Sunday Story...Resolution 12

Sunday Story…Resolution 12

If you have been paying attention over the last few weeks we have talked about resolutions and goals, why they work, why they don’t and how to be proactive and honest with those things you want to do to improve your life.  Honestly, most of your New Year’s resolutions are all about you.  Maybe over the years your resolutions have sounded like one of these:

I’m going to quit smoking.

I’m going to lose weight.

I’m going to work out more.

I’m going to eat better.

I’m going to travel more.

I’m going to learn a new language.

I’m going to go back to school.

I’m going to make more money.

Any of that sound familiar?  I’m sure it does because if you haven’t said at least one of those, someone you know has said one of them.

Maybe you have been paying attention over these last few years and your resolutions are smarter (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Tangible) so your statements look like this:

I’m going to quit smoking on January 1^st and I will use the patch to help me with the cravings and hire a naturopath to help me detox from the toxins in the smoke I have been consuming.

I’m going to lose 30 pounds by June 30^th 2012.  I will begin by cutting all soda out of my diet first.  Then sugar.  I will increase my vegetable consumption by 100%.  I will start walking 45 minutes a day until I have increased the distance by 50% and then I will start jogging.

I’m going to increase my income by 30% this year.  I will do this by planning my day the night before and my week on the Sunday before.  I will increase my sales calls by 30% a day over 2011.  I will find 1 additional source of passive income in 2012.

You get the picture, yes?  It’s all about you.  All about you improving yourself or some part of your life.  All about how you can be more, better, or do something that you perceive will make your life easier, better, or more successful.  Great, good on you. 

BUT (you knew this was coming right?)…is that all there is?  Is that all you are about?  Is that all you can do with your life is to improve your own plight?  Really?  Really?

Should you do all of that?  Should you stop smoking, eat better, exercise more, improve your mind, and make more money?  Of course you should.   It goes without saying, really.  And how often do we try those things without success only to promise ourselves that this time it will be different.  This year will be the year that it finally works.  And here we are on December 31^st, again.

SO…here is an all new idea.  And idea you can get behind and one you can get in front of.  And this is not my idea.  Yep, this is one I am taking from someone else because it is such a great idea and so, so simple.  I am sort of upset I didn’t think of this, actually.

This year, instead of making resolutions to improve yourself or your life in some way let’s make resolutions to do more good in the world.  Let us turn all that internal motivation outward to the external world.  Instead of resolving to make ourselves better, what can we resolve to make the world better?  What can we do to help others?  How can our resolutions improve the world?

Sounds pretty simple, right?  And even more importantly it sounds like something I might be able to get behind and stay on task for twelve months or more.  It doesn’t have to be complicated or massive like world peace or solving world hunger.  It can be simple…remembering everyone’s birthday and sending them a card, paying a compliment to someone new every day, or maybe volunteering as a mentor, a big brother/big sister, providing fitness/diet/nutrition guidance to under privileged/underserved people.

How will you stay on task with this?  And the answer is that it is a simple psychology, really.   You are doing for others; you are committed to doing something outside yourself.  Other people are counting on your contribution and you don’t want to let them done, you don’t want to disappoint them.  For those reasons alone you will stay the course.  And, after a while, you will find how much richer your life is from performing those simple acts.  You will discover a well in you that is finally being filled.  A well filled with human kindness.  A well you filled yourself, with your own kindness.  It doesn’t get much better than this.

As I said this is not my idea.  I got the germ of this essay from daily good here:

http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=155

This is a really good idea.  This is a very doable idea.  This is simple, measurable, achievable, and tangible.  You can do this.  You can make this the year that your resolutions are achieved.  The world is counting on you.  If you go here:

http://resolution12.tumblr.com/

you can see what other people are doing.  You can join some of them in posting yours.  You can send them to me and I will post them…as a matter of fact if you send them I will produce a Sunday Story with nothing but your resolutions…how’s that?  Send them here … utffernley@gmail.com and put resolution 12 in the header so I will track them.

Here are 2 or 3 I will do in 2012:

1. Produce 1 ton of food in the garden this year and give it away.
2. Give $52.00 a week for 52 weeks to various charities and organizations
3. Give 1 presentation every month to underserved communities about food, exercise, bullying, or kindness.

Let’s make 2012 the year of Kindness.  Happy NewYear!

Namaste

John

“Teaching Focus, Inspiring Transformation”

www.martialartsnevada.com

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