Replying to LO27673 --
Greetings At and Fellow Learners,
At, I cannot answer "why I make New Year's resolutions," because I do not
make them. So, I will have to answer why I do not make New Year's
resolutions. Many years back, I did make them, but within weeks I had
forgotten about them, and months later I couldn't remember what they were.
There was not commitment on my part to see them through; they were only
invitations to change. There were no diagnoses of current systemic
behaviors, no plans to act upon, and hence, no evaluations of those
actions. My resolutions were simple statements--more like mission
statements without a vision.
My visions evolve from my imagination and creative thinking. If I cannot
imagine the future state, then I am only "doing," not creating, seldom
"becoming," and never "being."
I have come to make resolutions in my life aperiodically; i.e., when
needed. If a change in my life occurs either voluntarily or involuntarily,
I must first become committed to that change. To do that, I use my
imagination to vision the desired state (dream). Then, I create a path
that takes me from my current state to my desired state. What I have
found most useful in the creation of that path is, like you said, to
examine the past in order to realize a better future.
To me, all systems are 3-dimensional. They all have past, current, and
future states. These states are all interrelated and interconnected and
must be examined collectively. Examining only one or two of them, will
result in incomplete diagnoses. Therefore, when I see the need for making
a resolution, I usually start off asking why I am making one. The answers
could stem from a personal goal or a personal disaster. Whatever the
answer is, it is developed from examining the states of my systems and
becomes my essence for change. From there, I imagine my vision, and then
create through diagnosing, acting, and evaluating. I know I am successful
when my "becoming" becomes "being."
Warmly,
Bill
--Bill Hancy Columbia, MD wthancy@home.com
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