New Year Resolutions and Making them work

The last couple of weeks of the current year which lead up to the new year are full of resolution making activities. People indulging themselves into pursuits which they resolve to quit being a slave to as the old calendar makes way for a fresh new one.

Newspapers, blogs, websites dedicating exclusive space for articles helping readers out with creating their lists is common place. But all the enthusiasm fizzles out before the January page wears out! ( sounds familiar?)

Well apart from the reliable family I'm blessed with, I have had two other guiding lights.
one, "The Secret" - a book by Rhonda Byrne and second, Celestine Chua's blog about personal excellence.

One of Celestine's latest blog lists 58 noteworthy resolutions one can make. I've included them below.
I'm working on the ones which apply to me with a few additions of my own. ( might  will share them later on! :-)

1. Stop procrastinating on your goals
2. Spend more time with your family
3. Widen your social circle – Meet new friends!
4. Become more organized
5. Exercise more and keep fit
6. Lose weight: Achieve your ideal weight
7. Eat more healthily
8. Wake up early every day
9. Be on time
10. Express gratitude to people who have made a difference in your life
11. Do volunteer work
12. Do more kind deeds
13. Further your education
14. Learn a new language
15. Cultivate at least one new skill that will enable you to perform even better at work (presentation skills, public speaking, effective writing, etc)
16. Be emotionally generous
17. Drop caffeine
18. Reconnect with old friends
19. Make at least 5 positive, like-minded friends and foster strong relationships with them
20. Take your family out on a vacation
21. Revamp your room into your personal, inspirational haven
22. Run a marathon
23. Don’t bad mouth other people
24. Stop complaining
25. Be a more positive person
26. Be your real self
27. Read more books
28. Read one meaningful self-help article a day
29. Visit the holiday destination of your dreams
30. Deliver your best performance at work ever
31. Double your business revenue (for business owners)
32. Get a career switch to a better career
33. Or better still, pursue a career of your true passion
34. Earn a million dollars
35. Earn a billion dollars (for those who have achieved #30)
36. Find your soulmate
37. Move out and get your own apartment
38. Get out of debt (if you are in debt)
39. Save more money
40. Help other people achieve their dreams
41. Get rid of clutter
42. Take up a class in something of your interest (dancing, singing, roller blading, ice skating, swimming, photography, web design, rock climbing, piano, guitar, yoga, pilates, etc)
43. Drink more water
44. Reduce your alcohol intake or quit drinking altogether (for people who drink)
45. Quit smoking (for smokers)
46. Learn to see the positive side of everything
47. Turn every challenge into an opportunity
48. Let go of any past baggage
49. Meditate daily
50. Go on a Vipassana Meditation Retreat
51. Write a book
52. Visit a new place you have never been to
53. Stop beating yourself up when bad things happen
54. Love yourself more
55. Start your life handbook and use it document everything it takes to live your best life
56. Limit your mass media exposure – Stop watching television or reading the papers (remove negative stimuli from your environment)
57. Take time out to rest and rejuvenate every week
58. Live every moment to the fullest! 

Let's see how things work out for me or rather how I make them work for me ;-) 

30DLBL Day 1 – MyLife Wheel

Part I: Assessing where you are


MY LIFE WHEEL


 

            LIFE WHEEL SCORES:


   1. CAREER:                                   2
   2. FINANCE:                                 2
   3. HEALTH/FITNESS:                   2
   4. SOCIAL / FRIENDS:                 4
   5. FAMILY:                                    8
   6. ROMANCE:                               0 
   7. RECREATION / FUN:               2
   8. CONTRIBUTION:                     0
   9. PERSONAL GROWTH:            2
  10. SPIRITUAL:                              2

Part II: Reflections

REFLECTIONS



Reflecting on my scores:

Some where deep withing I knew the scores would be bad, but to see the wheel cave in on paper was nothing short of a tight slap. You hear of budding geniuses going astray & wonder what went wrong with them till one day find yourself in the same league.


These scores are nothing to be proud of but nevertheless it did make me feel lighter. I may not be satisfied with these scores but was satisfying, was to have a look at my life from the outside. It was like watching some body's life from the top ( that some one being me )


From here, I can only do better; I am destined to. After the "recession-hit" days life seemed to have stagnated. But my efforts to get myself back on track on the technical front have been a big boost. I know I deserve a lot more in life. This surely isn't where I saw myself a decade back.


