21 December, 2007

Is it time for New Year Resolutions??

Around New Years', invariably all publications (newspapers & magazines) carry articles regarding resolutions for the new year. Some questioning the celebrities, some common people. But I have never seen any article about the resolutions taken in the past year and an evaluation of them - were they followed, their effects in life etc. I am not saying that one shouldn't have resolutions, but they need not be connected to the new years.

And resolution is a process
1. Taking a resolution
2. Making effort to adhere to it
3. Analyzing our performance
4. Taking corrective measures

I know i am starting to sound like an MBA (masters in business administration), which BTW i am, but that's not my point. Life is about planning, managing, organizing, controlling.

Sometime back i went to see my neighbour who's going to turn 100 (that's right one hundred years on this planet) in a couple of months. We were generally chatting when she told me about her daily routine. One thing that struck me was that every morning before getting up from bed she'd take resolutions for the day. It can be anything small or big like not eating a few things, not getting angry, doing a good deed, not using cars, having only lunch, calling a long lost friend, visiting the temple, laughing a lot, helping a family member, creating something new etc. And i thought to myself, is this the way to live, drawing boundaries everyday??

But on second thought i feel, isn't it a great way to live? After all moderation is the key. And having resolutions for the day helps us in being control. It improves mental strength, willpower, self control (brahmacharya), effort (tapa) and makes life more interesting. We might feel as if we are being CONTROLLED but after a few days it becomes a second nature.

There is a direct correlation between breath, mind and body. So taking a resolution and following it definitely improves our health. Take a minute here just to ponder on this................................................. (think of a possible resolution, the effort you would have to put in and the benefits you could derive).

I feel, New Year's Resolution is like a top of a mountain we wish to climb and daily resolutions are the steps taken for reaching the top.

Is there anything that you would like to share???

No comments: