If your New Year resolution fails to fructify, it is borne out of a ritual or fashion!

At the stroke of 12 midnight of 31-December, we want to show our affinity to what is good, our passion for what is positive and rebellion against what we perceive as bad!

Once euphoria of the event ebbs, our penchant for pious and positives wanes. Our routine rigmarole and rituals resume. We start alternating between strengths and weaknesses, positives and negatives, highs and lows! Most of us put midnight of 31-Dec resolution/s in drawer, drawing satisfaction that our primary problems have to take precedent. Time flies, resolution/s fizzles and then, we are ready to make another one.

Top headlines news in 1st January 2014 edition of a respectable financial newspaper caught my imagination – “All Banks (Indian) take New Year resolution to serve clients.” Two questions popped up in my mind – a. what they have been doing all this while and how can they make it different suddenly and b. would good sermons trigger a change in attitude of staff at ground level to deliver? I struggled; but could not get answer from detailed news! So, this resolution seems set to pass on to the history as yet another platitude!

To sum up, if resolution/s is made as a ritual, it would lack your conviction and ownership. Any resolution, which is linked to an event, becomes a ritual. Another aspect is your phobia that what masses do is a fashion! If you also don’t do that, you feel out of place, even when you don’t have an iota of passion for it! So, resolutions linked to ritual/s or fashion have no possibility to fructify!

Truly speaking, if 33% of people were to implement their intents or resolutions, we would not be able to recognize our planet! It would have become a heaven!!

So, most people love to sound serious (about what they resolve); but like to hound with ambiguities! They like to be seen being eager; but actually take it easy. Normal order is to go back and forth in what they have decided and that is how indecisiveness creeps in. This syndrome is “Being vague”!

Being vague is in vogue!

Most of us believe our intents should be sacrosanct but implementation could be secondary. To top it, we like to be vague, because:

  1. We like to live in illusion.
    It is like eating the cake and having it too! So, who would not love it!!
  2. It is fashionable to know and narrate what is good; but, going beyond is considered a taboo.
  3. We like to lean on negatives and won’t take a leaf from what is good!
  4. Combination of 2 and 3 above helps us to become double face.
    Most consider this as their unique feature!
  5. Most unknowingly or unwittingly start liking company of crisis and conflicts, pains and problems.
  6. Even when we know what is futile or fruitful, yet we flirt with former!
  7. Truth is that most of us don’t want to face the truth; hence we seldom like black and white situation.
    Therefore, majority survives (and suffers) with fractured ownership!

Resolutions need to be made without time and space

A resolution is a decision, a determination and a will to do! An event or fashion can give you a kick and a mistaken feeling of motivation; but not an inspiration and will. If you feel inspired say 12 minutes before midnight of 31-Dec to do something; but postpones to imbibe it to New Year time line, you would lose out!

Understand subtlety of your mind. If you are really ready, you would never wait for anything – good or bad omen, eves, presence or absence of anyone! You would simply do it; dive into it!!

So, linking a resolution to time, occasion, place or practice is ridiculous and would be destined to failure or reduced to fiction!

Seek your defining moment and set resolution

If you have urge to make a difference in your professional and private life or environment, you are bound to experience what is called as “Defining Moment”. At that time, you would get an impulse or idea, which would be inspiring. Your thoughts, energy and attention would converge to just one idea. That is also the state of your realization or consciousness for what you should do. And, that is the time; you need to make resolution there and then! But one caution – never make a resolution before getting realization; otherwise, it would be regressing!! So, if you get realization first and then make resolution, you would be excited to execute it also and nothing can stop great result to be reaped by you.

So, you can and should celebrate eves; but independently calibrate Resolution upstream by Realization and downstream by Execution.

Realization –> Resolution –> Execution = Results+Rewards

This works regardless of who you are, where you are and what you do!

So, seize your defining moment to secure your crowning glory!!

Comments

6 responses to “If your New Year resolution fails to fructify, it is borne out of a ritual or fashion!”

  1. ajay koul Avatar
    ajay koul

    Lohia sahib –
    I love your new year blog.
    The wording could be improved, the flow made smoother, and some examples refined.
    Yet, in essence, it is BRILLIANT. I have rarely read such a deep yet clear insight.
    It resonates with what Zen is all about.
    Great job done!!!
    Ajay

    1. Murli Avatar

      I am gratified by your valuable views and feedback!

      As regards improvement, I would be very thankful to receive your guidance or advice.

  2. Rudra Avatar
    Rudra

    Well, resolutions should be made every day. You should not wait for a particular day or “muhurat” to make resolutions. But people do, and just as you mentioned, out of rituals or fashions (State of Mind?? :))

    With due respect to everyone, I think people who wait for a particular day or date to do something good, are the real duds. You want to make a new resolution – make it now, why wait for 31st Dec?? You want to enjoy/celebrate your life – do it now, why wait for the weekend??…………………………

    I think making resolutions is nothing more than a fashion these days. It’s a talking point. “I am gonna do this, he’s gonna do that… you doing nothing?? Awwww, do something man!! Make a resolution!!” And the poor guy/girl ends up in making an un-accomplishable resolution!

    WOW!! And now I read your “Resolutions need to be made without time and space” section and found that you already have stamped your authority on my above views. 😀

    But yeah, it’s true – if you want to do something, you’ll do it – no matter what! You don’t want to do something; you’ll never do that thing even if the Heavens fall on Earth!!

    Yes, I’ll seize my defining moment to secure my crowning glory!! 😉

    Cheers!

    1. Murli Avatar

      Very well orchestrated! And you do extremely well to understand the game of life!!

      My best wishes are with you to get your Glory. Just don’t give up till you get it!!!

  3. Murli Lohia Avatar
    Murli Lohia

    Transferred from Facebook

    Suman Desai commented on a link you shared.

    Suman wrote: “Excellent Post! Enjoyed reading it.”

    1. Murli Avatar

      I am gratified by yr great feedback!

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