Because all that matters is Love

February is the month of love. February also follows January which is famous for New Year resolutions. Most people make tall promises to themselves and vouch to keep up their resolutions. Social media is filled with pictures, photos, paragraphs and appreciative posts. The enthusiasm starts to slow down within the first couple weeks, and slowly reality sinks in and most people are back to their normal routine.

I have always wondered why are we unable to keep up the resolutions throughout the year or atleast till we achieve our goals. The answer seems simple, most of our resolutions and goals are open-ended, generic and vague. So as the days go by, our drive to achieving it is lost. For instance dieting, weight loss & work-outs seem to top the chart in terms of NY resolutions. Most of us don’t even have a clear go-forward plan or measurement of success, as a result most plans fail.

I have always believed in easy lifestyle resolutions which provide long term happiness and success. And I always begin in February when the frenzy around NY resolutions has calmed down and we are getting back to normalcy. Sharing my resolutions for this year and hoping that you will benefit from these as well:

• Be positive, be happy, be social, be with everybody, but don’t be “like” everybody. Being around your friends and family does not necessitate you to be like them. Be different, be yourself always. It’s easy to be influenced, but be strong in your resolution to stay original
• When your child calls you, always be available. Always answer at the first call, don’t let them get frustrated and call you multiple times before you answer. It may be extremely trivial to us as adults, but to our child it may be an important question. By not being there for them when they need us, we start to create a vacuum in the relationship which only grows us apart over the years.
• Be your partner’s biggest strength. We never realize how much we know and understand each other. Being together and sharing everything, we come to know the strength and weakness of each other. We need to encourage and provide constructive criticism to help succeed one another. This is one goal, that is measurable, and is a gold mine waiting to be unlocked. When we bring out the best in each other, life is happy, prosperous and successful
• Make the choice to lead a healthy life. Create a plan that will work for you. Remember, you are your only competition. The goal is to be better than your past self. Get inspired by your family, friends and colleagues, be happy and appreciative of their achievements. But never make the mistake of adopting their goals or adapting to their lifestyle. You are who you are because of the choices you made. Your health is unique to you, it’s up to you to stay healthy. Make your own health regime and be proud of your achievements however large or miniscule
• This is an unpopular lifestyle change and a tough resolution, but I truly believe in it. Make friends who are equals. Equals in intellect, thought process, common interests, common goals and those who truly lift you in positivity. In friendship there is a lot of flux, and a lot of acquaintances. We invest a ton of time and energy on building friendships, so it’s important to invest wisely.
• Stop the phone ringer after 10pm. Smartphone and social media are the biggest examples for the term “necessary evil”. As human beings, we love to network, connect and stay in touch, so these inventions are a phenomenal boon. However, sometimes they make us so available, that it gets “too close for comfort”. Honestly, most conversations can wait for the next morning and need not be answered after 10pm. However since the phone doesnt stop dinging, we are always tempted to check back and see if there are any responses.

It’s your life and you have to steer it in the right direction. Spouse, kids, siblings, parents, relatives, friends, acquaintances, mentors will influence your thoughts and preferences. They will guide you, support you, hate you, disagree with you and love you, but the decision will always be yours. Life will always offer choices, and what you pick will decide your future. So go ahead and be selfish, choose happiness and success. If you are happy, you will always keep your family and friends happy!