The New Year is a new start or how to overcome insanity

"Happy New Year!" - we hear this well-known phrase around each New Year's Day. But what does this „HappyNewYear“ actually mean? Is the "Happy New Year" better than the preceding one? Or is it just like the preceding one? Does "happy" mean good? Or would it be more appropriate to wish a„Better New Year!“?

Albert Einstein has said: „Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." We often tent to forget this very simple and logical rule of thumb. We expect and hope that things would take a turn for the better without actually doing anything to achieve improvement - we simply continue with our traditional routines and keep blaming our parents, the government, the weather, etc. What should we do and how can we do things differently so that the new year would be at least good or even better?

"Every man is the architect of his own fortune" as Appius Claudius Caecus has said. This quote clearly refers to planning and target-setting. But how can it be done?

Goals are dreams with a deadline. Goals make us act and motivate our actions. A good goal is worded positively and the outcome motivates you enough to make efforts towards this goal. Follow the SMART rule for wording your goals. A good goal is:

Specific – target a specific area for improvement
Measurable – quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress
Attainable – assuring that an end can be achieved
Realistic – state what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources
Time-related – specify when the result(s) can be achieved

When advancing towards greater and more distant goals, it is reasonable to dismantle the final objective into small components because the attainment of small goals lets us enjoy success and feel good about ourselves, providing us with motivation to move on towards the next milestone until the ultimate goal is attained.

Example:

To set detailed objectives one should firstly map the current situation. For example, today, 2 January 2016 I will smoke about one pack of regular cigarettes per day, on the average.

Let's set a target based on the SMART rule:

I will quit smoking regular cigarettes completely by 24 June 2016.

As this is a long-term goal we dismantle the objective and set interim goals:

1. By 24 January 2016 I have started using the e-cigarette.

2. By 24 April 2016 I have reduced the smoking of regular cigarettes by 50%, and avoid smoking at home and work.

3. By 24 June 2016 I have completely quit smoking regular cigarettes.

Note that: If you are not happy with something in your life, map the situation that you are dissatisfied with and draw up an action plan. Set specific, time-related, measurable and attainable goals and experience satisfaction each time you achieve a small victory. Do not get entangled by insanity as defined by Albert Einstein and avoid blaming your parents, the government, the weather, etc. for your failures. Take control and do things differently than you did in 2015.