Gaurav Ojha

As New Year begins to approach the idea of making resolutions begins to scratch my mind once again. After all, the idea of New Year resolution always seems exciting because it carries a subtle hope that we can start things anew, fresh and more importantly we can radically alter our life experiences by making resolutions to resolve lingering issues of our life. By the way, so much of what we do depends on our moods, and it is not different with making resolutions either, however, this time around the experiences of broken resolutions from previous years kept on hammering my mind, what about them, where have they gone, are they still within my mental horizons or else they have simply puffed like smoke from my being altogether? Besides, we all begin with our best intention when formulating life resolutions.

Moreover, when something drastic, unpredictable, disruptive or dynamic happens in our life, we suddenly think about the idea of making resolutions to overcome our lethargic, mundane and repetitive habits. For example, after a doctor’s appointment together with Lipid profile results, it seems so exciting to make health resolutions about exercise and healthy food habits.. However, as our health resolutions subside, our dependence on medicines increases. Moreover, the same thing has happened during Covid-19 pandemic as well. People were formulating all sorts of resolutions during the crisis, from health, finance to adding new competencies and skills. As with all other occasions, as we got vaccinated and Covid-19 cases began to subside, our resolutions have also started to dwindle out.

However, my constant failures to keep to my resolutions of past occasions have also enabled me to realize that I need to make my resolutions within the boundaries of my realistic expectation. This idea of starting things anew and refreshing itself seems like an unrealistic expectation. The notion of starting a new and fresh seems alluring and interesting but will it be possible, will I be able to remake myself as a person competent, committed and capable enough to carry on and fulfill my resolutions I have been formulating different resolutions all the while, not only in the occasions of New Year, even during lockdowns of pandemic I had formulated different sets of resolutions, what happened to them where are they now? If I am not authentic to myself how on earth can my resolutions be realistic? As I was struggling with myself, I gradually began to realize why I have been so miserable with my resolutions till now.

The first issue is related to setting unachievable and impractical goals without adequate preparations. As an overweight person, weight loss has been my favorite new year’s resolution for years. For the coming year I am also pondering over diet and exercise plans because this resolution reflects my desire to become healthier, though most of my weight loss resolutions have been often abandoned by late February or early March. Hence, before setting the goal of walking a mile a day for the coming year, I should at least for two months before go for more than quarter a mile, none of us can start from nowhere and reach somewhere.

Secondly, I have failed to realize so much of what we do and what will be its outcome is actually beyond our control, even if I keep-up with all my resolutions sincerely its results, impact or outcome can be radically different from my expectations. Indeed so much of what we do, how we achieve things or how we feel after achieving our goals is beyond our control. As verse 47 from the chapter II of Bhagavad Gita also indicates Karmanye Vadhikaraste, meaning only actions, initiations, inputs, determinations or stimuli are within our control, and never the outcomes or results. Many people argue that it seems impossible to act on or initiate something without goal setting or thinking about the outcomes of our actions. However, when we reflect on uncertain, dynamic, disruptive and unpredictable realities of the world, including complexities and contradictions associated with human nature and behavior, and then we also realize that indeed outcomes of our actions are beyond our control. Hence, sometimes even those resolutions and plans we initiate with best intentions end up giving us the worst of all possible outcomes and results. Besides, the outcome of doing less can be more effective and satisfying than doing more.

Thirdly, always keep actions/initiations over intention, in other words what matters most with resolutions are actions not intentions. We fail to keep up with most of our resolutions because they are more intention oriented than action based, for example, my intention of not taking extra sugar or avoiding junk food only becomes relevant if I make conscious choices and act to prefer healthy lifestyle that enables me to match my lipid profile test results with my intentions, it is simple as this, never fall under the trap of intention over action and its outcome. My fourth suggestion would be that there is no need to be linear and rigid with your resolutions, if resolutions seems impossible to achieve or feels like a burden unto yourself by the third week of February you can always let go, diverge from your initial plan, step aside and jump outside the box, surely this will also bring awareness, insights, opportunities and outcomes you have never imagined before in your life.

Finally, even if your resolutions seem impossible to materialize, don’t forget to imagine the life you want to live, make better resolutions and fail better, no worries at least we are not oppressed in our dreams and aspirations and that we are free to imagine our ideal life and think of different approaches to break down the shackles we assume are holding us back from achieving vitality, positivity and flourishing in our life.

(Gaurav Ojha is a faculty of communication; critical thinking and marketing research at different educational institutions. He can be reached at ojhagaurav84@gmail.com)