Final word

“The great and glorious masterpiece of man is to know how to live to purpose”
Michel de Montaigne

As the New Year approaches people tend to look at their lives deeply, this is why we should re-think our goals. It is essential to discover your real meaning and purpose in life as Roland Reagan once said “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose – somehow we win out”

It is important to wake up every morning knowing what you want to do and why you are doing it. This makes you happy and determined to achieve your goals. It makes you recognize your direction well and not lose focus. “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else”. Yogi Berra … Of course, through the passage of time, you can change your purpose to suit your circumstances better.

I believe that most New Years Resolutions fail because people approach them incorrectly. Instead of developing a strategy for changing habits, most people try to rely on willpower. While willpower and motivation can get you through the first week or two, it can’t last forever. So, set goals that can be achieved. The goals must be your goals and not the goals of others. Find your own passion. Of course what is around us influence us, but in order to be happy we have to have our own goals. Some people make money their goal for happiness but we have to remember that there is an essential level of material resources that are needed for us to make us happy, but further than that it really makes no difference. So, be wary of thinking that money is a goal that stands by itself for realizing happiness.

Put goals that you yourself can achieve and that are not dependable on others. These would be your personal direct goals. Of course you can set other goals that can be achievable by yourself and also depend on the contribution of others, but don’t get dismayed when you cannot fully achieve them because others did not play their roles rightly. Make it a point to realize that these goals may not be achieved because they don’t only depend on your contribution but on the contribution of others as well.

Remember that we can achieve our own direct goals by putting the time and effort needed by us. Take action and not just set your goals and wait for them to happen on their own. Take interest in what you do. Review your goals every certain period of time and be realistic about what you can achieve. Do not waste your energy and time thinking of goals that are depending majorly to achieve on others. Take steps towards achieving your goals. The steps you take may be slow but should be doable and achievable. Don’t set unachievable goals because they will create frustration if not achieved. The most important thing is to make progress. You can have big dreams which you can break down into several goals and achieve each one gradually until you realize your big dream. You can turn your dreams into reality once you plan well for them and focus towards achieving them. Be patient and don’t give up quickly. Know that everything needs time to ripe and be achieved, and most importantly - don’t tackle several changes at once. Successfully conditioning one habit change is more useful than giving up on a half dozen changes after a month.

Take the opportunity with the New Year and set your goals - start in order to make a difference in your life and the life of others who you love...