SMART-LESS RESOLUTIONS?

All is well that starts well...

Have you made any New Year's resolutions? If you have, then welcome to the club! The good news is that you have joined millions of individuals who have decided to change for the better. The bad news is that it is unlikely you are going to keep to your resolve till March or April before your enthusiasm fizzles out!

Do I sound negative? No! You, of all people, know that it's easier to continue old habits (good or bad) than to switch to entirely new ones, especially when focus, determination, concentration, and perseverance are needed in the change process.

We, more often than not, wish for a sudden or dramatic change rather than working the change out. Why? Because the human will is inherently opposed to change! You and I would rather go with the flow and maintain the status quo than enforcing the change we so badly needed that we no longer feel relevant or comfortable with. So to speak.

But we can do with change, right? Yes, to a considerable extent. If we must succeed, and maintain such, we must keep on improving ourselves, our resources and our methods. Such improvements come only through change.

In his epic book, Failing Forward, John C. Maxwell cited "an unwillingness to change" as one of the top ten reasons why people fail. Other reasons he suggested included: a negative attitude, lack of focus, weak commitment, and a short-cut mindset, to mention but a few.

According to Maxwell, "Change is the catalyst for personal growth. Perhaps the most relentless enemy of achievement, personal growth, and success is inflexibility." What a truth!

OK then, what do resolutions and change have in common? If change is the engine of growth and improvement in life, what is the engine of change? Did I hear you say resolutions? Correct! A resolution is the means through which you can initiate and enforce change. There is no other realistic way. I stand to be corrected.

However, resolutions are not resolutions if there is no willingness to change and a determination to work the change out! Why do we keep on willing to change while never really changing? Why are we always getting ready to live but never really living?

Why are you more likely to act yourself into feeling than feeling yourself into action? Why do we keep on making resolutions every new year without following through with such resolutions? Why haven't we changed?

Is there anything wrong in making resolutions?

Perhaps the best answer is that our resolutions are not smart enough?

I should think so. Do you?