harrisburg that recognizes challenges and opportunities, gets things done, and remembers that Greater Philadelphia isn't the enemy-we're an economic engine for the rest of the state.  And if that doesn't work, there's always a constitutional convention!

2.       Love Greater Philadelphia Back--One of the amazing things about Chicago and New York is that you'll almost never hear someone who calls them home badmouth them to outsiders. As a native of Chicagoland, I often tease my family that they must work for the tourism board (they don't) and every New Yorker (homegrown, or transplant) I know will readily contend it's the greatest city in the world. But in Greater Philadelphia, we have a tendency to focus on the negative. Don't get me wrong, there's lots of room for improvement (but there is in Chicago and New York, too).  All I'm saying is that when you talk about our region, make an effort to think about what's great, in addition to what's not so great that you're going to work to change. Who knows, you might discover there's more that makes Greater Philadelphia great than you ever realized.

3.       Visit something new in the region--Our region is enormous, dynamic, and rich with experiences.  No one could have possibly seen and done everything. We should all resolve to explore something new in the region-whether it's a Riversharks game at Campbell's Field in Camden, or the Mercer Museum in Bucks County, a new restaurant in Collingswood, or a new store in Philadelphia.  Not only is it fun and interesting to get to know our region better, but it supports our local economy!

Got other to-dos for Greater Philadelphians? Share them in the comments! And have a happy holiday season and a healthy 2010!

-- Alison Gold, Deputy Director for Strategy and Operations