Consistency in 2005 — and some focus

My friends are probably quite sick of the way I tout principles like others cherish their kids or travels…but this entry is about a principle–and how it applies to my so-called New Year’s resolutions. It’s been a busy year, yet by most scales I’m in a similar position. Hey, that’s cool: this year I want to bask into some consistent sameness.Consistency is order and regularity through a thing or its parts. It is the result of habits and begins to depict the core of one’s persona. Consistency cannot be described by who we want to be or how we describe our self, it is the product of who we are and how we act.

My goal for this year is to be utterly consistent between positing my persona and being that way. For those psychologists out there, I hope to rid myself of too much cognitive dissonance (the inconsistency between one’s beliefs and one’s actions, especially as new circumstances arise that don’t fit neatly within our belief paradigms).

Perhaps this sounds like a highbrow way of saying I don’t want to make resolutions, but I want to actually execute them. It’s different though: in the last year I’ve laid the groundwork for many personal and business plans and begun to carry them out. My goal for this year is to follow through.

I don’t want to seek ambitions that I can’t attain, such as exercising every day or keeping in touch with everyone with whom I’ve ever come into contact. In cases where a personal ideal is unreachable then beliefs need to come closer to actions (perhaps you can call this rationalization–I say its just living reasonably and realistically). You see, at the end of the day you need to accept yourself for who you are and try to understand it…creating concordance (rather than dissonance) between beliefs and actions. For instance, for me that means that I can’t be proactive in keeping in touch with everyone but I will make efforts to hold onto those that either reciprocate or with whom I deeply connect.

So for this year I have some specific goals…but overall I want to create a modus operandi that’s wholly consistent with all that I believe in. I need to incorporate these goals as high priorities and make them work. There won’t be any big shifts (I’m still going to be in the same business, I’m not moving anywhere far, I don’t plan on going back to school full time), but I need to focus on the things that I really do need.

• With business: developing new clients, grossing more money, making it easier for more people to sell SET.
• With my personal life: reading literature and current events, maintaining a community of friends, and finding ways to reflect.
• In both spheres: staying focused.

Sorry for the intellectualism…but everyone seems to ask about my resolutions : ). Now it’s time to go dance another night away–that’s one habit that ain’t going away in 2005. Cheers, and happy new year!