Resolution 2015 x 247

As the year enters into the denouement and the curtains are about to be drawn, it is time to celebrate the achievements, learn from the mistakes and introspect on the year gone by.

Every end is the beginning of something. If you believe in the concept of rebirth, death is also a beginning of new life. Night is the beginning of a new day. What the New Year brings is the hope for a prosperous new year.

I believe year ends are the time when you sit back and think about the year that has gone by. Counting your blessings and thanking god for the beautiful life he has given you. For thanking life for the experiences it has given you through the year making you stronger.

It is time for you to make resolutions for the coming year. There was a Stanford research report that I recently came across which said that, the brain cells that operates will power are situated in the prefrontal cortex, that’s the area of the brain right behind your forehead. This is a very small area and hence cannot process or store much information. This is called as ‘cognitive load’. I think precisely, this is why we need to motivate ourselves every often. Hence while making resolution we need to make it in such a way that it involves a small change in the habit and is not a big task. For example, instead of the resolution to quit smoking, you can decide of not smoking that one cigarette you have while returning home from work. Basically you have to break down each resolution into smaller tasks.  Say, instead of ‘I will manage stress’ you can say ‘I will meditate for few minutes daily’. Along with bigger resolutions, you should also include few simple and easy to implement resolutions like, ‘I will drink more water’ or say ‘I will walk for atleast 10 mins daily’ and so on.

So here is the list of few ideas for resolutions that you can take for 2015.

1. Learn something new....It can be learning how to play a musical instrument or photography, painting, yoga or any other interest you always wanted to pursue. You can also decide to learn a new language.
2. Take care of health. Joining a gym or going for morning walks or playing a sport or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
3. Reading books. If you decide of reading atleast for 10-15 mins before going to bed daily, you would be able to read a lot. You can then decide on number of books you would be reading through the year. Set a realistic number and go for it. You can also decide on reading the entire Bhagvat Gita.
4. One outing along with your family to a destination you always wanted to go.
5. If you enjoy trekking, you can decide on the number of treks you would do in a year. Even if you trek once a month in monsoon, from June to September, you can do around 4-5 treks in a year.
6. If you like blogging, you can decide on writing one blog per month.
7. Punctuality. If you feel that you are never on time i.e) punctuality is never your cup of tea. You can take a resolution of being on time and working on your punctuality index. You can start by making small changes in your habits, as mentioned earlier. Get up 15-20 mins before your normal time, reach office 10 mins before time or have a fix time for dinner and try and stick to it. Thus time will gain importance in your life and you will become punctual.
8. Losing weight. This has to be made interesting else you won’t follow it. I suggest, you go and buy a nice dress of the size you wish to fit in. One request is – be realistic. Now your target is to get inside that dress. Remember- lose weight but not at the cost of losing that glow on your face.
9. You can also have a resolution of being a part of an NGO or doing some charity work.
10. Decide on spending quality time with the family. I have seen people think and try too hard about this and then they land up neither having good family time nor spend time with their friends. You have around 4 weekends in a month. One weekend can be with family, one with friends, one for you and one for some work or other contingencies. You can get up early and spend an hour with your family over breakfast. Don’t just get up and rush to work. Or when you come back from office spend some time with family over tea or watching television or playing with your kid.

These are some resolutions that I could think of. You can have your own set since you know yourself better. But have a list of resolution and review it every quarter. Don’t worry whether you would achieve it or not. Just enjoy the process. Don’t be a tourist, be a traveller.

There are three spheres in which we operate. Personal, Professional and Social. Set your resolutions catering to all these spheres. You may fail but atleast you will have a plan and a blueprint for the year to come. Achieving simple habit changes and getting acknowledgment from the people around for this, gives a really nice feeling that would make you happy and keep you motivated.

As Napolean Hill said, “Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the blueprint of your ultimate achievements”.

So, set your resolutions and take baby steps to fulfill them. I will be definitely making my list and I hope you will make yours.

May all your anticipations turn into achievements and hope all good things welcome you at your doorstep. Happy New Year.