Strategy to avoid jinxing my New Year resolutions

New Year resolutions have never been quite my thing and every year as friends and colleagues have put together their resolutions, I have had my “bah” “humbug” moments – telling them there’s no point in making resolutions that they had no intention of keeping. This year too just before the clock struck midnight heralding the onset of a brand new year, I wondered about the many people who would be wasting their time making resolutions only to break them the very next day.

Then something occurred to me. What if I made resolutions the week after New Year’s? Maybe they wouldn’t be jinxed and there would be a better chance of living up to them. Why make them at all you might ask? There is a loony rationale to it actually. When you focus on what you need to do to improve your personal and work life, your relationships, the way you function as a human being, you actually take the time to stop and think, to highlight in your mind your priorities and ways to better lead your own life and impact the lives of those around you.

So I relaxed on my beanbag, closed my eyes and thought of things I would like to change. Here is a list of 10 resolutions that I came up with.

1. Try and be more patient – God do I need this!

Take a deep breath before reacting in annoyance to anything that happens. There are any number of times one reacts in anger to something someone may have said or done. Regrets are of no use later so might as well ponder before reacting.

2. Focus on a few things, make them happen first and then embark on other activities

Passion and excitement are great but they often lead to total chaos if one is not careful. Balance is important, and the ability to recognize how much one can execute during a given time frame.

3. Get back to blogging more regularly

I enjoy writing/blogging so much but of late I have let life get the better of me – and have neglected my blog. That is just not on. I need to get back to regular blogging. It is one of the things that has kept me sane over the years (yes yes it may be hard to believe but I am quite sane )

4. Take a day off every week

The rollercoaster ride I have been on 24×7 for the past few years has turned me into a workaholic and is beginning to take its toll. Need to take at least a day off every week to unwind, laze, just chill!

5. Save Energy

No no not mine! Energy as in power. Make sure all switches in the house are off when they are not in use, that all lights, fans, ACs in the office are off when the team heads out for lunch or when i go out for meetings. Emphasize on household and office teams of the importance of saving energy.

6. Eat more sensibly

This doesn’t mean I am going on a diet. It only means that I will eat oily or deep fried foods, sweets, etc less often. Concentrate on lunches which comprise of soup and/salads and the day I have a heavier lunch, have the soup/salad for dinner. So eating healthier as often as I can without depriving myself of food I enjoy.

7. Start some sort of regular light exercise

This is to keep the body from rusting and getting squeaky. Needs to keep functioning if I am to do all the things I want to.

8. Start a P@SHA show online

Have been thinking about this for so long. About time I stopped procrastinating and actually did it! This is the year!

9. Document … document … document!

Ensure all initiatives are documented and shared. Blowing your own trumpet (in so far as the organization you work for is concerned) is actually a good thing and is in fact essential good practice.

10. Plod on! Ignore the negativity!

Don’t let the insensitivity and negativity of a few individuals weigh you down. Best to focus on the positive, do what needs to be done and march on.

Hong Kong always re-energizes me

Although this time I could only stop over in Hong Kong for a day and a half, the city still managed to do for me what it always does – bring back the memories of bygone days – of precious hours spent with my mom, of work that I enjoyed, of time spent with family while I was growing up, of friends and colleagues who are now far away, and of the many things that I have learnt from the Chinese people. I am not referring to the Cantonese that I picked up while I was living there, but to things I have been able to apply throughout my life – energy, diligence, respect for hard work, attention to detail, value of time and the ability to enjoy life to the fullest.

As I walked around Hong Kong I felt a renewed energy, a renewed sense of urgency to get things done. I could feel the energy all around me – people walking at a pace that you rarely see anywhere else. And the sea of humanity that I saw as I emerged from the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) in downtown Causeway Bay, was unique even for Hong Kong. I tried to take a picture to capture that moment in time.

It is a wonder people don’t get trampled in crowds such as this.

I somehow managed to squeeze my way out into a less crowded place and found myself standing in front of Christmas carolers. I thought to myself that the tune of the carol sounded familiar but the words didn’t. And it was then that I realized that it was “Silent Night” being sung in Mandarin!

It attracted some families and young couples who stood holding hands and moving to the tune of the music. Quite serene. Brought a smile to my face as I stood there taking it all in.

I strolled along and window shopped with nothing specific in mind that I wanted to buy, and whiled away the time until I met my brother for dinner. That was another experience and a half. I had fussed and told told him I was not interested in going for a buffet. I would rather go to one of the small restaurants in the city that were favourites of mine. But he insisted and so I agreed.

It turned out to be a good decision in the end because in the buffet were some of my favourite things – sushi, crab, fishball and tofu soup, steamed fish in soya, etc. And amongst the deserts they had chocolate fondue, bread and butter pudding, fresh crepes with whatever filling you wanted, waffles with ice cream and loads of other stuff. I am sure I am adding on a few pounds as I remember the spread. It was a nice evening. I was tired after a long and activity filled day but I was happy that I had managed to do so much in such a short period of time. I so love Hong Kong – my home away from home.