The New Year Resolution

I glanced through the SMS that had flooded my cell phone on the New Year morning. With a heavy head, blurred vision I was trying to read the tiny text that spoke heart felt wishes for the New Year. I popped out of my bed only to become a telephone operator, taking calls every 3 minutes. These calls were from almost the same people who had already wished my “Happy New Year” on SMS. With a toothbrush in my mouth, I was thanking them, wishing them the same, and so on. However, there was something different in the voice wishes and the text wishes. The SMS usually ended in “Happy New Year 2007” with some prologue. The phone call ended in “So, What’s your new year resolution?” with my answer to it as “Nothing” only to result in an outburst from the other end with words like “Why!”, “Why not!”, “What!” and so on.

As I sat sipping my tea I was thinking what could be a New Year resolution. Why would one make (or vow) a resolution on the first day of the New Year? I mean to decide something for yourself why do we need to wait 364 days. What makes it so special on 31st December or 1st Jan, just the dates may be or the herd mentality? S/He does it so let me also do it. And how many of us really care to introspect and analyze how much of our earlier resolutions were strictly adhered to and/or fulfilled. Most of the times, I feel, we are high on spirits (may be alcoholic too) and we promise ourselves something unrealistic. And such promises (also referred to as New Year resolutions) keep piling up. On the other hand I like the pretentious class which proudly says, “New Year resolutions are made to be broken the next day, that is the true fun of it ” Ironical but upfront atleast.

I also sometimes feel that if you want to decide & implement something for yourself (or the class or the mass or the society), why not decide it on your birthday. A birthday is the actual beginning of a new year for you, isn’t it? I know a few people who do so. However, it meets with the same fate as a New Year’s resolution. Decided on the first day, over excited on the second, working it out on the third and by end of the week it has faded away just to make you nostalgic at some time in future. With all such historical trends and data, I decided that being focused, determined and having a strong conviction would be better resolutions in true sense. No matter what you take up, that you will fulfill it should be the motive. This could be a resolution on a macro level and dealing with daily issues with strong focus driving you to contentment can be a micro level resolution.

Having thought that I had thought enough, I finished the last sip of my (chillded) tea and rose from my seat. I noticed my 1 year something nephew, Aryan playing around in the living room. He was trying to wear my sports shoes, adjust the laces and walk. He was so engrossed in his attempts to walk but failed in the first step. Yet he stood up and tried again with giggles & smiles on his face. I called out his name, He looked back at me as if he was caught and smiled trying to tell me what he had been trying to do in his own baby words.

And I changed my resolution that I will be happy and keep others happy too. Be it getting better at relationships, creating wealth, being fit, getting knowledgeable or anything for that matter, I am going to be happy – today, tomorrow, and every single day.