In my last article, I wrote about “Why are You Here” If you have had time to read about it, thanks, otherwise, see the link again. Today, I want to quickly write about “New Year Resolutions” and why most get discarded by the 1st 2 weeks of the year:
I’m sure most of us have read or heard about “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. I’m not here to write all about the “habits”, but briefly talk about “Paradigm, principles, in addition to mission, goals, mission statement, etc.
What is a Paradigm:
A paradigm pronounced (para-dime) is a model, a perception or understanding. It is only by seeing things based on the right or correct principles that we achieve success and happiness. To better understand paradigms, Steven R. Covey encourages us to think of them as maps, they are not solution, but merely a representation of how to get somewhere (destination).
This could be:
Changing your attitude — negative to positive, thus you can become happy regardless of whatever might be happening to you now.
Health and Fitness — determination to become active — exercise, shed excess weight, etc.
Setting goals — daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.
What of Paradigm Shift?
A paradigm shift is a change in the way you perceive something. For instance, last year 2022, I said “no” to “TikTok”, however in this new year 2023, I said “yes” — for a good no. of reasons, and I have opened a “TikTok” account, though I’m yet to be active on the platform.
What is a principle?
A principle on the other hand is a set of natural laws that govern human growth and happiness, and examples could be fairness, integrity, honesty, truth, trust, service, patience, perseverance, encouragement, etc. These are guidelines for achievement, while paradigms are the directions on your map.
I will advise anyone who is yet to read this book — The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to do so — this will help you to set your “priorities right” and become what “you have been created to be”.
Furthermore, before I discuss briefly about mission, goals, etc, I will also encourage my readers to read the book on “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. Rick Warren’s book is based on “Spirituality” — which is “Why are You on Earth”? He challenges the reader to read a chapter “a day and pray about what is taught each day”, asking “God for revelation in mind, soul and spirit”. Each of the writers are both correct — “Stephen Covey’s” book is targeted at the “physical aspect”, while “Rick Warren” is targeted at the “spiritual aspect”
In brief:
A goal
This is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or group of persons has envisioned and commit to achieve.
A mission or mission statement
A mission or mission statement in simple term is who you are, and it also explains what you do and who you are doing it for and that is it. Most individuals and organisations take goal, mission (mission statement) as one, while others define goals, mission (mission statement) separately.
To get your priorities right early in the year — you need to commit to certain positive attitudes/actionable steps, otherwise, you will fall back into what is popularly called “comfort zones”, within the 1st 3 days of the new year — January, while some will keep it for 2 weeks or more.
No Plan — I have everything in my “Head”
There is a popular adage that states: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! I don’t believe in “it is in my head”. Even the holy book (Bible) states in Habakkuk 2: 2–3: “Write the vision and make it plain on paper, so that he may run who reads it — because the vision is for an appointed time”.
Therefore, most people without any plan — I called them “The Chief Noise Makers” — with nothing on their “heads”, end up making 7 or 8 figures income every year — doing nothing, yet smiling to the “bank” and travelling the “world”. They are everywhere; offline and online! People call them “thieves”, “fraudsters”, “manipulators”, “MLM”, etc.
Discipline
You must be disciplined right from the onset — beginning of the year. Determine to wake up at the same time “everyday”. Start your day right — some will pray before they get up from the bed, others do not, we are not the “same”, but the “Owner” created it to be so!
Furthermore, surround yourself with the right people and avoid “detractors and distractions”.
Invest in Yourself
Plan on buying and reading a book (useful) once a month, quarter, or biquarterly, etc.
Hire a “coach” or a “mentor”. Most people use them interchangeably, however to me a “coach” — will help you get started, however, not interested in whether you win or lose”. Whereas, a “mentor”, will hold you by the hand, will not let “go” until “you can stand on your own and succeed”.
Budgeting
You need to specify how much you intend to spend whether per week, month, quarter, or year. If you don’t clearly write your budget, you will over-spend and you will be in “deficit” by the end of the week, month, etc. I read somewhere recently that every “cent”, you are unable to account for is a “waste”! I have changed some habits — it is only $5 and means nothing! It means something — I cancelled some monthly subscriptions — “why” — I realised that I have been wasting “money” for nothing!
