It is the last week of December 2017 and as I begin to write this post I can’t help but think about the approaching end of the year. That amazing time which propels almost all of us to think about making a fresh start. At this time of the year it’s not uncommon for people to think about what they wish to achieve next, hence the invention of this thing called ‘New Year’s Resolutions’.

I think NYRs are awesome. It’s a ritual that helps us to stop, step back from our daily grind, evaluate what’s going on in our lives and hopefully dream up a better vision of what we want to happen in the times to come. It is perhaps an exercise that one should do much more often.

Nonetheless, better once a year than never.

However, every time I am thinking of such kind of resolutions, I’m firstly reminded of what had happened in the recent past. Come to think of it, we just completed living another glorious year of our lives. 2017 was not just made up of 12 months or 365 days, it was filled with countless of memories, experiences, challenges, breakdowns, breakthroughs, ups & downs and perhaps some life altering events. And I don’t find any authenticity in any New Year Resolution if it doesn’t derive from an appreciation of what I had gone through the whole past year.

Which is why I am taking up to do a ‘Post-Game Analysis’ on the year that just went by. A reflection that is meant to bring to my attention all the things that went well, and help me articulate learnings from all that didn’t go so well.

And in line with the Christmas spirit, I wish to share with you my thoughts on this nice little ritual. After some quick research I have come across some nice ideas as to how I can evaluate the past year and I’m going to mention here the ones that most caught my attention. While I am going to go through all of the following {tools}, you are not at all required to do the same. This is no step-by-step guide on ‘How to do New Year Resolutions’, rather it’s just a gift basket from a friend. Take what you like, add a couple of your own items if you’re moved to.

So here we go…

1. List out all the ‘Firsts’ of 2017

This means all the kind of experiences you had for the first time in this year. It could be as small or as big as you’d like. I’m sure some of the items on the list will bring a smile to your face.

2. Do an 80-20 analysis

If you’re familiar with Pareto’s Law, you would know it generalizes that in almost all contexts, 80% of the outcomes are derived from 20% of the causes. So here, ask yourself two questions:

• What were a few key activities / experiences / people that led to the majority of my positive emotions in the previous year? (and list them out)
• What were a few key activities / experiences / people that contributed greatly to most of my negative emotions? (list these out too)

Your purpose of doing this exercise would be to know exactly what has been working for you, and what against you. And hopefully increase the former while eliminating the latter as much as possible.

3. Ask five of your closest people; “In 2018…

• What should I do more of?
• What should I try to eliminate from my life?

You see, the people closest to you can see more about you than you can. They know your unique strengths & weaknesses and know exactly where you deserve to be in life. But sometimes we do not honour our own calling. Trust me, having a loved one remind your calling to you could be the biggest motivator for you to take the required actions. So there…

4. If you are into any kind of journal writing habit, then take out a couple of hours and read all that you wrote in those journals in the last 12 months. I bet you’d be pleasantly surprised. This would even shed light on what specific things you have to put more focus on, in the year to come.
5. You can even cook up your own questions. Questions are a great way of shedding light on your experiences. Some interesting questions I came across were: (stacked in the order of depth of meaning)

• Exactly how much money did I make in the past year? How much of it did I save/invest?
• Any major health related setbacks? What in my body deserves more attention in 2018?
• How has this year added to my life? What new skills, insights have I got?
• What has this previous year put me on a path of? Is this a path that I like? Any course correction needed?

I do believe that pondering on these questions can provide tremendous amount of insights into what we want & don’t want. This exercise is not only meant to enlist all that happened, but also to evoke a yearning for what didn’t happen. Or what went missing. Because from that space, we can emerge and create some really meaningful resolutions.

Now let’s come to the actual goal-setting part. I totally get if you have some really BIG goals/resolutions lined up in your mind. I have those too. I have things that I want to accomplish with regards to my body, my relationships, finances, career, intellect etc. The whole shebang.

However, I also came across a very new & refreshing line of thinking to come up with resolutions. This line of thinking is also in the form of a question. This comes from a female entrepreneur (a very successful one), who during her brainstorming sessions asks her staff – “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if ____________?”

And she lets them fill in the blank. She’s reported that out of such sessions her team has come up with some of the most interesting, wackiest, admirable, bold and enticing ideas. Some that were even at the bedrock of the strategy her company has formulated.

So go ahead, ask yourself “Wouldn’t it be cool if ______________?”

When I asked this question of myself, a voice inside said “Ofcourse I’m committed towards my money goals, career goals etc. etc. but it would be really cool if I could learn to do a handstand this year”. I don’t think doing a handstand would any-which-way add to my bank balance or anything, but it would mean a whole new experience of being ‘me’. And I want that for me.

Maybe you’d come up with something entirely different. Who knows!

***

It’s not wrong to say that life is the sum total of all your experiences. So maybe the access to improving life is through improving day-to-day experience. And I have a belief that we have much more influence over our experience than we think.

So take out your pen & diary or your note taking devices (for the tech-savvy yous) and begin crafting a pleasurable & extraordinary experience for yourself.

Love.

Merry Christmas.

And a Happy New Year.