Random Ramblings of a Reluctant Blogger

It isn’t the best of times, it isn’t the worst of times. It is that time of the year. That time of New year resolutions. As we look back at the highs, the lows, the hits, the misses, the disappointments and the achievements, we lull ourselves into the oh-so-cute-sounding tricky ‘resolutions.’

Before I let you in on a secret on how to trump, I confess I have on numerous occasions, like a whole lot of us, stumbled to see the resolutions past a week.

And it is not that I didn’t try hard enough. One of my friends, who marvels at his zero-budget ability, suggested I write down every expense, even if it be a pasie or four, if I have to curb my spending. I diligently followed it. A week later, when I looked at the list I realised that I had spent far more than a good deal on ‘chai.’ That was it and I put a stop to the bookkeeping.

Talking about the benefits of goal-setting, which a friend of mine believed in, he said “break it into little goals.” The trouble with that was I kept breaking it little by little till I ended up seeing none of it.”

While I do give credit to many a life-coach, mental-conditioners et all, I see nothing more in their re-packaged homily than what commonsense our parents and grandparents used to pass on. Little surprise then that their comforting and well-intentioned efforts hardly bear fruit. Commonsense, as they say, is not so common, afterall.

A friend once pontificating on the fail-proof efficacy of visualisation said. “Visualise the benefits, play it out in the mind, dream about it” he said. I did and it didn’t go beyond the mind and the dream!

“Do it for 21 days and it will become a habit,” said one. I do not know what numerical theory is it based on, or what differential calculus was used to come out with the exact number. I nevertheless tried it out, in an effort to reduce my tummy, with yoga and for 21 days without playing truant. Well that’s the most it lasted. Guess breaking resolutions were becoming more of a habit.

The fault I believe; and I am still researching it; lies with the sun. We all make the resolution on January 1st and by the 14th the sun changes track and moves into uttarayan. That does, after all, alter all the dynamics. No doubt then that most of the well-intentioned resolutions do not go beyond the second week.

“The problem,”  a miss-solve-all-problems analysing my inability to stick to the resolutions said, “you are trying to make an effort.” She said emphasising the word effort with those swooshing air-in-quotes gesture. “But, ” I replied with the same gesture, “if it isn’t effort why then would one make a resolution.” That was the last time she offered me any advice.

Mental calisthenics, 21-day challenge, meditation, visualisation and the works, I have experimented and battled it all. But to no avail.

A friend, whose tryst with spirituality has made him a sort of guru, especially to the ladies, because of the gems he spews forth time and again, once said, “ the moment you start battling an idea, you start a losing battle.” I was yet to get to the bottom of the deep philosophy when the solution struck me. And it has been a decade since then that I haven’t broken a resolution.

It was simple. I had resolved never to make any resolutions!