The festive season is confusing. We begin to experience mixed feelings of excitement, nostalgia and a strange foreboding about the fast approaching new year. As we revel in the festivities, we can’t help but think about the uncertainties of the new year. 2016 has whizzed by and we wonder how we have fared in the year? The insane need to assess our track record for 2016 creeps in.
As we move down the checklist, some moments would excite us and other moments may make us feel like we fell down the rabbit hole into an abyss. The entire year at times proves to be a blur of commitments of work, family and friends. For some us the year was probably not long enough to do all of the things we wanted to accomplish.
Yet it is pointless feeling dejected by it right?
Here are 4 easy-to-follow – “I won’t break my resolution” ways:
1. Reflect;
“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
Reflection is not an assessment – I see it as positive self-talk. It allows us to digest and accept the year’s happenings with an open mind. Let’s take pride in our achievements for the year and built upon them. Equally for the wrong turns, let’s think about why we progressed to those conclusions, and act to make a conscious attempt to avert situations that run to the bad decision making. Fret not about mistakes for they are learning curves – there is always a lesson in every failed attempt. Reflecting allows us to synergize our 2016 positives and negatives wisely for the new year. We fall, learn and move forward – that’s my motto for 2017.
2. Set plans and not resolutions;
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
New year resolutions – bane or boon? Most of us set them year after year and break them by February of the new year. A resolution tends to go pear-shaped because we are merely forming a decision to practise or not do something. Often there is no concrete plan to support that decision. We say it, think about, tell ourselves we will do it and once the new year comes and goes – so does the resolution.
Well, that could change if we start to write our intentions for the year down now and plan realistic actions to reach them. Start small, and you will see that it makes it easier to work towards them. If the objective is to become fit – start by asking yourself how much weight you wish to lose by the end of January (instead of for the whole year) and built upon it from there. Secondly, look at diet and exercise – start by drinking more water and less of everything else from coffee to carbonated drinks (instead of cutting off all carbs) – less Uber and GrabCar and more walking will be a start to exercise.
A resolution is meaningless unless there is a motivation to fulfil it. That motivation has to start from within. The less time we waste pondering over life’s what ifs – the more we dedicate to creating opportunities that matter.
3. Don’t procrastinate – ACT NOW!
Why wait until 2017 to start your aims? Kick-start the engine today and you are more likely to continue the journey into the new year.
Be proactive and no excuses like ” I will wait until Christmas is over“. Start with the actions for 2017 today, even in the smallest way possible. Get family and friends involved to facilitate you with your goals. The bigger your support group the more likely you are to achieve what you set out to do.
4. Feel 2017
Now that you have the plan locked in – visualise them for the year. Let all your senses tell you how the upcoming year is going to play out. Think about what, where, when, why and how all the achievements you wish to unlock will take place. The more you wish for it to happen, the likelihood of pushing yourself to perform it will intensify.
