Keeping the mind sharp is an admirable pursuit. While it’s easy to set a self-learning goal, it can be even easier to let the year pass without acting on it. Posting my goals online gives at least a little extra accountability. So here goes nothing: two new skills I’d like to gain in 2013, and a bonus baking skill for good measure.
Culture Consulting Toolkit.
In 2012, I had the great fortune to work with a couple of SmallBox clients on what we call culture-powered marketing. It was a relatively new line of thinking for us internally, but something we’d be testing on ourselves. With one client, it evolved organically from asking questions and working with them on content strategy. It’s incredibly rewarding to help a company connect the dots, uncover their own culture-starters and begin to blend organizational health, marketing and HR. I’m very much looking forward to adding some new collaborative techniques to my toolkit and sharing these ideas with more people.
Working conversational Italian.
This one goes a long nicely with my “extracurriculum” project, la dolce vita. Once upon a time, I learned songs in Italian from my voice teacher. It’s a beautiful language to sing in, even when I had no idea exactly what I was saying. When my husband-to-be and I traveled to Italy in 2006, I tried to learn a bit of the language. I could order coffee like a champ, or let someone know if I was on fire, but that’s about it. Louie proposed to me in Florence, steps away from where the above photo was taken, adding to the magic of this place for me. I may only be so lucky as to return once or twice more in this lifetime, but I’d like to learn nonetheless.
Perfecting macarons. (Or, at least, coming close!)
I tried my hand at an almond version sandwiched with a bitter ganache for a shower once before. They tasted wonderful, but were crackly, all different sizes and otherwise not-pâtisserie-worthy. The picture above features the best of the bunch – I didn’t photograph the lot of them in all their various states and sizes. Since then, I’ve read up and learned after piping the macarons, you must let them rest for 15 minutes before baking. Another tip: trace circles onto a sheet of parchment paper to help with consistent sizing – genius!
When all else fails, there’s always baking.
This post is part of Think Kit by SmallBox
Today’s prompt: “What new skill do you want to add to your repertoire in 2013?”