Polling with passion

I'm not overtly political. I read the paper, I watch the news, I vaguely understand our parliamentary system, I loved The West Wing and I follow what's happening in Canberra with varying degrees of interest but a political expert, I'm certainly not. Which is why over the years I've questioned my scepticism of polls.

I've often wondered whether there is some great purpose, to which I am not privy, of taking the electorate's temperature every thirty seconds when we only elect a new party, say, every few years. I struggle to see the point.

I understand the need for politicians, parties and media outlets to gauge the progress and popularity of government through the peoples' eyes. But so often it seems headlines, policies and spin are shaped by the peaks and troughs of daily polls which seems to achieve nothing other than distracting everyone from actually achieving anything. Is it really useful to know that if a snap election was held on any given day the Prime Minister might be replaced, when in fact, an election isn't going to be held for another two years? Really?

Wouldn't we be better off, once a party is elected, to let them go about their business within the confines of parliament and at the conclusion of their term let our vote be the litmus test? That's what I've often thought but never said out aloud for fear of having misunderstood an Important Life Concept*. This is why I was thrilled to read Annabel Crabb – uber-journalist, political scion and all round genius – agrees that daily political polls are a waste of time.

Anyway. I raise this topic because i want to talk about personal polls and the frequency at which we conduct them. How often do we – or should we - stop and take stock of where we're at and where we want to be? In our jobs, relationships, health, fitness, friendships, business, where we live, how we live. All the things that contribute to our enjoyment and contentment in life.

When do you decide it's not just a bad week you're having but a bad relationship or the wrong career? Or time to pack up and try living overseas or interstate, or go for a promotion, or get married or have a baby. When do you make the decisions?

Obviously we can't analyse our happiness, or change plans, daily - it would be as distracting and futile as it is for politicians. So what is the right interval to assess and address our plans? Some changes happen organically when opportunities arise that tug us off the original blueprint. But that's not guaranteed.

Someone clever once said "if you don't live the life you want, no one else will". I believe that and I suppose it says to me that you can't sit at the helm of a ship and just hope the boat – of its own accord - takes you directly to where you want to be. If we know – even vaguely – what we want then, I think, occasionally we need to take the wheel.

The start of a new year is an obvious time to reflect and ask a few of the big questions, and I think it's the same for birthdays. My question for you is whether that's how you play it? When and how often do you take a personal poll**?

*Other Important Life Concepts I'm yet to grasp include negative gearing, emissions trading schemes, credit default swaps and every other acronym that apparently underpinned the global financial crisis.

**I just realised the irony of taking a poll at the end of a post about polls. Maybe they're not so bad?!