A perspective on new year resolutions….
The year 2020 has been an amazing teacher to us, there have been lessons learnt as never before in personal and professional space. We surely evolved as a global citizen and stepped into the new year 2021 with our spirits high.
New year brings an opportunity for new resolutions. ‘Resolutions’– what does the word actually mean, when and where it started? Every year on 1st of January there is a furor to have new year resolutions with everyone talking about their set of resolutions.
‘Resolution’ means a firm decision to do or not to do something. There are many stories of origin of New Year Resolutions, amongst these is that of ancient Babylonians. The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. It is said that Babylonians had massive celebrations in advance before the actual harvest season in March, they made promises to Gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed. It is said that if Babylonians keep these promises Gods would favour them. It is said that these promises could have been the forerunners of New Year Resolutions.
Today after 4000 years, we have evolved through generations but cherish the spirit of Resolutions and the benefits one can reap through the power of resolutions.
Today’s story is about Neelam & Raj, who believed in resolutions, believed in bringing a change in their lives, believed in approaching success systematically, believed in small goals, believed in their abilities, believed in keeping commitments and above all believed in themselves.
Neelam, a pharmacist and Raj, a trader in medical goods were destined to meet and were quick to recognize that they were made for each other. Demands of professional life kept them away from each other for long hours. For Raj, travelling was taking a toll on his health and Neelam had to manage home responsibilities plus her demanding job. Five years of married life made their bond stronger; but wading through the ups and downs of life made them realize that their dream of working together is lost in the pursuit of keeping their professional and personal commitments.
Raj recollects, that in December 2018, both of them decided to take time off and reflect on what they would like to do together instead of doing things separately. This was the starting point of an exceptional journey of grit, hard work, focused efforts and commitment to achieve success say Raj.
Both Raj and Neelam were strong believers of taking small steps and they decided to do it by committing to firstly developing the new year resolution and keeping the commitment of following the resolution for the next three months.
Raj says that the reflection exercise done in December ’18 made them realize how important was the step-by-step process to move towards achieving their final goal of launching an online medical consulting and services platform.
Key steps that made the difference:
Step 1.: Making a resolution
Raj and Neelam’s new year resolution had very simple commitments as follows:
- Wake up at 5.30 AM daily
- 30 minutes of workout
- Eating a proper breakfast not later than 10.00 AM
- Not skipping lunch but planning for lunch as per day’s schedule
- Early dinner at 8 PM
- 01 hour of reading
- Regulating sleep cycle to not more than average 7-8 hours of good night sleep
This resolution was for three months to fall in the habit and correct some stress related issues.
Step 2.: Following it to the tune of 90% success
Step 3.: Detailed planning and working on the project plan for next six months
Step 4.: Follow monthly review schedule
Neelam says that above four steps were very critical for her to take the leap of faith and leaving a career as a pharmacist to pursue the dream of working with her husband and building their own company.
Raj and Neelam both shared that the new year resolution played an important role in their aspirational journey. Neelam quoted ‘People who choose to make a New Year’s resolution are 10 times as likely to keep them over people who pursue improvement in another way’.
Neelam quotes Federica’s article which she relates with the Benefits Model on keeping new year resolutions and benefits she reaped:
The Benefits Model :
Source: www.comfortzoneshakeup.com
Raj & Neelam were able to conquer the odds with self-discipline and determination and today both are proud owners of a their own company, their dream of not only working together has come true but in this journey they learnt the most important life lessons too.
Thus, New Year Resolutions are for keeps!
MEETA JOHARI
Certified Coach, Trainer, Human Resources
Employee Engagement & Organisation Development Professional