Resolutions is to New Year what baby Jesus is to Christmas. Or so for many.
Every New Year comes with its stock of resolutions from every window across the planet, from outwardly, hilarious ones to simple, straight deals. Are these resolutions a product of our dissatisfaction with the way we are or things are around us? Or are they a reflection of someone within us who wish to move past our comfort zones and achieve more while building even more?
I seem to have jumped one step ahead. Before looking into the New Year resolutions, should not I look into my past year and what I have made of it? If I were to scale my achievements against a general scale, I may or may not reach the cut off, but who I choose to measure my achievements against each year is with the previous year me. I believe this is an important and healthy competition we should all resolve to commit to.
Drawing the discussion back to my 2017, my measureable achievements include, first and foremost, our ability as a family to set aside time for not just one but three family vacations! Blood definitely is thicker than all other bonds and for finding time to make the most out of it, I give myself a pat on the back! If there’s one thing that keeps me going as much as family time and work, it’s the excitement of meeting new people. The very newness attached to being introduced to a new stranger, learning something from and about them…Some things never grow old, do they?
For all birds who flock together would know, the satisfaction that comes with writing is something definitely worth achieving. With the kind of calendar fill my clock functions around, every blog I am able to write means huge to me. The thought-to-word transition is as beautiful as it is time demanding. 2017 saw me write 30 blog posts and I hope to revolve my work and personal life in such a way that the satisfaction it brings about never stops to happen for me. Touchwood on that.
I’ve heard that the best stories are told between the pages of a passport. If so, I have five new stories to tell from the by-gone year. I have travelled to 5 countries in 2017, and for a travel hunk such as me, the stories will only keep adding up. My ShimBi family would know how much my work means to me, and it is with immense pride on my team at ShimBi that I state, last year, we have designed 3 new products and we will strive to keep this learning curve going. I am also not selfish of the books I read and the wisdom and lessons they give me, hence the motivational speaker in me happened. I find so much of happiness in spreading little tips and lessons from my book to my audience. With this mission in mind, the total number of talks I have given in 2017 is 12. The more I learn, the more shall I give.
The previous year also witnessed me being a judge to 3 contests, and have also been able to conduct 6 workshops to provide a large share of knowledge, and with time, I shall modify these workshops to provide the best ever learning experience to participants. And as I wind up my list, I’ll name the one thing that is the foundation stone to my writing and talks—reading. I have always been a dedicated reader and no number of meetings or round-the-clock schedules have changed that for me. It is through reading that I am able to forever be a student, and the total number of books I have read in the previous year adds up to 24 (cheers to myself!)
The Christmas/New Year vacation is a time we all get to spend with family, a time we all look forward to welcoming the New Year, while looking back on the year-to-end. I’m sure we all come with beautiful and sound resolutions and the following are some of mine. Feel free to drop in comments/suggestions or follow!
As I unbox 2018, I wish to reduce 50 percent of the energy I put to talking and commit that to 30 percent of writing and 20 percent of observation.
As for my next resolution, let me quote myself
‘Sometimes midnight walks are so productive. They can bring much needed clarity to your thoughts. Suddenly you find yet another mission to work on! #WalkingMeditation’
I have committed myself to a 1000 KM coverage by running in 365 days. I’d encourage each and all to follow suit!
Running will allow me to stay on my feet, engage with self and others. Walking and running is a great way to clear my head, to get more energy and to find time to think about challenges I'm working on at Shimbi Labs. When I'm traveling, running is a great way to explore a new city.
There is also something very new that I wish to do this year: to learn more about Art and Humanity and to apply the same into our software products. If you are confused now and wish to know more about it, drop by my earlier blog post.
And as I summarize my resolutions to 2018, I would strive to do better by myself. As I stated, the real competition is against one self. It is entirely our responsibility to make our dreams come true, so why not stop building excuses and starting making things happen? I’d advice to all that if we are going to do something, let’s do something that matters.
