14 things to make 2014 20 times better

You've moved past your resolutions. ( I definitely have!)

Let's accept it, they don't last beyond January. Okay February for you, because you are so very good.

You've moved past the must-haves and the must-dos for the New Year.

In any case it's just another year, another month, another week and another day.

So here are some things that you could strive to do instead. The best part is that they are not time bound. Just do them to make 2014 better than 2013. Maybe two times better. And just maybe 20 times better. Here are 14 ways.

1. If you do make a resolution, make just one! (For greater tips on that click here: Resolve this...)

2. Find one friend to connect with once a month. Devote all the time to that friend.

3. Find one cause. Just one cause to devote some spare time to next year. The key word here is not cause or devote but time. Money is not a substitute.

4. Start a new hobby. Anything. Something. One thing that you learn from scratch. From zero. From ABC.

5. Live more outdoors. Live less in your screens. (My close friends will ask me to follow this advice myself but... never mind)

6.Take time off from work every two months at least. One day. Or two days. But real time off - rest, recharge and come back whole.

7. Read one book a fortnight. Read anything. But make this a pact you sign with yourself. And stay with it. (and once you read, do share with the rest of the world. It's so easy now!)

8. Watch one movie a month. Make it a comedy. Time off should be spent in laughter - no compromises there.

9. Take time to meditate. Just 15 minutes a day is a good start. More than that is better. Start today. And make it a habit. It's almost like having a shower for your mind every day. And the results will definitely be there to see.

10. Replace one bad habit with a good one. They say habits cannot be changed. They need to be replaced. So maybe.. coke with water? Cigarettes with gum? Coffee with green tea? (Don't give me that advice. I am not taking it! And anyway who says I have to practise what I preach!)

11. For just one minute a day, count your blessings. Just one minute. Just one blessing. No matter how difficult your day is, just one minute a day, this one minute, can make you feel better.

12. Say three nice things about yourself out loud every day! (I can think of 6 but hey! I am modest.)

13. Meet one new person a month - a colleague you don't know outside office, a pal on the net, a twitter follower? (Note not stalker, follower please!)
And finally...

14. Call Mom. Ideally now. Call her cos she is waiting and you'll make her day!

So there you go. Pick anything that suits your fancy. Do it and make 2014 much much, read that as, 20 times, better! Happy New Year again.

Resolve that...

 It's that burdensome time of the year when all people do is wait for the current year to end and the new year to begin. You count the months. Then count the days. Then count the hours and then painfully come to the final countdown which is seconds. And then the New Year begins with the hope that because one of the four digits has changed in the year everything, but everything, will change. All looks good. All izz well. 

And then the New Year dawns and in the harsh light of the morning all the good looks disappear and you're left with the stark reality of all your follies and your failings, your oversights and your overconfidence, your ignominy and your ignorance.

And shocked and ashamed you draw yourself to your full height (even though you're probably still in bed) and you decide this will all end. It has to end. It's a new day after all. And a new year to top it. 

And you resolve that...

Your world will change. 

You'll deal with your demons head on. 

All vices destroyed with one fell swoop of determination. 

Those niggling little quirks all vanquished with big doses of persistence. 

And with one large elaborate plan that will put large governments to shame you decide all the other failings will be taken care of. 

So out comes the paper and pen. Or probably the iPad. Or very likely just the Notes app on your phone. (Resolutions are so easy these days with tech!)

And with guns blazing, (alright, with the tip-tip of the key pad) you're off building a very impressive list. (The kind of list you make when you go to the supermarket - you dont want to miss a thing!)

And you get started. Wo! You're on a roll.

10 is better than 5. And 15 better than 10.

Quantity is better than quality.

And you're sure, of those 10 (or is it 12?) you ll definitely manage to succeed with 8, ok realistically 5, ok... At least all of January! 

But no, you're not set up for failure. This is it. This is the year. This is the watershed year. 2014! 

But hang on... What if... What if you just looked at one thing? One big thing? Or one small thing? Just one important thing that you want to change in the new year?

What if everything you did right through the year was devoted to it? Everything for one thing. 

Research says that the most popular resolution worldwide is to lose weight. I could take that example. What if I took that as my one and only resolution and did everything within my means to succeed in that? 

It means waking up early to work out (Resolution 7) eating healthy (Resolution 5)  managing work-life balance (Resolution 2) and finally getting some semblance of order and discipline in my life! (This being a bonus!) 

But of course this is not your resolution. You? You are the picture of fitness. 

So then, what's yours? 

Read more? 

Write more? (Mine.) 

Make more money? 

Spend more time with the kids? 

Devote more time to yourself? 

Win the Nobel Prize? 

Or the Pulitzer for God's sake!

Pick one. Just one. Take it and run. It's just that one thing you have to set your sights on! One single-minded focus. One steely resolve. A one track mind.

Chances are you'll fail. So what? Pick yourself up, brush off the dirt and get back on the wagon. it's just one thing to think about. 

And chances are you'll succeed. Whoa! Fabulous, you've got your ducks in a row. Now move on to another one. Pick another one. But yet, just one!  And if that goes well, another one again. Get it?

So for 2014 here's what you do...

Find one. And run. 

Simply resolve that... you'll succeed.