My New Year Resolution (as new year resolutions go)

Like me, I am sure you have taken time out and a notepad to compose a new year resolution or new year resolutions, as the case may be. It is our wont to yearly write several lines, in the spirit and excitement of the new calendar, resolutions we have no intention of keeping.

Don’t get me wrong. It really is good to make resolutions, to have a direction for the new year. I preach this and live it. You need to articulate a personal mantra, a path which you will follow to better your life. Such may be that you will work harder this year, take better care of your family, save ten per cent monthly out of your income towards personal financial independence, pay more attention to detail, read at least a book monthly, etc. These are all to good intents.

However why make them annual resolutions? The problem is that the excitement with which we alight on and articulate these resolutions which have a potential to make our lives better and improve our life missions are short lived. They need to be whipped up weekly and possibly daily. Oh how much progress we would attain if we were to set these goals weekly and follow through every day of our lives.

So making new year resolutions is just the start of the journey. Are you really prepared to improve your life, to make a success out of it? Are you intent upon becoming a better father, leader, manager, worker, pastor, imam, teacher? Then you must be ready to use these to really great effects, as a general compass for the year. Set milestones and steps that must be achieved monthly, with weekly evaluation of progress being made towards the desired direction.

This calls for more hard work that you have bargained for in the area of personal success charting. Success is not by accident. You must review your resolutions daily, look at your monthly milestones weekly and break it down to specific steps that must be carried out on a daily basis. This you must do in order to avoid becoming a wandering generality in life, to use the words of Zig Ziglar.

So set to now! There’s a lot to do, a lot to achieve, a lot of steps up the mountain. But guess what? It’s good you have started by setting those annual resolutions. Make it different this year. Take a further step and determine to have a weekly review and break these down to daily actions towards your desired goal. And I tell you, with consistent attention to these, even the skies will fail to limit you.

Bon voyage