Friday, January 1

Setting new year resolutions


Picture stolen from here.

Some time back, there was a survey done on a graduating batch of students from a particular prestigious university (Harvard? Oxford?) In it, the students were asked whether they set goals for themselves. And it was statistically proven that those who set goals for themselves ended up being better achievers in their careers.

Somehow, the Law of Attraction comes to mind. When you remember your goal for the year, your actions will change subconsciously in a way you will move yourself towards it.

No one wants to remain stagnant, and that's why we have new year resolutions. If there's a problem that bothers you 5 years ago, and it still bothers you, then you should jolly well work on it.

Putting it bluntly, should any of us die tomorrow, we die with no regrets.

For those who have a discipline issue working on your resolutions, here's 5 suggestions.

(1) Write it down and paste it in a conspicuous corner of your bedroom, so that you are reminded of your resolution should u happen to see it.

(2) Share your resolution with someone you know. It could be your best friend, your mum or post it on your blog. This way, there's someone who will give you ad hoc reminders when you appear to be on the wrong direction.

(3) Set the last day of every quarter to periodically review your progress. Don't make it an annual appraisal exercise.

(4) Don't over-set the number of targets. It's not the quantity, but the quality. Better to set 2-3 targets and fulfill them, then to set 20 targets and fail them all. Remember, targets are not meant to stress you out, they are to meant to motivate you.

(5) Dangle carrots or give yourself the stick should you fail to hit the target. I made myself abstain from meat for 1 month as a punishment. It might be easy for some, but it ain't easy for me.

Cheers to a great year 2010.
And may we all be better people 1 year from now.

Note: This post is specially dedicated to Roxy. Set goals and upgrade yourself when you are still young. When you reach Uncle Shingo T's age, you will have better memories to look back to. ^_^

About the Author: Shingo T wants to be a Malaysian who knows how to speak basic conversational Malay. And that will happen in end 2010.

18 comments:

HappySurfer said...

Yes, having goals where you can see them is effective so is making them known. Somehow the forces of the cosmos will move things along to help you achieve your goals. Strange but true.

Happy new year again, Shingo. May all your dreams and aspirations come true as you expect them to.

Have a lovely day ahead..

wenn said...

ya, target just a few. Happy New Year!

இ Baŋäŋaz இ said...

Great Will power and salute your discipline, thanks for the 5 pointers to resolve the resolutions.

Toothfairy said...

My only target for this year to find me a nice house, and I think it will happen... so I'm perfectly fine for now :P

loves

Roxy. said...

Thanks !
and i commented just before i saw your post.
Setting goals. Just like i commented,
the secret to happiness is low expectations. :p

The comic you picked is funny. Have a great year ahead ! Uncle Shingo !

TG said...

Encik Shingo, kau tak cakap bahasa Melayu? Kenapa? ;) Saya cakap sedikit aja, ok.

As for my goals for this year, I plan this for many months now, so I don't need to make a new list :) My plans are: Go to Taiwan, stay in Taiwan, work in Taiwan. Meet some awesome bloggers and friends, have a good relationship, make many interesting short trips, learn to speak Mandarin fluently and blog.

So you'll see me stick around for a while, uncle Shingo :)

Manju said...

my target is to have fun hehe
plus all the stuff on my to-do list ^^
happy new year shingo!!!!!!! :D

The Bimbo said...

my resolution... not to make any this yr. :P

foongpc said...

Oops! You are a Malaysian? I always thought you are a Singaporean! OK, what is done is done. Maybe I'll change it later, maybe not! Haha!

I'm referring to My Tribute to My Blogger Friends - you are included! - go read it HERE ; )

foongpc said...

Resolutions are good! They work for me most of the time, especially when you had it all written down in black and white and you review them every 3-4 months.

I got pretty amazed when some of those things I wrote down actually became reality even though I stopped thinking about them for months! It works like magic! : )

Anonymous said...

How old is Uncle ShingoT? :)

Stefanie said...

Mr Shingo, you may ask a non-malaysian to teach you Bahasa Melayu! That's MKL.

I will post about my new year resolution soon. Thanks for reminding me,good friend. :)

Happy New Year!

Nina said...

I'm going to use these tips for 2010 ... yey!

Wenny said...

Great pointers Uncle Shingo-T!

I never really got down seriously to any constructive resolutions in the past until 2009. Having faith in myself and the Law of Attraction, I made it work!

Pak Cik Shingo-T, kita boleh bercakap Bahasa Malaysia bersama-sama, pada bila-bila masa.

Wenny said...

Oh ya, Pak Cik Shingo-T, blog kita sudah se-warna sekarang ... biru!

Both our blogs are blue!

Shingo T said...

HappySurfer:
That's the wonders of Law of Attraction! Now share with us your goals. =p

wenn:
Have fun working on your targets.

Bananaz:
My willpower can be weak too, me sucuumbing to gaming is one good example. I'm not a perfect guy.

Toothfairy:
Your house will come, and it will be beautiful. Get one with a chimney, so that Santa Claus can give you something every year.

Roxy:
Low expectations, that's a GREAT reason! Too bad we live in a country where low expectations are seldom possible with such an efficient government.

MKL:
Gosh, even the angmoh can speak Malaysian. What has the world come to? *blush*

This year will be another great year for you, bro. I demand to see more photos of Taiwanese babes. Yummy yum yum.

Manju:
You have a great positive spirit. Law of Attraction thereby states that you will have happy years ahead.

The Bimbo:
gosh, you will fulfill your resolution 100% this year.

foongpc:
Thanks for the tribute. Can I use it for my orbituary? (kidding)

There's no magic when it comes to fulfilling resolutions. Give yourself credits when due. ^_^

Mei Teng:
In terms of mindset, Shingo T is old enough to be your grandpa. =p

Ouch, the rheumatism is coming back to me.

Stefanie:
It's pretty embarrassing when I go to government agencies in Malaysia, and have to ask them "sorry, can you talk in English". Someday I will be better than MKL in Malay. =p

Nina:
Have fun fulfilling your 2010 resolution. ^_^

Wenny:
You are a great living example that Law of Attraction works. Maybe someday you can write a book on how you apply it, and how it moulded your life for the better.

And someday, I will comment your blog in Malay. =p

autumn said...

#3 and #4 should do the trick for me, the thing to do now is to decide what to cut from my list *headache*

Shingo T said...

autumn:
Some guru taught me this method. Think day and night about all your goals for 3 days. On the night of the 3rd day, struck one off your list (and don't think abt it anymore). And struck another off on the 4th night etc... until you finally settle on the few you want to work on.

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