Why wait for new year to draw up resolutions?

I often wonder why people wait till the end of a year to draw up a list of resolutions. Is it a convenient way to continue doing what they have been doing after a brief pause? Does it show a resolve and a firm decision or does it indicate weakness?

I was talking to a friend the other day about the ill effects of smoking and why he should give it up. I took great pains to explain and gave examples of people who have benefited by abstaining and those who have been harmed by continuing to smoke. He seemed convinced and when I finally popped the question to him as to when he was going to ban it from his life, he said, “This is going to be my last year of smoking. I will stop smoking for 1st January.”

I knew it then that he was not serious. There is a saying in Hindi: “Do today what you have planned to do tomorrow, do it now what you have planned for today.” If one is serious about anything, one need not wait for a specific day and time. If one is not serious, one will always find excuses and reasons for putting off action.

I have never believed in new-year resolutions. For me, it is always ‘now’. Who knows whether one will be alive in new year. Life is so uncertain that all good intentions must be put into effect immediately.

If I were to draw up a list of resolutions, it would be as follows:

•    I will be more loving with everyone and especially my near and dear ones.
•    I will be happy irrespective of what happens around me.
•    I will make efforts to spread joy, happiness and love around.
•    I will take more care of my health by eating right and being physically active.
•    I will share more with less privileged ones and be more charitable.
•    I will spend less time on wasteful activities.
•    I will give up any vices that I may have cultivated over the course of my life.
•    I will spend a lot of time reflecting, introspecting and meditating on God.
•    I will trust in God and work on building my faith stronger each day.

Any resolution made must be for improvement and betterment and should be followed through with discipline and rigour. One good way to stop one from slipping would be to put away a small sum (say, a dollar or ten rupees) into a jar every time one falters and use the money thus accumulated for some charitable purpose.

Finally, resolutions are to be made only if one is completely convinced about the need for and the benefits of the resolution, and one needs to be action-oriented and implement them immediately. There is a Japanese proverb: “Vision without action is only a dream.” Action is the path by which we realise all our dreams.

Vish is a chartered and cost accountant who works with a leading bank in Mumbai, India, looking after their risk management. His interests are reading, travelling, spirituality, thinking and physical fitness (not necessarily in that order). Contact vish.sesh@gmail.com.