Resolutions Or Revolutions

It’s January, and there’s a sort of hive-mind excitement this month as millions around the world make a collective effort to better ourselves. New year’s resolutions – Most of us make them, but few of us ever follow through with them. Often, we find ourselves back at square one. But we’ll try again the following year, as we do every year, like a never-ending cycle – a revolution.

Personally, I find that I successfully stop revolving around old habits when my resolutions have these two characteristics: Simplicity and planning.

Start Simple, Start Now

Recently, I watched a viral YouTube video of retired Navy Admiral, William H. McRaven, giving the commencement address at the University of Texas in 2014. In it, Admiral McRaven shares how the first thing every navy SEAL hopeful does upon waking is making his or her bed.

It’s a seemingly mundane act, but no matter what challenges are waiting for the day, the trainee would have already accomplished at least one thing. And in the event that it would be a bad day, at least there’s a made bed to return to, a reminder that the day had not been a complete failure. Having gone through National Service, I can attest to the wisdom of a perfectly made bed.

Sometimes, resolutions fail because we have long and ambitious lists of things we want to change. Make it simple. Pick one or two things to improve this year and then just start. Your child may want to work on punctuality, mental multiplication skills, responsibility, developing a reading habit, etc.

Besides behaviour correction, resolutions can also be about levelling up oneself, for example, learning something new or acquiring new skills. I’ve found that developing in my strengths sometimes has the by-product of ironing out my weaknesses.
Whatever your child chooses to achieve this year, make it simple.

Change will come when we take the first step and resolve to keep on putting one foot in front of the other. This blog, for example, started out as a single article. As the ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi wisely put it, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Plan to Do

Most children don’t plan their lives. They live day to day, going where they have to be and doing what they are told to do. They’re like ships without a rudder. Just going with the flow, being swept to and fro at the mercy of the waves.

If we’re honest, the same is true of most adults. When we let ourselves be swept by the events of the day, we feel powerless. And when things go awry, we feel like helpless victims in our situations. The result is giving up on resolutions and revolving back to our comfort zones.

Our children need plans. “I will work harder this year” is not a plan. “I will be less forgetful” is not a plan. Plans are actions, not intentions.

For your child, it may be something as simple as using a filing system or the school handbook to track homework. It may be allocating an hour every weekday to sit down and read a book without any distraction. Wanting to improve is a great start, but great intentions never see the light of day without a plan of action.

Albert Einstein is commonly credited with saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This year, make a resolution, make it simple, make plan of action, make it happen, and finally, make it consistent.

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