Do you have a goal for 2018?. Have you made your resolutions?. How do you want to make 2018 different from 2017?. Was 2017 bad or good to you?. If it is bad, how can you make 2018 better. If it is good, how can you make 2018 best. Making a good resolution helps you to achieving your goals in a state as cool as a cucumber. The beginning of a new year is what determines how blissful the year is to come. Everyone wants to live a fulfilling and blissful year. But, how well are we prepared for it. If you ask a man who lived his life in a pub, he will also say the same. But, what is the dichotomy between you and such man. What plans are you having, keeping in mind we only have less than a week into the long expecting year.
This is the turning point for the year 2017 - 2018. We have but only five days into 2018. My dear reader, can you imagine how close it is. We started the journey about 12 months ago, and here we are just few days into 2018. Many a numbers of us started 2017 with no solid goals. We might have had a resolution into 2017 but along the lines, find out we couldn't accomplish them. You are not alone. I also made my goals setting of 2017 but also founded myself not accomplishing most of them. All because my resolutions weren't made right. I sat and thought for a while, would I like to continue 2018 in such manners?, then I said deeply to myself "I would be such a big fool". Not knowing I was so loud that lady sitting close to me was like "have he been drinking ". It was boldly written on her expression, but not knowing it was the determination in me that spoke through me. After thinking for 2 to 3days, I took my pen and a book and wrote out 5 ways to accomplishing my new year resolution with an inspiration from my past failures. I took a partial motivation from a famous motivational speaker in my country who always says "Learn from your past failures". I took the motivation into me, wrote out the 5 tips and pasted it on the wall of my room so, I will definitely implement in 2018 which is to come.
Those tips are what I am going to share with you today and I believe if you follow them rightfully, your resolutions for 2018 are not just going to be accomplished but fully accomplished even to the extent you wouldn't expect. It took me a lot of days to compile and I believe it is the best way to achieving a successful goal.
1. Learn from your past and let it go
Ralph Nader, a politician once said "Your past mistake is your best teacher". I fully agree with him. You have been through the intractable year of 2017. You've faced a lot, you've seen a lot and you've done a lot. What were those things you were successful doing?, what were those things you did and fail or those things you fail to do, and now regretting you should have?. You have encountered a lot of challenges in 2017. There were some challenges you weren't able to overcome. How do those challenges overcome you?. What are those fruitless effort you applied to facing them?. What are those things you thought if you had done you would have overruled them?. We cannot merely give up and succumb to despair. Therefore, we have to look for a way to solving them. In other to tackle such problems, firstly, you can fit in your 2017 achievement into a statistical data so you could get a clear picture of your 2017 achievement.
This chart helps you to visualize your Achilles heels. It helps you to know what will be your point of action in 2018. Most importantly, you have to first bulletin point the problems out so, you could see them clearly.
- How was my efforts in 2017?
- Did I followed my resolutions or do I even had a resolution?
- I had a resolution but was I able to accomplish all?
- How and why did I lose track of my resolutions?
- Those problems I had, why did they become insurmountable and what should I have done?
- What are the distractions I encountered and how will I be able to avoid them in 2018?
- What are those things I need to work on?
- What are my flaws?
- What is my Achilles heel?
These are the questions that is supposed to be running through your mind. They will help you solve your problems best. Understand those hindrances and think of how and what you should have done for you to have accomplished them.
Also, we should know that the past always have a turbulent and wavy period which leaves a bitter pain or injury mark on us. For you to be focused in 2018 you have to let these injury or pain leave your mind, that is, you have to let go of your past and move on. All you need from your past is your insurmountables and flaws so you could work on them, and not to be depressed by them. The more depression they cost you, the more your spirit and willingness becomes weaken. The more they affect your optimism of 2018. I know your suffering in 2017 may be too immense that you couldn't let go of it, but believe me you can only do yourself a favor by forgetting them totally. This will help you become stronger. Even a well known motivational speaker, Steve Maraboli once said;
The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.
~Steve Maraboli
That is the pure fact. You have to also learn how to forgive yourself. You may have taken some unforgivable actions that led to you failure but, yet you still have to forgive yourself. Let this past serve as a lesson to you not an hindrance to you. 2017 is already gone, there is nothing you can do about the past again. The intelligent thing to do now is to focus on 2018. You already understood what led to such failure and what action you took that ignites the failure. If I were you, the question I'd ask myself is "how can I prevent this in 2018"
2. Set your resolutions and priority right
Resolution is not just a thing you wake up within a milliseconds and start to draft. Making a resolution is supposed to take you a few day of serious reasoning and evaluation. It involves the following series of question;
- what are those things I am supposed to do this year to become a successful person?
- what are the most important things to do first?
- How can I remember what I am supposed to do at a particular time and how can I follow it in my order of priority?
- Can I evaluate two or more plans simultaneously?.