Experts — Advisors
You need the service of experts or advisors if you want to grow your business or whatever you plan to do now or in the future. For example, I don’t have the time reading “privacy policy”, “terms and conditions”, “refund policy”, etc. Due to lack of taking time to read the policies, have landed me in “trouble”, “losses”, “failures”, etc. What I do now is to get a “qualified lawyer” to read and interpret the “terms” to me so that I know from day “1”, what to do and what not to do.
Other experts that you will need if you plan on running your own business are:
Accountants
Real Estate Agents — for offline and much more.
What are you going to do differently — Out of the Box?
You need to put your “thinking cap on — out of the box (VIP)” and decide what you will do differently to make sure you succeed. Manipulators, chief noise makers — have in mind to defraud people whether by force, crook or fire and will still end up earning 7 figure ($1 million/per year or even more)! Most of them too, have it in mind to become “MD/CEO” from day “1”, but they never work — very lazy, but uses other people (gullible) to achieve their aims!
For example, I know most people on this platform that have more than 50K followers, not all of “them” — that understand “medium” very well. So, what they do is to get as many people as possible — to open their “stories”, without reading it — “how”, just open and leave it for 3, 4 hours or the whole “day”. They will end up earning $2,000 and above every “month”! I’m not in that league as I believe in “hardwork”. Due to my resolution — I always have more “enemies” than “friends” — both “offline” and “online”!
Ever heard of the “graveyards” are the richest places in the “world”!
The above statement is true and correct. Neither “Elon Musk”, “Jeff Bezos”, etc., have assets that can be compared to what is buried in the “graveyards”. Why? Most people die without fulfilling their “divine purposes” — “The Purpose Driven Life — “Why are you Here”? Many are meant to write books, write, and sing songs, establish a business — yet they never do it — they are comfortable with “comfort zones”.
Comfort zones — if you fail to leave the “comfort zone” when it is necessary, you have succeeded in helping others to find their “footprints”, so your “footprints”, will never be discovered!
What are footprints?
A footprint (s) are marks in the shape of a foot that a person or animal makes in or on a surface (ground)!
To start right, I will advise anyone that is serious to do the following
Write your plan early in the year (January) or even in December of every year!
Think “out of the box”, instead of following others whether wrong or right!
I have mentioned about discipline and part of discipline is — check your emails twice a day — morning and late in the evening. Unsubscribe from the so called “gurus”, etc, otherwise, you will just be wasting your “valuable resources/money”, as they will get you confused!
Create folders (Yahoo) — Labels (Google) — to keep important documents and files!
Go on the social media — could either be “early in the morning” or “late at night”. In addition, decide how long you plan to stay “there”. Most people spend half of the day, socialising on the social media platforms.
Be extra careful when you are either on “YouTube”, “Facebook”, “Instagram”, etc. In fact, “YouTube (YT)” is a “distraction from the pit of hell”. You are on “YT” to watch a program for just 20 minutes, you will end up watching unplanned “videos”, and you will be more “confused” — “information overload” and buying of useless, expired information called “Evergreen Information”.
With “Facebook — “Meta” — you will succeed in adding friends upon friends, join useless groups and you will fall into the hands of “fraudsters”, “thieves”, all in the name of “MLMs”, “Crawl”, “Algorithm”, “bolt emails”, etc. By the time you realised it, you have lost countless amounts of money and wasted time and other resources. My resolve this year is to use “Facebook free” — no more payment for “ads” that Facebook knew it will never convert to a single “sale” but will “ban or suspend” “ads” that will convert into sale! For now, to become active again on Facebook — Mark Z — should go “home”, hands of “WhatsApp, Instagram, etc! Life is not about one individual — win-lose, it should be “win-win”.
I had left quora.com — Adam D– as early as November 2022, but it will not stop — “can you answer this question or that question”. All my shouting, screaming and even reporting it to “Google” as “spam”, “block”, “phishing” did not work!
Capital No to “Reddit, Tumblr, etc”. Yes to “medium.com”, “LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter, Pinterest, WhatsApp and more!
Payment Processor — I prefer “PayPal” to other platforms — including payoneer, stripe, etc. I’m forced to use “stripe” because 2 platforms do not want to hear “PayPal”!
Always think of the “larger community”, instead of one individual — we are a “team” and not “I’m”.
Think “win-win”, and not “win-lose”, “lose-lose” “lose-win”, etc.
Undertake “risks” — “life” itself is a “risk” — and if you fail to risk anything in life — “you” are your own “risk”.
Let us all make the “world” a better place for us “all”.
