Ideas from an eclectic mind–New Year resolutions

The beginning of a new year has something magical about it. It does not seem to matter what part of the world you come from. Since the advent of TV channels with a global reach in the late sixties, those lucky enough to afford a TV set have gleefully enjoyed New Year celebrations from across the world. From Sydney harbour’s Opera House to New York’s Time Square and many other places in between, magnificent spectacles in the form of fireworks are visible in the night sky as the world marks the dawn of a new year. A few glasses of Champagne and copious amounts of all sorts of alcohol fuel the ensuing celebrations after the customary hugs and kisses for and from loved ones. The night ushering in 2016, was no different. Thank God January 1 is a holiday in most parts of the world. By consensus, this date should be christened World Hangover Day instead of the humdrum “New Year’s Day”. Even the teetotalers are not spared the fatigue that follows the excitement of the night before. The bedlam of New Year’s Eve sets a platform for the reality check that happens on World Hangover Day, aka New Year’s Day. What better time to introspect and face-up to one’s circumstances? Cue: New Year Resolutions! As profound and as exciting as they may seem at the time, the disappointment that follows unfulfilled New Year resolutions is as heart breaking as unrequited love. Take heart, you are not alone. According to Joseph J. Luciani (PhD), a leading US-based psychologist, “80 per cent of New Year resolutions fail by the second week of February”! As sad as that sounds, it is equally predictable. Why so? New Year resolutions are based on a nebulous thing called “Will power” defined as “control deliberately exerted to do something or to restrain one’s own impulses”. Human beings are complex creatures; a mathematics professor in his seventies could easily grow frail without ever learning how to ride a bicycle and not for lack of trying. Some things are best done with the bravado of youth without the burden of over-analysis. Will power emerges as that fluid antagonist in achieving our hearts’ desires. Most people believe that the strength of will is a character trait. Would it not be great if we could strengthen our individual will to achieve the things we most desire? Turns out, we actually can! If you want to build muscle strength, you head to the gym. If you are anything like me, you hate the gym. Fortunately, strength of will is NOT to be found in the gym. It is all around you. From eating less to reading more, from drinking less to saving more, name it; the exercise is all around us. The method I recommend revolves around a Really Simple Trick (RST) that involves taking SMALL STEPS at a time. Most New Year resolutions tend to fail because they are big pronouncements such as; quitting smoking or drinking, losing 20 kilos of body weight, starting a private business, and so on. All these are monumental feats on their own for an individual with ordinary levels of Will power. That said, these same things aren’t impossible; they are just difficult. If we can learn anything from human evolution, it is that generation upon generation, humans are able to do increasingly more difficult things than their predecessors. A 22 year old American, Jesse Owens, had a whirlwind 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He broke a world record in the 200m sprint and won a total of four gold medals. At the 2012 London Olympics, a 25 year old Jamaican, Usain Bolt, set a record by, again, winning three gold medals in the same event as he had done previously at the Beijing Olympics in 2008; all this while holding the world records for the said events unchallenged! To put a spin on a common saying, what man has done, man can do ten times better! Back to our New Year resolutions; like any good plan, they need to be Realistic, Specific and Time bound (RST). I use the same acronym for my recommended approach. My twist on these time tested planning parameters is to break up the plan into smaller manageable chunks, a process similar to introducing a baby to solid foods for the first time, hence the name; Really Simple Trick (RST). I will use weight loss for an example; let us assume you wanted to lose twenty kilos in 2016. We begin by being realistic; for a moderately active adult, dieticians at the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) suggest a weekly target of half a kilo or two kilos per month. That means one would need about ten months to achieve the target of 20 kilos. It would be counterproductive to try to lose the weight in three months! The specifics of losing weight require a person to make changes to their diet and do more exercise. One could begin by replacing supper with a lighter and healthier snack. For exercise, one could take up evening walks two to three times a week. These changes translate the commitment to lose weight into action. Milestones are important indicators of progress in executing a given plan. A monthly check on progress would be critical to ensure that the individual is on track. This makes the weight loss plan Time bound. If for two consecutive months the target of two kilos is not met, then the plan is obviously off track and needs revision. This helps keeping one’s expectations realistic at all times. For those of you who have already made New Year resolutions, I hope these tips help you to achieve them. If you haven’t made any resolutions yet, there is still time to do so. I strongly believe in the power of planning; in the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower, “Planning is everything!” The writer is a consultant and trainer specialising in Finance and Strategy. He is based in Kigali.

Opinions

Ideas from an eclectic mind–New Year resolutions