Part 1 discussed the miracle that is the start of a new day. Part 2 is a million miles beyond that, and shows you the miracle that is the start of a new year. It is the time to be filled with hope and anticipation of the great things to come. It is the time to make a commitment to yourself. A commitment that can bring the most precious rewards possible. The reward of true accomplishment.
I have spoken to many of you and see the tremendous potential that you have. I have come to know the great things you are capable of. I have come to believe that you will accomplish great things this year. Have the faith of your convictions and make the commitment to your success.
Many people start the New Year with a ritual that in many cases is a hollow, meaningless gesture. An exercise in futility. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can turn that ritual into the most significant thing that you ever do.
Many people make New Year’s Resolutions out of habit. A practice that has over the years lost significance. How do you know if it is a meaningless practice for you?
Can you recall the exact resolutions that you made last year? If the idea of what you resolved to do last year is merely a vague memory, you are not into it and it is a meaningless gesture.
If you can recall with precision what your resolutions were, did you measure your success in reaching your resolutions? Did you have milestones to measure your progress? Did you reach your intended resolution?
Did you write down your resolutions, or in some other way memorialize the resolutions so you could refer to them during the year?
If you can’t answer all of these questions in the affirmative, you are like the majority of people that make resolutions that are of little value, because you are not committed to making progress in reaching the worthwhile resolutions that you have set for yourself.
Here are a few simple things that you can do that will make a dramatic improvement in your life this year and in the years to come. Improvements that will pay dividends for the rest of your life and they are so simple and rewarding that you will want to kick yourself for not doing them sooner.
Before reveling the secret to making life changing improvements, let me pass on some of the basic facts on which my philosophy based.
Base your resolutions on the theory of the autobiography. One of my favorite pleasures is to read Autobiographies because they contain amazing stories of people that have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in their life and succeed beyond the wildest dreams that they have and in the process left a trail of amazed people in their wake.
You will not read the autobiography of an ordinary person, because their life is so bland. They have not accomplished anything that separates them from the masses. They have spent their lives doing less than they are capable of doing. Most of these ordinary people did not make New Year’s Resolutions and if they did, they did not set meaningful ones. They can’t tell you at the end of the year what they had resolved to do just 12 months earlier. Yet they go through the ritual of making resolutions for the New Year.
The people who do distinguish themselves don’t wait until the New Year to make resolutions either. The people that do amazing things that we read about, the people that we admire most do not set “safe” resolutions.
What is a “safe” resolution? It is a resolution that is shallow and can be reached without much effort. It may have a noble sound to it, but it is something that most people can do without putting forth much effort. This is what I used to do, and it was such a safe thing to do, and required minimal effort in order to reach it. It was so safe that it was made and quickly forgotten. A month later, I had all but forgotten that I had even made the darn resolution in the first place.
As we make the walk through life there are people that get somewhere because they take strides to do so. These are the people that have the courage of their convictions and the boldness to step forward. These are the people that we read about and that we admire so much.
Then there are the people that only take baby steps all of their lives. These are the people that we don’t read about because they are us, they are our friends, and they are ordinary.
This should be your time to step forward. The time to start taking strides, the time to make progress, the time to actually reach those lofty goals that you can reach if only you are willing to move beyond the ordinary and into the levels of achievement that you are capable of.
Now, for the formula to make this an outstanding year instead of an ordinary one. Both of these years are the same length, but the quality and rewards of an outstanding one is so much better than an ordinary one.
Determine what you really want to do. Take the time to see if it could be accomplished without much effort and if it does fall in that category, be strong enough to replace it with something that has real meaning.
Be willing to make resolutions that require effort. Realize that if you set a high goal and strive to reach it, you are going to grow. You are going to be light years beyond where you would have been if you had not attempted to reach that goal in the first place.
Your resolutions must be written or in some manner memorialized so you can refer to them from time to time. You should have a way of measuring the progress in reaching them. These resolutions should become a part of your conscious plan of self-improvement.
Don’t be timid about your New Year’s Resolutions, they are made for you, by you and are worthwhile to you. Now is the time to give yourself the greatest gift that you can ever give yourself. Improvement that is of value to you and all around you. The time to go for it is now.
If you are reading this and it is after the year has started, remember that while New Year’s Resolutions are made on or around the first of the year, the most meaningful resolutions can be made anytime you feel inspired. It only requires a true commitment and I hope that time for you is right now! As the saying goes, “Just do it”any time, any place!
In summary
- Make resolutions that have meaning
- Make resolutions that require effort
- Make resolutions that you can be proud of accomplishing
- Make resolutions that can be rewarding even if you don’t reach 100%
- Write them down
- Review them frequently
- Measure your progress and make adjustments as necessary
- Above all, don’t be timid when you make resolutions
If you are willing to follow these simple steps you have done something that can inspire others to want to read your autobiography!
My best regards to you for having the courage to step out of the ordinary! This is YOUR YEAR. THIS IS YOUR TIME!