On 30 December 2021, the government confirmed that the curfew would be lifted, ‘there will therefore be no restrictions on the hours of movement of people’. It was certainly a treat to hear the countdown, clinking of champagne glasses and usher in the new year with family and friends. I must admit being out after 12 pm felt a bit strange. Let me use this opportunity to wish you a prosperous year ahead on behalf of the Chartered team.
Humans are intricate; the inherent ability to adapt and readapt is truly remarkable. Granted, we vary in how easily we navigate change, but if the last two years is anything go by, it stands as a testament to our resilience.
New Year’s Resolutions
On the topic of adapting, as is customary of a new year, most of us would have some resolutions put in place, both personally and professionally.
Resolution: /ˌrezəˈluːʃn/ [countable] a definite decision to do or not to do something.
I was at dinner with a dear friend, naturally, the topic came up, and she said to me, ‘how about setting aspirations instead of resolutions?’ What a mind shift, to aspire to something as opposed to setting hard and fast change that is meant to kick in as of 1 January. Let’s not go down the rabbit hole here, and start discussing our past ditched resolutions, which I am sure we will all have a story to share.
Aspiration: /aspəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ a hope or ambition of achieving something.
In the spirit of being kinder to yourself, which is a well-deserved gift to yourself, given the mental impact of the pandemic, we did some research on how one could better achieve the intentions set out in the practice of resolution-making.
Suppose resolution making is the disciplinarian and aspirations is the more lenient counterpart, both seeking to achieve the same outcome, an improvement in your life, personal or professional. What would be the ‘glue’ that makes this outcome stick?
New Year, New Habits
Your life today is essentially the sum of your habits. How in shape or out of shape you are? A result of your habits. How happy or unhappy you are? A result of your habits. How successful or unsuccessful you are? A result of your habits.
What you repeatedly do (i.e. what you spend time thinking about and doing each day) ultimately forms the person you are, the things you believe, and the personality that you portray.
Habit: /ˈhabɪt/ a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up
But what if you want to improve? What if you want to form new habits? How would you go about it?
It turns out there’s a helpful framework that can make it easier to stick to new habits so that you can improve your health, your work, and your life in general.
Click here to read Atomic Habits author James Clear’s article about how to form new habits that actually stick.
Looking ahead
Whichever route you choose, resolutions, aspirations, habits; keep an optimistic outlook. We are excited for prospects that the year ahead holds and look forward to engaging with our stakeholders.