Author Reference
Benard, L. (2015): How to pen New Year
Resolution Projects. Intel Fire Group of Companies Blog. Nairobi, Kenya.
The year has finally come to an end and
it is that time of the month that people, you included, attempt to write their
resolutions for the year. Most authors of the topic on new year resolutions tend to generalize the concept to mean
implementing programmes within the year where the time limits is dictated by 1st
January and 31st December. This is a fallacy that must be unmasked in
order for an individual to make a solid resolution for the year. New
Year Resolution in this context therefore can be defined as the strategic
projects that an individual intends to accomplish within a given period of time
of a year in order to realize his/her dream of self-worth. So how do you write New Year
resolutions considering that you need to achieve more than you did in the just
concluded year? As indicated in the
definition New Year resolutions are strategic projects and in order to
implement them, there must be a strategic plan. Therefore, one should consider
writing a strategic plan based on an individual and not a company as is the
norm. Let this be therefore your guide to writing an individual strategic plan
as you consider undertaking strategic projects in the year
starting this January.
1. Consider your strategic pillars of the year: Economic, Social and
Political
Just like a business strategic plan the
projects you intend to undertake must be based on certain prospects that they
are geared towards achieving. In our case these prospects of achievement are
economic, social and political. It should not be forgotten that every
individual seek to achieve success in life and that success is defined
differently by different people in different environments. In the Kenyan
context, though, it is easy to define success as various communities have
their own way of describing success. An example in the central Kenya would be “success
being achieved when you own a plot, drives a car and own a house somewhere” while
the lakeside city this is very different as success if defined as “owning a big
car and having money to entertain your peers”. Despite your definition of
success in life, as the year starts outline the pillars that are going to direct
your achievements for the year that must be in turn directed towards your
greater vision. Remember, whatever it is you would like to achieve in three or five
year period starts now and this is what is referred to as a vision.
2. Projects geared towards achieving your economic stability
Most people view success in terms of
economic endowment and the more economic stability you have, the more
successful you are perceived to be. Therefore in drawing your resolutions for
the year the economic aspects of your life is a priority and how you are going
to ensure you maintain this stability is key. It is important therefore to
identify projects that you will undertake within a year that are solely geared
towards achieving this stability. Examples of New Year Resolutions geared
towards economic stability would include the following:
a.
Buy
3 residential plots in Kitengela for re-sale.
b.
Start
a rabbit rearing business to subsidize current income.
c.
Increase
sales index by 10% at current home deco business.
From the list above, it is eminent that
the resolutions are geared towards economic achievement of the individual. Consider listing all the economic projects that you intend to undertake during
the year with a view that your start and end time are January and December
respectively. Over-listing the projects becomes ambitious and may not be
implemented as you will be overwhelmed and the other projects not related to
your economic stability also need to be undertaken.
3. Projects geared towards achieving your social stability
As an individual, your prosperity also
involves having a just and cohesive family that enjoys equitable social
development in a clean and secure environment at your expense. This means that
every individual is born in a society that expects a lot from them in terms of
their education, health, sanitation, culture, equity, and poverty eradication. Therefore
there are those projects that are specifically designed to achieve social
satisfaction within an individual or family setting. The example of these kind
of projects will include:
d. Erect
a 5000 litre tank at rural home
e. Register
for masters at a local university
f.
Organize an all-white birthday for your
lovely son/daughter.
All the above listed projects are
geared towards achieving social stability and every individual has one or two
major projects of this nature. List all of them down separately, then again as
indicated in step 1 select the most immediate and those that can be
accomplished within the year.
4. Projects geared
towards achieving your political stability
Stemming from the Greek word politikos, politics is the practice and theory of
influencing people.
This can either be local politics at your local village
or church level; national politics which is usually common with the politicians
commonly referred to as members of parliament; and international politics which
usually involves the superpowers commonly referring themselves as the G8 or
something of the sort. For purposes of this script we concern ourselves with local
politics that emanates from the family level to the locality of your settings. Every
individual, psychosocially, to some extent has a political ambition which might
include influencing their church members through holding positions, or
influence community through village elder position, or influence students
through congressman position, or…the list is endless. Therefore, as an
individual, your political ambitions are also projects which must be part of
your resolutions for the year and not just empty words of wisdom coming from
what most political practitioners refer to as “a higher call by their constituents”. Example of these individual political ambitions
would be:
g.
Join
the estate security committee within the year.
h.
Start
a foundation to support disadvantaged young bright children in my local
community.
i.
Join
my church committee on projects management.
These projects are politically geared
towards you influencing people in the various cadre of life. Politically
speaking, you become a politician when these sorts of project take too much of
your time. You can therefore contribute to sound political attribution in your
society by planning for political projects that are achievable and well
resonate with your resolves for success in the year.
5. Compiling final list
of strategic projects
From the three categories of your
strategic projects select the ones that will make it to the final list of
resolutions for the year. Remember in mind that a good year resolution should
have not more than three mega projects, not more than five middle-range finance
intensive and not more than 6 non-finance intensive projects. Therefore, your
projects list should not be more than 15 but should cover all the above three
pillars (again if those are your major pillars). Our final strategic projects
list will be outlined as follows:
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ SAMPLE NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS ]]]]]]]]]]
1. Buy
3 residential plots in Kitengela for re-sale.
2. Start
a rabbit rearing business to subsidize current income.
3.
Increase
sales index at current home deco business by 10%
4. Erect
a 5000 litre tank at rural home
5. Register
for masters at a local university
6. Organize
an all-white birthday for your lovely son/daughter.
7.
Join
the estate security committee within the year.
8.
Start
a foundation to support disadvantaged young bright children in my local
community.
9.
Join
my church committee on projects management.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Now you are well enlightened and ending
the year on a high note and probably thinking of how you are going to revise your
New Year resolutions. Please take note that most people have high hopes for the
New Year and completely forget the year that was. It is prudent to take into
account the happenings of the just concluded year on your life and the previous
resolutions. Always focus on your pillars which in many instances are viewed
from the aspects of economic, social and political scenarios.
YOUR
SUCCESS IS THE HAPPINESS & SANITY TO YOUR LIFE, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The writer is a
PhD Generalist in Public Safety Service Delivery
