There is an old Proverb that says “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.” Seems to make a lot of sense, but how much of us really drink the kool-aid, so to speak? If you have any sense of hearing, and are living in January, chances are you’re gearing up for New Year’s Resuscitations.
Did he just say resuscitations?
Yes, I did not say resolutions, but resuscitations, because truth be told, most people are attempting to revive something that keeps dying; our emotional eyes, which are much bigger than our mouths. Don’t get me wrong, planning for the future is a noble thing, but more often than not, we tend to jump into emotional planning. Emotional planning, by definition, is setting up large resolutions, without considering time, talent and our treasured resources; or lack thereof.
This typically happens when we attempt to escape reality or better said “how life actually works.” Reality reminds us that our time frames are unrealistic, that we haven’t really taken into consideration our personality or that we just don’t have the resources at the moment. You’re probably thinking, David you’re a downer; not so fast my friend. Here is a simple solution that can help resuscitate your resolutions back to life. A few years back, a man shared a concept called “microresolutions,” which flipped the switch in my head. His explanation was that microresolutions are small little goals that help us create momentum, thereby creating confidence and eventually a new habit. Instead of making gigantic resolutions, which will more than likely die a thousand deaths, try bite sizes. Why?
If we pause for a moment and think about a time when something worked out, it probably fell into this category of microresolutions. You more than likely just started taking small steps, which created confidence and made a new habit. So just maybe this year, you’ll take adopt the Proverb of listening to this advice, accepting discipline and ultimately be counted as “microresolution” wise!
In Him,
David Kotter
Servant