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They are born out of due considerations of how one had fared in the passing year and changes desired in the coming one.
Did you make one for year 2008?
I went round to find out from those who made and this is what I gathered:
‘To live with integrity, make a positive difference in what I do, and to learn one important new thing daily’
‘To fulfill God’s purpose in my life’
‘Total submission to God’s will’
‘To faithfully pay my tithe’
‘To resist procrastination and work hard’
‘To get closer to my God’
‘To make women happy’
‘To continue to be my brother’s keeper’
‘Not to keep asking from God but to thank and praise Him. To take anything that comes my way as an opportunity’
‘To touch the lives of others positively’
‘To improve and upgrade myself: career and finance’
‘God to give me grace to help the needy’
‘My resolution is not to make resolutions’
While some are very abstract, others are selfless while others deal with the need to improve on themselves and on their relationship with their creator. Most, however, are non- measurable.
The last one got me thinking. Why would people resolve to stop making resolutions?
Who has not fallen victim of soberly making these ritualistic decisions on the first day of a new year just to have a feeling of utter defeat and helplessness when just by the second week you begin to fail woefully?
Is this failure resulting from the fact that thorough evaluation of your life and peculiar circumstance was not done, or that your considerations were not deeply rooted needs but fleeting, flimsy desires?
What are the cost benefits and how do you plan to reach this ultimate goal?
What are the short term measurable goals and the rewards for attaining these or punishments for failure?
How will the attainment of this goal ultimately, positively affect your life?
Taking all these into consideration, I vote for resolution making as landmarks for self examination as launching pads. It must not wait for the transition of years. We all have several landmarks within each year that can be converted to personal retreats. Birthdays, anniversaries, deaths, births, marriages, loss of jobs etc present such opportunities.
This can be done quarterly or whenever your situation so dictates. Intact, minor live-changing resolutions can be made spontaneously as issues confront us and these become more attainable when broken down to short term measurable goals.
So now, who needs to make resolutions? Bet I do!
Ugo Okoli is principal officer CD & C
You can contact Ugo Okoli by sending an e-mail to ugokoli@radionigeria.net for your comments.
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