New-year resolutions and the rule of 21

“A life unexamined is not worth living,” said a great thinker. The eve of a new year is the time to introspect. What were our dreams when we were younger and are we heading there? If the answer is ‘no’ then what prevented us from going in that direction? Do we have to revise our goals in the light of our new realities?

These are issues over which we have to ponder and then launch a plan of action keeping in mind some significant lessons of life.

What many people may not know is that to lead a rich and satisfying life we ought to devote about 70% of our time and effort on our long-term developmental goals. We are so caught up in day-to-day issues which in the final analysis turn out to be of small significance to our lives. We lose sight of our main and meaningful goals.

I once did such an introspection and imagined that I was in an ICU. I heard my doctor telling my family in a whisper, “‘I am sorry the end is not far. You can call your relatives.”

I saw myself looking back at my life – a sort of final audit – and was filled with remorse at having wasted my life without any overarching goals, which go beyond making money and acquiring material stuff. It was then that I woke up with a start and reminded myself that “an unexamined life is not worth living.”

I set myself short-term (one-year horizon) medium-term (1 to 3 years) and long-term goals (beyond 3 years). Once the goals were clear I wrote down a concrete plan of action that would take me in direction that I desired.

These goals should not be laid down in money terms but in terms of the level of excellence in your chosen area of activity. As you move in the direction of excellence you will perhaps get the kind of money you deserve and more importantly you will reset your criteria to measure success. At some stage you will opt out of the rat race with the understanding that in a rat race even if you come first you are still a rat!

In moving in the desired direction you will realize that you will have to acquire new habits of thinking and doing. At this stage the rule of 21 comes to your assistance. Let us suppose that you need to create/find time to read up the latest research in your area of interest. You decide that you will cut short your sleeping hours and get up at 5 am. The rule of 21 says that beginning tomorrow you should get up at 5 am and read books for the next 21 days no matter how late you slept at night, no matter how tired or sick you are. If you are unable to do it for any reason then begin the 21-day cycle all over again till you compete one cycle without a break. At the end of a successful 21-day cycle, you will have a new habit.

Do I guarantee success? No one can guarantee success. Do not believe anyone who gives you such assurances. Success is a result of many factors and you have no control over many factors. Hence I advise you to do your best and gracefully accept whatever comes your way. However, when you may lie in an ICU you will have the satisfaction of having gone in the right direction and having done your best.

I can attest to the effectiveness of this strategy. I am ready to write my final audit report if called by my maker to do so. The summary shall read:

“I set out in the right direction, did not necessarily reach the planned destination but totally enjoyed the journey. No regrets.”

K.R. Ravi is South Asia’s first Dr.Edward De Bono certified public trainer in lateral thinking, and a pioneer in spreading lateral thinking in the Indian corporate sector. For more details, visit http://www.krravi.com or contact him at createravi@hotmail.com.