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by Foo Mei Ling New Year Resolutions are standard practices for people everywhere for as long as I can remember. Creating resolutions was something that started thousands of years ago when people began to make promises of starting anew and getting things and lives in order. Funnily I never got into the habit of making New Year Resolutions. I just didn’t see the point! And yet, millions of resolutions are made and possibly broken or forgotten as work and life catches up with us. The way I see it, the word “resolution” is derived from the word “resolve” which means to solve or provide a solution. I don’t know if I can solve the challenges of the year, so instead of resolutions, perhaps I will make a New Year’s Purpose! Here's mine: Purpose #1: To Learn Something New The world is so big and too interesting to simply sit and watch it go by. Learn something new – take up a musical instrument, learn a new sport, learn to paint. Learn something! There is a joy that comes from learning that cannot be found in other activities. I do not intend to set the bar so high that I will only disappoint myself, yet it has to be new and challenging enough for me to put in effort. The purpose is simply to enjoy the process of learning something new, if only to show it off to myself! How fun!  Purpose #2: To Be Calm In my last article, I mentioned that engaging with people is something that enriches us. Well throw into the mix, lots of people, activities and work, and it’s a cauldron of frustrations. Hence, I purpose to learn to be calm this year. Not calmer, just calm. That in swirling situations and demands, I can maintain a presence of peacefulness. Without rushing to defend or speak or to take actions, I will purposefully think first. If not, I will at least take a deep breath. I will know that I have arrived when I stop to listen and breathe and respond with thoughtfulness. How awesome it would be to have someone mention that in the midst of the pressure, they would enjoy my calming presence!  Purpose #3: To Think Positively We are constantly surrounded by negative news, negative thoughts and even negative words. In order to join in the crowd and to feel included, we can easily slip into “complain mode”. This year, I purpose to think positively: about the people around me (YES the nasty drivers too), my situations, my work, my challenges… well just about everything that I can think about positively. Sometime our ‘positive engine’ requires a reboot or a re-charge. Start the morning by being thankful. Call for reinforcements if you are down. In this, look to people who are positive themselves. Catch and stop yourself when you complain or think negatively. There is much to be appreciative of, let’s start today!  Foo Mei Ling is the co-founder of PositiveLinks with over 15 years of in-depth experience in consulting, focusing on corporate finance, strategy development, market entry and feasibility studies, corporate restructuring and implementation of special projects working for the likes of Arthur Andersen and HP.
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