As
we enter another new year, it is traditional for many to make long
check lists of what they want to achieve in the year, take a picture of
where they want to be by the end of the year and dream happy dreams of
the new life, or new body, or new acquisition that is going to make
life that much more purposeful and meaningful. Yet within a matter of
days, a vast proportion of people who make such New Year's resolutions
have either watered down the promise to points of meaninglessness, or
totally abandoned the entire project, to be laughingly dismissed as
'one of those things'. Beyond the surface though, there is nothing
particularly funny about this at all, as it is indicative of a
troubling deeper malaise that impacts our lives in ways that we do not
seem to readily understand.
A survey published last
year found that only 9% of us are really serious about achieving our
goals. 51% don't have New Year's Resolutions and of those that do, 79%
don't have a plan to achieve them. The old axiom of 'failing to plan
equating planning to fail' has never rung more true. It is more
worrying that in the same survey, 99% of respondents felt they were
capable of accomplishing more in their lives. Time and time again
in the mentoring sessions that the 100 Black Men of London facilitate,
we hear tales that have become depressingly familiar; of how our
brilliant young people are being failed by otherwise loving parents who
fail to set a tight, right example of tenacity, focus, discipline and
willingness to delay gratification.
There is nothing wrong with having a New Year's resolution. What there
is plenty wrong with is assuming that then is the work done. A dream
remains a dream until it is set in motion - first dream big dreams for
yourselves, then make those dreams happen. There is no one
surefire way of doing this, although motivational coaches have
suggested various techniques, such as having a strong support system;
asking ourselves what our medium/long-term goals are; having daily
planning sessions; designing personal value systems; and celebrating
our accomplishments. What really matters though is taking that first
step of looking in the mirror, liking and valuing the person that we
see there and resolving to make that person's life the best that it can
possibly be. When this is done, our dreams become tangible plans and
actions, our resolutions become a living lifestyle choice and we are
not afraid of New Year's eve when we clamber back on the scales and
realize we are exactly the same weight as we were the same time last
year!
We enter the New Year in
the 100 Black Men of London with a sense of palpable excitement about
the many wonderful things we are going to accomplish, not just this
year, but for the foreseeable future as well. To facilitate this, we
will be developing and publishing our 5 year Strategic Development plan
soon, and through it, establishing our immediate and medium-term goals.
Our aspirations are lofty, our goals are ambitious, and our resolve is
complete. We hope that all in the Black community who share our passion
for development of especially our Youth will join us in the coming
months to be the difference that we need to see around us. The
road to success may be a rollercoaster, but we intend to enjoy every
second of that ride!
Have a happy,
successful, prosperous and healthy New Year.
