From: AK Rao
Date: Sat, Jan 1, 2011 at 11:14 AM
Subject: HNY 2011
To:
"Set and Forget"
Isn't that the typical approach to New Year Resolutions?
Before we consider a 7-part solution, lets start with the top 7 reasons why New Year Resolutions fail:
1. Projection
With past failures comes pessimism, learned helplessness and negative expectation of life desires being little more than hopes and dreams without belief or conviction.
2. Purpose
Having no greater sense of life direction or meaning to help steer daily choices, resolutions exist as 'floating islands' in the sea of life's distractions.
3. Process
A lack of a system, no solid plan-of-action, leaves resolutions as nothing more than wishful thinking.
4. Prioritization
Rational priorities are overpowered by conflicting emotional priorities – such as the instant gratification of overeating delicious ice cream vs. the struggle and hardship of eating sprouts and drinking carrot juice.
5. Procrastination
Lack of discipline, thought and control. i.e. Plain old-fashioned laziness.
6. People:
Circle of friends that drag us down discourage us from achievement, maintaining the status quo of mediocrity.
7. Politics
Economic troubles and political uncertainty with forced-backed regulation acts as an invisible hand that drains success and limits the globe's progress as a whole.
But if we can flip these 7 factors right side up we will have cracked the code to…
Keeping New Year Resolutions
1. 1. Projection
A positive attitude that:
"I am capable of learning how to achieve each resolution".
Mind-map showing the top 10 New Year resolutions of both 2009 and 2010 according to Franklin Covey research, and the 5 life categories they can be grouped under:
Turn negative expectation and pessimism into positive expectation and optimism.
Create positive expectation for success by building the confidence to succeed via the following 6 factors…
2. Purpose
· This list of resolutions is significant milestones to my greater long-term life direction and purpose.
· Making resolutions is usually one of the most significant things that people do for their lives, their families, their success and their happiness each year.
· After all, New Year resolutions signify some of the most critical, irritating, depressing addictions or problems in the majority of people's lives.
· But to help them stick, they must be integrated with a personal overall life values and greater sense of long-term ambition.
· This helps provide the emotional fuel needed to make behavioral and lifestyle changes.
· Writing out thoughts can do this and feelings to capture on paper your views and perspectives on yourself and your life. This can take a long time, but you are worth the time it takes.
3. Process
· I have a simple yet comprehensive method for creating a clear plan-of-action for each and every New Year resolution
· Create a way to break each resolution into a series of logical next steps.
· Here's the general plan for keeping New Year resolutions:
o Jot down clear, precise statements of my resolutions.
o Pre-plan the landmarks to achieve each goal destination.
o Maintain my enthusiasm and dedication.
o Set up my efforts with memory joggers and simple next steps.
o Review progress and adjust the plan accordingly.
· It isn't brain surgery but it's not so effortless either. Otherwise everybody would always accomplish his or her resolutions.
· The biggest difference between success and failure comes from what most people carry out which is basic Goal Setting vs. creating a genuine plan of action through something I call Processing.
· W E Demming – a very influential corporate guru, said: "If you can't describe what you're doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing."
· Setting goals means identifying something you want. Processing means developing a step-by-step method to attain a goal.
· If you have a specific procedure for how to complete something, naturally you will be a lot more optimistic, and can go ahead and take steps to achieve the resolution.
Consider it:
o TRY to maintain minimal confidence about doing something, when doing that something is simply a string of straightforward next-step physical actions visibly laid out for you in writing.
o You'll find yourself having a lighter mental state, better outlook, and not because of any inspiring peak performance fluff, but due to the fact that you'll own a process of achievement and not merely a list of wishful thinking.
4. Prioritization
· I prioritize my entire lifestyle so that the New Year resolutions fit in with the rhythms of my daily life.
· You don't only need a process for each resolution, but all resolutions must fit neatly enough into your overall lifestyle so that your path of least resistance leads you to success.
· What in your life must be re-designed to fulfill your aspirations?
5. Procrastination
· I work to develop sufficient willpower to maintain any effort or discipline I need for achieving each resolution.
· Let's be real. New year resolutions are possible with this 7-factor approach, but that doesn't mean they're easy.
· It's hard to give yourself permission to take enough time to choose your resolutions, plan them out, factor them into your lifestyle, and then make efforts to take the first step, and each next step, until they are all done. But it's the only way.
6. People
· My circle of friends are developed or replaced by people that can encourage and support me in the direction I wish my life to take this year.
· You may have heard that your income probably matches the average income of your 5 closest friends?
· Likewise: If you want to get fit, get healthy, improve your finances, spend more time with family, and so on, then having friends that are traveling the same positive journey as you will help you stick to yours.
7. Politics
· Damn be those politicians bankrupting our economy and I will play my part to vote the bastards out so our civilization can pursue it's great technological rise into prosperity and harmony.
· Empower yourself with knowledge by reading from liberty and reason oriented info sources such as Cato Institute, Reason Magazine, Twelve Visions Party, Wikileaks, etc.
Keeping New Year Resolutions – The Bottom line:
· If you want the best opportunity of attaining your New Year resolutions in 2011 be sure to go way beyond the easy first step of listing things you would like manage the 7 factors of projection, purpose, process, prioritization, procrastination, people, and politics.
· Take the time and trouble to define in maximum detail exactly how you want life to be and the step-by-step details of each resolution this year.
www.onechildonelight.org
