Before you go on to make your New Year resolution as the year draws to an end, think about how many times your resolutions never get beyond the second half of each year and before you know it, the process repeats itself.
Resolutions are centered around changes, for the better. We resolve to get fit, lose weight, clear our debts, pick up a skill, be a nicer person, enrich ourselves and much more. And if the motivations are right, why do we give up half way or even a month into it ?
Several reasons can contribute to this failure. One, the goals are not defined. When you are determined to lose weight, do you know exactly how much weight you wish to shed and if that reduction in weight is humanly possible ? Do we understand what is it that we want out of life when we set out to end a toxic relationship ? Most times, we focus on the how without factoring in the why. For if we can quantify what we want out of what we set out to do, the ends will justify the means. For example, if one wishes to clear a debt without the discipline and consistency of knowing how much exactly to clear, the rolling over effect of debts will never end. If you set yourself an absolute target of wanting to increase your bank account by $20,000 in 2020, you will understand that you need to raise an extra $1,700 every month consistently to achieve that.
As we draw closer to the end of 2019, most will get into the same routine of making a new year resolution that will fail.
2020 is a year that provides the best opportunity for this change. And it is absolutely not simply for the sake of changing.
For one, 2020 marks the start of a new decade which goes into 2021 and ends ten years later at 2029.
Second, 2020 being the Year of the Rat is also the mark of the start of the 12-year cycle in the Chinese zodiac system.
Third, three years into 2023, we will be preparing for the changeover of the twenty-year cycle from Period 8 to Period 9.
This new year therefore presents the greatest opportunity for all to plan, ahead, long term and short, as well as for us to understand, almost predict, the future for the next twenty years.
Change has always be postulated in events, talks and seminars. It is easier said than done because no one out there specifically put it down to the grind what these changes are meant to be and where they will lead you to.
Here are the clues.
2020 being the year of the Rat comes with the element water at its peak. Water clashes Fire which represents economic activities and business sentiments. We can at least have it at the back of our minds that the economy will be under some strains. Look back twelve years ago in the last Rat year. In 2008, the Lehman Brothers collapse on 15 September (mid Autumn when the element Fire is diminishing for the year) caused a worldwide financial breakdown.
As we progress into 2021 (Ox year), 2022 (Tiger year) and 2023 (Rabbit year), the Wood element comes into prominence and in early 2024 (Dragon year), we welcome the Period 9 for the next twenty-year cycle.
With Fire taking dominance, the industries, alignment, preferences, way of life etc will be shaped into such that Fire activities gain favor and translate into direct benefits.
Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Coding, Facial Recognition, Data Sciences, Cyber Security, User Experiences, Drones, Virtual Reality and things to do with real-time connectivity will be the call of the day.
So will Medicine, Alternative Energy, Aesthetic Science, Yoga, Religion, Gig Economy, Charity and things to do with Sharing Economy will progress.
I am not suggesting that we all go and take up classes in computer sciences and coding. However, if change is the thing we are looking at for better life, success and results, then the thing to do is to Embrace Technology.
In anything we do, daily life, businesses, communities and careers, the wise thing to do today is to leverage on technology to do less for more.
So, before you make a list of New Year Resolutions, think ahead, far and near, identify and quantify your goals, define the benefits and you can be sure 2020 will be a start of your journey in creating your digital footprint.
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