Now therefore, be it resolved.
Often those are the final words that appear before the actual contents of a resolution. The words and text that proceed the therefore clause are the building blocks, the foundation, the reasoning behind that which is resolved. The absence of those words will make the resolution meaningless or at least less powerful. The insignificance of the words that precede the clause will make the resolution equally insignificant. Although your personal resolution will not be read on the floor of a legislative body, it does not mean that your resolution should be approached lightly.
So, what was the driving force behind your resolution this year? Twenty-four days into the new month and new year, how’s it going with fulfilling your resolution? Or does the resolution remain unresolved? More important, how does your resolution further your mission, your vision , your purpose (MVP) for this season of your life?
Personally, I’m not an adherent to the concept of New Year’s resolutions. Granted January 1st is a great demarcation point for another collective trip around the sun, yet most resolutions will fall by the wayside very quickly into the new year. If it’s not working for you be brave enough to let it go. If it needs refinement refine it. So, whether you set a resolution and it remains unresolved, or if you didn’t set one at all, here are a few “UNs” that can be daily, weekly, and monthly practices that will fuel your personal mission, vision, and purpose (MVP).
Unfriend/Unfollow/Un-connect
Shocking? Not really. Whatever the social media platforms you are on, you have some pruning you can do. Let’s face it, your Facebook friends are not your friends they are Facebook’s users. Facebook just designates them as friends and allows you to connect with them. Of your thousands or tens or hundreds of thousands of Facebook friends, how many of them will be at your bedside in the hospital? How many of them will take time off work and care for you when you are released from the hospital? And more important how many of them will fight for time off from their job to attend your funeral service when you transition from this world? Probably not the thousands that the platform has allowed you to befriend.
Since I’m not part of the “good morning, Facebook family” tribe, I would need to audit my LinkedIn activity. The connections I have on LinkedIn are not “my” connections but those of LinkedIn that I am allowed to claim as mine. But auditing requires me to ask: of the many LinkedIn connections and followers I have, how many do I truly have true meaningful mutual relationships with? How many of “my” connections are warm “leads” where either I or the connection can serve as a solid door opener for one other another for a career or business opportunity. Certainly, it is far less than the actual number of “my” followers or connections.
There is something about the human need to belong to something bigger than us, that drives us to want to grow, and grow, and grow our social networks; even though we know or should know that our core personal network is much smaller. It might take some courage – not the real cancer fighting type, just the social media keyboard type –to invite followers to un-connect from us if we are not providing value; and likewise, to do some of our own un-connecting if we are not providing value.
Unsubscribe
Content, content, content. Chatter, chatter, chatter. Noise, noise, noise. There’s so much of it all. More is not necessarily better. This is another area where you likely can do some pruning. It doesn’t have to be a massive effort. You can start with the “sketchy, cringy” content. The type you get that just doesn’t sit well with your spirit, your gut, your intuition, your values. Or the email list that you subscribed to sometime ago that no longer provides value. Try it just once. As your cursor hovers over the huge blinking unsubscribe button chills, fever, and sweat break out. Your hand trembles as you hit the button. The clouds part, the sun emerges, tulips open, and all in the world is right again. Well maybe that won’t be your experience, but your inbox will appreciate you.
If we are giving up these things, what should we lean into? Well, I’m glad you asked. Here are three short ideas.
Become Unleashed
In this context, once gain think MVP. Whatever resolution you had should have pointed in some way to your MVP. Like the unfollows, un-connects, and unsubscribes should serve to filter out all of that which either distracts you from or does not support the pursuit of your MVP, becoming unleashed must be in pursuit of your MVP. Come on this 2023! Isn’t it beyond time for you to put forth your best in pursuit of the career and life that you can have. Isn’t it time for you to spend the hours, days, weeks, months, and years to come being laser focused on something that is meaningful and intentional?
Think Unlimited
Discover, sit with, acknowledge, and then let go of those limiting beliefs that have held you back. Those “I can’t do _____” because of my race, gender, education, family background, personality, and any other “my.” Ask yourself is this belief true? Is this merely a story that I am telling myself? If you must tell yourself a story, tell yourself a liberating and empowering one. One that says the universe will conspire with you, because the universe knows you are the only one to uniquely live out your MVP for the benefit of both you and society. However, the universe can only conspire with you if you first if you step up to be the leader in this conspiracy of good.
Remain Undeterred
Anything worth pursuing will be daunting, elusive, and will likely challenge you. If this is appearing anywhere in your journey that’s a good thing. You will need to remain undeterred because a core element of some resilience models is having meaning and purpose to one’s life. When you are facing adversity in life it is your MVP that will serve to anchor you; in rough seas when you are challenged, your MVP will serve as a lighthouse beaming from distant shores. Meaning and purpose are also central to a self-actualized life, an element central to some models of emotional intelligence.
Now, therefore be it resolved, that henceforth from today you shall purse the mission, vision, and purpose for your life that is uniquely set forth for you.