Let's look at the first question saying "what are those things I am supposed to do this year to become a successful person?". This question is dependent on the person in question. This question involves what are those plans I have in mind in which if I evaluate, I will definitely become a successful person. This question can also be interpreted to what is my talent?, what are my skills?, what do I have flair for? what do I need to do?, what are those things I need to get?, what are those places I need to go?, who are those people I need to see?, what businesses are my supposed to do? etc. If you can answer those questions then you are on your way to making a marvelous resolution. The second question says "what are the important things to do first?". The important things to do first are those plans you have to evaluate first that will have a positive influence on the other plans. You cannot expect a man with no work who has $200 only to go and start building a house. The first reasonable plan which is supposed to come to his thinking is, what business can I do with such money in other to survive. There comes the word priority. You have to evaluate the important occasions first at early stage of the year. Most importantly, attending to the third question which says "How can I remember what I am supposed to do at a particular time and how can I follow it in my order of priority?". This question is very simple and direct. It is by having a plans outline and pasting it on the wall of your room, so you could wake up to it every morning and therefore serve as a reminder every morning. Your plans outline should be made with respect to each month or if necessary each week.
The image above shows a monthly outline plans. It can be clearly seen that the person is supposed to save $100 every month, buy a laptop in January, visit parents in January etc. This plans outlined image will serve as a remainder for him for every time he spends in his room. Plans outline makes one sees ones life aims and objectives in a clearer picture. After drafting your plans outline, you must make sure you try your best possible never to skip your aim of a particular month. Don't even think of adjusting it into the next month. By doing so, you will found out that one way or the other you wouldn't be able to evaluate that aim.
Also, try to note this, whenever you are carrying out your aims avoid multi tasking. You need not to rush things. Evaluating two or more plans simultaneously can make you not to accomplish those task perfectly well.
no multi tasking
take on each task one after the other
Taking each task one after the other gives you time and more concentration to accomplish them. You will be able to focus more on the particular task; "don't rush things. Probably this two quotes from from this two beautiful minded motivational speaker could help you visualize more about multi tasking.
Multi-tasking is great in the kitchen when you are trying to time the chicken to be ready at the same time as the potatoes. But do not assume it is a great way to manage a workday.
~Joanne Tombrakos
We are the generation capable of doing many things at once, without enjoying any of them..
~Dinesh Kumar Biran
3. Be focused and cultivate a positive mindset
From the popular saying "Distractions brings destruction". To achieving your goals you have to starve a lot of distractions and feed your focus. Let us imagine a person who wants to publish a book and plans to write one chapter each day. Such person have to be focus and starve himself of other life activities which can be classified as distractions. His distractions can be inform of enjoyable life activities like "oh!, look at this interesting movie", "common John, let's go and have some fun" etc. Distractions are just like a wind blowing in opposite direction to a kicked ball. The wind tends to slow the ball down, and if strong enough, it tends to start moving the ball towards its direction, that is, moving the ball backward, opposite to the direction of the ball. So also is distraction, it tends to slow you down and eventually start pulling you backward making you unable to achieve your aims. Distractions are the biggest hindrance known to man.
You must also know that what ever you are doing, try to always cultivate a positive mindset. Be real and optimistic. Imagine things for good and try to be faithful.
Always cultivate a positive mindset and never give up. There will be a lot of challenges but hold still, let your positive thoughts and mindset help you to overcome them. Any time you are taking on any task there are these 6 positive mindset you should cultivate, they are shown in the image above. They will help you overcome any insurmountable challenges you are facing. Take them in you always and they will help you succeed. Happiness will help you overcome depression, honesty will help you create a path to success, positive thinking helps to bring out the best in you, endurance gives you a rigid spirit to never give up, time management helps you achieve your goals in the right time and moments while self esteem helps to convince you that you deserve happiness. This mindset are the key to succeeding in any situation.
4. Be very cautious of time
Time as we all Know waits for no man. 2017 should be able to explain to you. You started 2017 believing there was a lot of time to achieve you a plans. Gradually, you begin to notice there was not enough time to carry out your plans and finally you weren't able to carry out all your plans. There was this old nursery rhymes I remember we do sing then, in nursery school, created to motivate students;
"Tick says the clock
Tick tick
What you have to do
Do quick"
This is not just a nursery rhymes, but an important warning and awareness. Make proper management of the abundant time you have now, it can become a second in few days. Don't hesitate, carry out each objectives you have at the right time with out procrastinating. Even a popular scientist, Benjamin Franklin once said;
"Lost time is never found again.
~Benjamin Franklin
"Lost time is never found again", that's is true. Just like 2017, the time you misused can never be regained again, all you could do now is to think of how you wouldn't misuse your precious time in 2018. My dear reader, I would implore you to make proper use of your time. Don't postpone what you are supposed to do today to the next day, it could later spear devastating. Time doesn't run, it flies. Make quick use of it.
5. Do God know your plans?
The last and most important thing you can do to achieving your resolutions is by letting God know your plans. The willingness of God is to make us happy and not sad. He always want our hearth desires to be fulfil.
Why do you have to be depressed?, when God can make you happy. Your 2017 depression and unaccomplishment is caused by your distance from God. Have a taste of his friendship and closeness, then your resolutions will be 100% accomplished. Show God your resolutions, show God your plans then he will help you accomplish your aims. When last did you pray?, when last did you attended sermon?, when last did you red your Bible?, If you have not been doing that, you have to start now. Be closer to God, he can help you transform your life and help you fulfil your hearth desires. Even the Bible says in Psalm 34:7-"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
So therefore, my dear reader trust in the lord he only can help you fulfil your plans and resolutions.
Believing in this 5 steps, will help you overcome how intractable 2018 maybe and will help you accomplish whatever resolutions you made.
Thank you for reading
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