“Don’t make resolutions, have goals” she told me…

A very good friend of mine recently told me “Don’t make resolutions, have goals”
It made sense to me. Goals seem more tangible and there is something to gun for, but then why do people make resolutions? That got me wondering, how are resolutions different from goals? Wanting to lose a few kilos, doing a trek are goals not resolutions. While goals give you achievable milestones that keep you motivated and perhaps charged too, resolutions help reinforce life long changes. Goals usually have an end point, resolutions are more decisions that you would like to keep.

Wanting to run a marathon is a goal, exercising on a regular basis is a resolution

All of us need need resolutions. The world can surely do with some changes. Do they have to be made only during a New year, well thats debatable.
What I have listed below are neither, just some good habits that I wanted to share. Hopefully you will enjoy the read.

“Spend your Sunday Mornings in the open”

I spent my first Sunday of 2016 at Cubbon Park. Yes I have heard a lot about it but never made the trip. It was gorgeous and the energy was amazing & contagious.
It seems like a great idea to walk around the park and among the trees with your family, play with the kids and dogs, go for a run with friends or chat with your partner. You could either carry a picnic basket or walk to India Coffee house or Pecos for old times sakes. Cubbon park that way is conveniently located.Maybe I will take the bus once every now and then too.

“Go off your phones for an hour”

I have decided that I will put away my laptop and phone for an hour every day. If it rings I will answer it but otherwise its far away. 7.30pm to 8.30pm works best for me and I’ll probably charge my phone during that time. Well that’s what I did last evening. Didn’t break a sweat.

“Save electricity”

As a kid my dad always asked me to switch off the lights and fans when I was not using them. Well I figured better late than never and that’s one of the things I definitely doing. The need to save electricity needs no explanation and it has to start at home. Lights, fans, geysers, chargers, ovens, computers. Huge opportunity there.

“Make small investments”

Over the last few years, at random I have consulted with my wealth manager at ICICI or a friend in Mumbai and put away amounts ranging usually between 2k to 5k a month in any mutual fund that they recommend. Market fluctuations or not how wrong can it go? If I had it in the bank I would have spent it anyway.

“Spend more time with your teams”

We must spend more time with our teams. What you will always notice in highly engaged teams is the absolute comfort that all of them have working with each other. Communication can create and bring about that comfort. The more time we spend with our teams the more comfortable we are discussing challenges and opportunities. Spend more time than you did last year, at the least.

“Let people know what you think”

Make it a habit to share your feedback, good or not so good. Whether its at restaurant, after you have ordered online and even to your barber. People want and appreciate timely and constructive feedback. Companies also have to ensure that they have a mechanism where employees receive feedback constantly. Each one of us needs to know where we are doing well and where we need improve. Suggestions on how to improve will add a lot more credibility.

I am going to take a lot more selfies 😉

I didn’t mean that, I just threw it in 🙂
Happy New year and I look forward to hearing from you on any of your own. I too can do with some feedback…