Life Resolution

How's your New Years Resolution going?

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Most of us understand that the best way to reach a larger long-term goal is to set small obtainable goals. As we work at those, and hit incremental milestones, we gain confidence and hope so we may keep reaching forward, toward our larger goal and purpose.

And it's true.

Why then do we ignore this fact every January?

Failing and unrealistic New Years Resolutions tend to cripple hope and hinder progress. Every year Resolutions are made, and broken. We have all the confidence and support for the first month or two, and by the time summer comes we have forgotten or dismissed our promises to ourselves.

Why is this?

I believe our poor planning leads to poor performance. By not planning properly we set ourselves up for failure.

I believe that most often our New Years Resolutions are too large, too vague, and not coupled with the much needed smaller goals that could help lead to our resolution.

We say:
"I'm goin to get out of debt."
"I'm going to lose weight."
"I'm going to go to the gym every day."

And yes, those are good long-term goals. But what are we missing?

We're missing the means to those ends.

We're missing what it takes to get there.

We're missing those small obtainable goals.

We're missing the established principles that lead to real change in our lifestyles.

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Forget about your New Years Resolution.

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Instead,

Make a life choice.

Make a life resolution.

Choose every single day as a small step forward.

Choose every single day to push harder and further than you did the day before.

Choose principles and character ethics that are more powerful and more resilient than any New Years resolution could ever be.

Establish and develop and practice positive character traits; such as integrity, bearing, unselfishness, endurance, tact, temperance, modesty, courage, enthusiasm, fidelity, etc.

Resolve to be true to yourself.

Resolve to be better in every way.

Consider doing what is right.... all year long.

Focus The Blur

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I’ve been blessed (and cursed) to be a contributing member of many diverse organizations, committees, sub-committees, groups, and businesses.  These organizations, as I’ll collectively call them, all seem to have one thing in common. (even though they range from profit-to-nonprofit, religious-to-secular, political-to-ideological, and organized-to-chaotic)

That one thing that binds organizations together is also the one thing that causes most people to reject them, to leave them, to criticize them, and dare I say, to hate them.

That One thing is not any particular action, belief, or idea.  Nor is it any person, governance, ideology, or attitude.

It is a resulting loss of focus.

It is a straying from the organization’s original course, path, and purpose.

It’s the Organizational Blur……..

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No group or entity is exempt from the requirements of authentic and purpose-driven forward motion.  Unfortunately, we rarely live up to it.

We get stuck focusing on the “shadow missions” (those short-term goals or tasks which are meant to help guide us to our ultimate and intended ends.)

We shift our eyes off of our intended purpose of being, simply for the sake of taking one step forward.

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Any time an organization loses focus of its vision and its goals, and begins to forget its mission and reason for existing, we start to see a decline in efficiency, productivity, and cooperation among its members and supporters.

-increasing complexities

-operational plateauing and non-productive traditions

-selfishness and greed

-power struggles and pride

-favoritism and cliques  

All of these things can contribute to the demise of an organization when these things replace your purpose.

Tyrannical bureaucracy steps in when the people become apathetic to these factors and the group loses focus of the organization’s purpose for existence.

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Fight that apathy…

 

Re-Focus…

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Consider This:

As an Organization:

What is our primary goal or purpose?

Is what we are doing leading this organization to that goal or purpose?

How can the life of the organization change, shift, and refocus so that it’s life is purpose-driven, productive, meaningful, and fulfilling?

*Furthermore:

Consider This:

As a Person:

What is your primary goal or purpose?

Is what you are doing leading you to that goal or purpose?

How can your life change, shift, and refocus so that your life is purpose-driven, productive, meaningful, and fulfilling?