THE RESOLUTION REVOLUTION
Here we go again! New Year’s Resolutions rear their ugly head. There’s really no difference between January 1st and August 16th or March 8th so why now? The New Year has always been an excuse for a reboot! It’s a time to design a fresh start and everybody wants a fresh start. Those who dare to try, do so with the best intentions. Those who don’t, may just have too much experience with failure.
The first and most common New Year’s Resolution is losing weight. It’s at the top of the list. You’ll be healthier, regain a more youthful appearance, have more energy, maybe even live longer. Besides, last year’s party outfit seems to have shrunk while in the closet! So, what happens? We stick to our guns for a few days or weeks, then our resolve ebbs to nothing.
Then there’s the New Year’s Resolution to get more exercise. Please reread the paragraph above, so I don’t have to rewrite it. By the end of January, these two Resolutions are history.
There’s often the Resolution to make more money. Everyone wants more money, but drive, creativity, commitment and determination are essential – just like they are for weight loss and exercise – but here again, we lose momentum and we lose site of the goal.
Most people don’t make a New Year’s Resolution at all. The phrase, the concept, the idea always cycles through our mind. Then we lie down till the thought goes away. Almost all resolutions become rubble by the roadside.
We don’t try because we’ve tried before and failure is always to be avoided. Though it’s not a sin or a crime, it’s an embarrassment; it’s an unpleasant fact of life. It’s human nature to avoid the pain and embrace the path of least resistance.
What’s the point in trying? Why recycle the same old failure? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It’s just a waste of time.
The more productive question is, “Why don’t I follow through?”
As we move into January and beyond, and our routine gets back to normal, we put Resolutions out of our mind. We would have been so happy to lose 10 pounds or feel good to get up every morning and sweat for 30 minutes or it would have been great to make more money!
Why does this always happen? Where’s the boulder in the road that stops us? Why do we not keep that promise we made to ourselves as we celebrated the New Year? Here’s the bad news: it’s because we chose not to do it. “WHAT? YOU MEAN IT’S MY FAULT?” Wow, that’s a big pill to swallow!
What happened there? Brace yourself! When we fail, we let ourselves off the hook with a million reasons like, no time, other responsibilities, it’s not a priority, can’t afford the cost, busy with the kids, busy with the job, and so on… We absolve ourselves of the responsibility and pin it to something beyond our control. The truth is, we always make a choice to do the work or not.
Be honest with yourself and think back to when you woudda, shoudda, coudda done what you promised. Remember all the times you thought about it and decided, “Never mind”. That means, you made the choice to fail! To succeed, you must make the choice to take action! It’s not easy to do the work but you have the responsibility for the outcome!
The achievers of the world – the ones who succeed, who create, who discover, who win – have a secret. They know they are the creator of their successes and their failures. They may share the limelight with others, but they choose to keep the promise. It’s not because they’re smarter or richer or have more time. In fact, the opposite could be true, but they choose not to give up. They don’t cop out and blame the outside world, no matter what happens.
The key is owning the responsibility and believing you have the power to choose and the strength to succeed.
The concept that your fate is in your hands is new and frightening! That’s not bad news, it’s the BEST news. If you accept that the decision is in your hands, you also have CONTROL over the outcome. Your success is directly proportional to your responsibility for that outcome. There is no blame or fault; there’s just responsibility. If you fail, recognize where you fell short and devise a better plan, then try again. When you’re in control, you win! (Please read this paragraph twice.)
The first step is to accept the power to control the outcomes in your life. It’s simple but not easy. Reading this is easy. Believing you can do whatever you decide to do is hard. It’s a new concept and a huge responsibility. You’ve had it all along, you just didn’t know it. You lead the way – there’s no one to blame if you fail. Try it. It works. If you take all the responsibility, you can do anything!
The New Year is the time to think about the reality of your future. Think also, about the future of your reality.
I hope you’ll take up the challenge and examine your choices more closely. It could make you a winner from now on!