We live in an age where conventional wisdom stands divided, on whether to, or not to, set new resolutions at the beginning of every year.
We also live in a complex world of information-overload, where new information is being served to us in a twenty-four-by-seven environment, thus affecting our traditional belief systems.
Yes – relentless information-supply is the single biggest source of demolishing age-old conventionalities.
Our collective belief systems are facing one of the most sustained interrogation and often deconstruction, ever in the history of mankind, and long-held beliefs and value systems are giving way to the new value system backed by new age philosophy.
The value of goal setting at the beginning of every year is one such virtue that is under transformation, and here we stand at crossroads of whether to set up new goals or just to chill and take the life as it is.
This week the Indian Weekender editorial team has taken this collective responsibility upon itself to comment upon the merit of goal-setting, or not, at the beginning of every new year.
Like everywhere else in the life we all have differing opinions and take on everything related to the importance of goal setting and resolutions.
In fact, one of the most interesting differing points was on the antiquity of this entire New Year resolution setting business.
However, regardless of our editorial differences we all agreed and almost reflected the reality of the outside world where the world stands divided in creating goals.
Recently, according to a survey in America by Marist College, New York, only 44 per cent of Americans were planning on creating goals for 2018 – an estimate that can be safely juxtaposed for the rest of the world.
For every calibrated advice of critical importance of goal-setting and New Year resolutions in our lives, there is an equally persuasive suggestion for being liberated from the catch of goal-setting and encouragement for living a guilt-free and resolution-free 2018.
However, one another and almost very critical convergence, in our editorial team's collective thoughts about this goal-setting business is probably best summarised in a quote of Anthony Tony Robbins.
Undoubtedly, it does not matter on which side of the divide you stand – to set resolution or live a resolution-free 2018 – what matters is what you eventually do and do it consistently.
Yes – we all are a culprit of knowing a lot and doing nothing about it.
We "know" that things, like hitting gym regularly, eating healthy food on a regular basis, will result in a healthy body.
Or we "know" that we have to take the risk and work a hard-yard out to create your elusive first-business that you have always wanted to own.
Nevertheless, most of us only "know" and not do much about it.
Likewise, if you are one of those new age philosophy adherent liberals, "knowing" that setting goals is an outdated business, you still not do much about it.
Either way there are huge numbers of people amongst us, who are the culprit of "knowing" a lot, and "doing" nothing of any significance, to make a difference in our lives.
In fact, one has not to do something of significance to bring a change in one's situation, it is a small thing done consistently that will make the difference.
Knowing that going to the gym will help your health, or knowing that you want to own a business someday, alone, will not make the difference.
It is the consistent-doing, even if small baby steps that will make the difference in your lives.
Even if you are a new age liberal and would like to live a resolution-free and guilt-free 2018, then only knowing won't help.
Just do it. (It's another matter that you may realise and come to "know" at some stage that even living goal-free and guilt-free is not that easy as it often appears to you at the beginning of the new year).
So at this point of the time of the new year when we all have anyhow managed to carry ourselves back to our work, with, without any resolutions for 2018, let's un-cutter our mind and stop "knowing" and start "doing" things.
It's likely that you will hit the jackpot of satisfaction.
Let's make 2018 a "doing" year and not just "knowing" year.