Resolutions are, these days, a must in many circles! What are you going to do for the next year? How do you going to lose the extra weight? How would you be more fit/healthy? What better are you going to do for your business? How are you going to improve your life? How better you are going to be for your family, friends or relationships? Questions and more questions! As if you are obliged to take some decisions here and now! As if the decision-making process is only reserved for this period ONLY. Well, rest assure! I have you some good news! Decision making is not, JUST, for now. Decisions, and especially the important ones, are something you should take, review and employ during you whole life!
Define what you want
The first thing to take a decision is for you to know where you want to go! As the old saying of Lewis Carroll goes: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there“!
You should have goals and objectives (and challenges) to try to achieve! But not scattered ones or momentarily taken goals! You should have a constant direction and a constant goal to try to reach out! You should define who you are and what you want from yourself and your life! If you know your strengths and your limitation, your wants and your dislikes, your do’s and don’ts, your path in life becomes very easy!
Concepts like success, happiness, wealth, health, fitness, work, leisure, friends, relationships, spiritual quest, personal growth, and development, etc become so much easier, clear and comprehensible when you know where you are going!
But you have to set yourself as the owner of your life and the main engine behind your achievements and failures! i.e. to assume responsibility for your life!
Choices are not always easy!
Choices, most of the times, are not bound to time limits. And they don’t need! Especially your life choices! Certainly, they are hard choices and are not made by the selected few! They should be made by everybody, followed and reviewed when it is appropriate!
These choices might include (*but are not limited *) the answer and the clear response to questions such as:
- who are you?
- what are you going to be?
- how to behave towards other people, the society, …?
- where do you believe? how do you believe?
- how do you do things? what things you never going to do?
- how to improve your life, your health, your condition?
- how would you reassure that you are going to keep on developing yourself?
- how to be a better family/businessman/woman, companion, friend, etc.?
- who do you want to be in 5 years? In 10 years? In 20 years?
- …
All these are choices that define a life vector and their implementation, gradually shape your personality and character and ultimately your future.
This is the main reason you should never take these decisions lightly, or under the rush of a moment (or of a specific period). Your life (and your future) is far more important to you than to put its course within the narrow limits of a period or a time-bound festivity! It is so important you should take a closer look and take your decisions in a clear, concise, intentional and personally oriented manner. It is something you should do very carefully, review it periodically and implemented (and safeguarded!) it vigorously!
A Process Called Life?
Life is not a process! It is something bigger and better. But you need the right processes in your life to lead it where you want! It is not a game either. A game you learn once it’s rules and you go on to play it. Life is a game you play just for keep on playing it. It is an infinitive game(for more info you can check the wonderful book of James P. Carse with the title: Finite and Infinite Games
In order to do that, though, you need:
- An endpoint (where I go?) and goal(s) or objectives to support your final destination
- A mission (what I’m doing here?)
- A vector, or a core direction (What path I’m going to use to achieve my goals?)
- An S.M.A.R.T. oriented mindset for all intermediate objectives toward the accomplishment of your life goals and your mission
- A time/place Framework of action (*Where and when is the right place/time to start? How long this venture would last? *)
- Commitment to your goals (I do it, no matter what!)
- Basic principle/values/approaches/beliefs, etc. (What I’m going to use to go there and what is not appropriate for me?)
- Systems/Ideas/Procedures/Tools that would support what you are going to do. If not available you should build them!
- Assets/Resources (What it is now available to help me achieve my objectives? What I can develop?)
- A Review procedure to help you abandon what is no more useful and focus on what’s really important
- Metrics (How I measure my business success? My personal commitment to my fitness plan? How close/far I am for the achievement of my goals? What it needs to be changed?)
Question: Are you ready to commit to your choices/resolutions? What’s your next move?