The highlighting feature of the wheel of course is my "family". With this one block in place I can build and re-build my life from the ashes over and over again. The other pieces of the pie will follow suit.


It all boils down to being one's own control/feedback mechanism, applying corrective measures and re-assessing one's movement forward


WHY AM I HERE

I could fill books on this one. But it didn't take more seconds than the number of primary reasons to pin this one down.

1. Procrastination
2. Lack of focus.
3. Fear of failure

My 10+2 days which still feel like yesterday had all these three in good measure pushing me into a shell eventually.


THE LOWEST POINTS
Eight out of the 10 spokes of the wheel with a pathetically low score. And as i read the other connected blogs I realise that firefighting is what I have been up to. So that, while keeping me busy all the time, gets me nowhere and end of day I fall short on all fronts!


COMING TO TERMS WITH MY SCORES

No, I am not happy with the wheel. In fact my scores on the life wheel make it look more like a dagger than a wheel.!!! I surely do not want to stick with these scores forever! Every passing day would feel like a century if the scores remained where they are! I want my wheel to expand outward so it can look like one and help me "wheel" through life :-)


ENVISIONING MY ENTIRE LIFE

My ideal wheel, for the better part of it would be pushing the limits.

Health, Family, Love, Friends would be & will be at the zenith. With those in place there would be an inevitable progress on the other fronts too. Career, Wealth, Contribution, Personal Growth would be hovering at 8+. These are insatiable in a way & every conquest leads to making plans for a higher or equivalent goal. The more I realise The more I contribute the more I realise how much less I have been giving ( If you have seen the last 20 odd minutes of Schindler's List, you would know what I mean )


Health, Friends, Family, Love, Fun would be max. They have to be for the scores to indicate a sense of fulfillment. :-)


PART III: MY BEST 30 DAYS AHEAD

   1.   Learn Oracle PL/SQL to a professional level.
   2. Kick start Java & cover the entire module.
   3. Exercise regularly.
   4. Eat nutritious food.
   5. Wake up @ 5 daily.
   6. Try to attend atleast two interviews on weekends.
   7. Take a walk in the evenings.
   8. Expand social network.
   9. Clean the room.
  10. Get info on setting up router @ home.
  11. Learn the Guitar.
  12. Pray Daily. ( @ rise - before meals - before bed )
  13. Read the Secret - Use it.
  14. Da Vinci - Think like him
  15. Work on your vocabulary.
  16. Deal with work issues head on.
  17. RDBMS - GET A BOOK!
  18. Sharpen your skill set and take time to read books I wanted to & the ones i need to.



MY BEST 30 DAYS AHEAD

Link To My Calendar

30DLBL Day 1 – My Life Wheel ( Personal Note )

Its been a great start to a promising month. As promised in an earlier post I am sharing my diary on my blog here. This is a part of the 30 Days Live a Better Life series started by Celestine.

Following is my activity for DAY 1 as outlined in the blog here.


Personal Note: ( the first page of the diary )
 I realise as i look around me that I have always had all the ingredients to make the most out of what life offered me and then grab some more. Honesty & an evergreen will to learn have always been an asset. I know I will make the most of this exercise... I need to. I have been planning it all along and will not let myself down. Practice, they say makes a man perfect. Not only have I just known this but also experienced the results at various stages in my life.

I expect to lead a disciplined life in this month and streamline it further as time passes. A positive outlook towards life and focus on the task @ hand would figure in the top priorities. A regular schedule for studies and a constant vigil for opportunities is a badly needed "To-Do".

At the end of the month I expect myself to be more confident & on par with industry requirements in my chosen domain ( Oracle, Java )

                                      "Labor Omnia Vincit"

                                                                                       Rohit
                                                                                  2/09/2010 ( yes a day behind! )
                                                                                     

The 30 Day Challenge #30DLBL

The universe indeed aligns itself to mirror your subconscious. I, despite my shortcomings am always willing to forgive myself and start every day with a clean slate. And september would be the drawing board for the life ahead. I, guided by Celestine and with all other 30DLBL ( 30 days live a better life )mates from across the globe are on a journey to break the inertia and stop sleep walking through our lives. I will be sharing my 30dlbl diary here on  the blog for your comments.

To a better September and a even better life :)