Yet another new year. A fresh start. New
beginnings. People use the 31st of December to cleanse
themselves of the past, to wipe their slate clean, and to make new vows and resolve to stick to them. It’s
like taking a dip in the Ganga river. One leaves behind the old and sheds off
all old sins and begins their life anew. In my opinion it’s ok to move forward and
not look back, provided you take responsibility for your actions and don’t end
up saying “Oh it was all 2012’s fault. That wasn’t me!”
I have given this whole ‘making resolutions’
some real thought. The longest anyone goes to sticking to his or her rules is
15 days, at the most. Whether it is to quit smoking, eat less, exercise daily,
etc. Things that you had probably NEVER done that entire year and thought by some
miracle you have been reborn with the renewed strength to carry out your new
goals. Nonsense! You end up making the same resolutions at the end of that very
year!
So what’s the solution? I would say make
realistic resolutions. Set realistic goals that you know you can achieve
without berating yourself for failing at something you knew was inevitably
going to happen. I would also say set goals for the betterment of others, not
just yourself. Not “I will be more on time.” “I will not gossip.” “I, I,
I!”
By vowing to contribute to a charitable
institution, or helping the poor, or giving back to society in some small minuscule way, you are setting an invisible goal for yourself- being selfless.
Being a better person by thinking about others. I am no one to preach! I am as
guilty of being the selfish one. But yes, after a lot of self realization I
will add this to my list of ‘Good things for 2014’ and will ensure I follow
through with it, even if it takes me a whole year!
As we can see around us, the world itself is
moving in the direction of self realization and cleansing. When things are at their
worst, it only means they will get better. The evil is being sought out and
removed, and at least in our country India we’re seeing more unity amongst the
people. There is more goodness and strength. People are now realizing that individual
actions make an impact.
Ok so now I’m digressing and need to come back
to our topic of discussion. What New Year resolutions really are and what
should they comprise of?
As I mentioned before, it’s a second chance to
mend our ways and leave behind the mistakes of the past year, in hope that we
can correct them and move forward. All in the betterment of ourselves, and I
hope for our planet too.
My 2013 resolutions looked something like this:
1. Take people at face
value
2. Re-evaluate my relationships
with people and what to expect
3. Operate from a place of
love
4. Keep secrets
5. Don't publicise crushes
6. Don't discuss other
people's lives
7. Don't talk about
something before it happens
8. Be more attentive when
someone is talking to me
9. Be aware, even when
inebriated. So you don't need to apologize for anything the next day
10. Accept that you are not
in control of everything & there are external factors in play.
The funny thing is I haven’t been able to stick
to even one! Which made me re-think that I need to make fewer and more
realistic ones to start off my year. And then keep adding to the list as I
master the initial ones. That way you don’t feel like a failure and you
actually accomplish what you’ve set out to do!
So my 2014 resolutions go something like this:
1. Better time management
2. Don’t just ‘try’. DO!
I figured that’s a good enough start to anything that one would want to accomplish at the start of the year.
Since I don’t smoke, that's already an
accomplishment! I debated giving up non-vegetarian food, but I realized it was
a highly unrealistic goal! Better to take baby steps and go off meat for 2 days
a week. Achieving the smallest goals gives you the greatest sense of
accomplishment. Setting high, unrealistic goals makes you end up feeling
like a failure.
So go ahead and set 3 resolutions at the maximum
for yourself for 2014.
As I always say, I have a good feeling about
this year.. :)
