Attention to Details
Resolutions: a popular word we use to incorrectly describe a promise we make to ourselves every New Years Eve. And, as sure as we make them we inevitably break them. It’s so common it’s cliché. What kind of promises have you made to yourselves this year? To get in shape? To get a promotion? To stop watching True Blood once and for all? Then ask yourselves if a promise is enough. Is the promise of getting in shape good enough or do you need something more concrete to keep you on track? How bad do you want it? Well, you will have to be resolute.
Let’s look at the word Resolution. The root word is Resolute. Dictionary.com defines as follows:
adjective
1. firmly resolved or determined; set in purpose or opinion.
2. characterized by firmness and determination, as the temper,spirit, actions, etc.
noun
So.. A promise is something you can declare but cannot be. You can be promising but that is really a matter of opinion from another person’s point of view. But what you can absolutely be is Resolute. So….
Be healthier. Don’t promise to be healthier.
Be wealthier. Don’t promise to be wealthier.
Be wiser. Don’t promise to be wiser.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” -Mahatma Gandhi
Promises are not worth shit. They are words on the wind that are susceptible to outside forces. You are not always in control of them. But, you are in control of your actions. Action is the product of resolve. You decide, you commit, you do. No excuses. No rain checks. The next time you want something, resolve to get it.
Does the idea of being absolutely resolute make you nervous? Are you not ready to part with “flexibility” of promises? Then you already know what is holding you back from your destiny: Fear.
“Man who says it can not be done should not interrupt man doing it.”
-Chinese Proverb
Fear is what separates the obscure from the success stories. People who naysay when you feel something is right tend do so because they are scared. Fear breeds ignorance. If you are too nervous to do something then nothing will happen and you will have learned nothing. The reason nothing is more satisfying than silencing a doubter is because you have conquered their fears and taught them something as well as yourself. That is an incredible feat!
It’s hard to escape fear altogether. Unfortunately, we are hard wired to be wary. However it’s not difficult to recognize when you are not acting or freezing up because of fear. When this kind of situation presents itself be objective enough to question if you’re refusing something because it’s actually not worthwhile or because you are unsure or anxious. If all you are sure of is that you’re unsure, then do it. Take the plunge and see where your action leads instead of over thinking it. Are you a designer? Then you already do this every time you make a prototype or proof of concept. Failure or success occurs at a 50/50 average. You’ve got to try first before you can make a judgement call. The only 100% average occurs when you do nothing. Better to succeed or fail spectacularly than to do nothing at all.
Who are your heroes? Mine are anyone who has transcended fear and in doing so has reached greatness. I’ve met the likes of Karim Rashid, Ross Lovegrove, Alberto Alessi, Bill Moggridge and read about scores of others who have left their mark on humanity and culture. They all have the same thing in common: they understand fear and how to work through it. Who’s to say if Dieter Rams is greater than Steve Jobs or Bucky Fuller or that Mötley Crüe are more or less relevant to rock than David Bowie? Who is to say anybody, great or unknown, is better or worse than me or you? It’s all a matter of who is bold and who is not. Each of the names above mean a lot to people in their fields but they all are equal and even more awesome because they have transcended fear and are the enlightened. So yeah, “here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently”. – Apple
Are you a bad dancer? It’s not because you have no rhythm; it’s because you fear that you have no rhythm. I’ve never taken a dance class in my life (though I should). When I get on the dance floor and feel self conscious, I look it. When I say, “screw it” and just go for it, it’s a whole different night. Suddenly my moves are slicker, my swagger appears and I want to meet everyone on the dance floor as the music pumps. When anxiety is gone all that’s left is confidence. People gravitate toward confident and charismatic individuals. Don’t believe me? Come out with me. Better yet, try it for yourself. Then try it again every day with everything in life. Then I want you to come right back to this page and tell me and all the other readers all about it.
The next time you see an inspirational poster or quote feel free to comment on the bad design but don’t be so quick to scoff at the message. Challenge yourself to make a bold change in the way you live and think and see what happens. If you think it’s preposterous, all the more reason to do it. Dare to dream big and then be it. “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough”. – Various sources
This New Year’s Eve don’t promise, be resolved. First resolve to be resolute. Then resolve to meet each day, each task, each moment, and each other without fear. Don’t try. Do.
This is the last post of the inaugural year of this blog. Thank you for reading and I look forward to seeing you all back here next year. I leave you and 2011 with one more poignant quote, an important link to this site by Alex Bogusky of Crispin Porter + Bogusky fame as well as this blog post from Talenthouse with 5 clear tips on how to conquer fear. Read and follow! You and I are not the only ones who’ve noticed the influence of fear. The culture is shifting and you are now on the forefront. Welcome to the Fearless Revolution.
“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money.
That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is – everything around you that you call life, was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.
The minute that you understand that you can poke life and actually something will, you know if you push in, something will pop out the other side, that you can change it, you can mold it. That’s maybe the most important thing. It’s to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just gonna live in it, versus embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it.
I think that’s very important and however you learn that, once you learn it, you’ll want to change life and make it better, cause it’s kind of messed up, in a lot of ways. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
-Steve Jobs. 1994
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[...] and fellow blogger4 indirectly wrote about my problem really well in his latest blog post titled, Resolve to be Fearless. There are a lot of reasons I’ve been afraid to say what I want to say and I may never finish [...]