“Resolve to do what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.” – Benjamin Franklin 

With the start of 2018 upon us, many have formed New Years Resolutions, and many have undoubtably failed to uphold them. I find myself included in that number, which is why I haven’t posted in a while. I needed to stop talking and start doing; I needed to strengthen my resolve.

Resolve is necessary for any who wish to accomplish anything worthwhile, as well as for those who wish to develop themselves to their highest potential. The necessity of developing a strong resolve in order to utilize it for accomplishing your goals is why I found the Virtue of Resolution important enough to add to my moral code. Read: FORM YOUR CODE  For if I cannot do that which I resolve to do, then I will not get very far in life, and at the end I will die full of regret rather then with peace of mind.

FAILURE

But what if I fail?!…  Trust me; you will. Having strong resolve doesn’t mean you succeed at your resolutions on your first try. In fact, if you’re resolving to do anything difficult, then succeeding on your first attempt is unrealistic. Strong resolve is built by persisting in your resolutions even when you fail. Use the Virtue of Perseverance to aid the Virtue of Resolution. Read : ON THE VIRTUE OF PERSEVERANCE

The reason why most people live an average, boring, or unaccomplished life is because most people are lacking in resolve or have very weak resolve. When encountered with resistance, many people accept defeat and believe they have broken their resolution. So they do not bother to continue on with their resolution for their resolve is weak and they are short- sighted. Think long- term. The pain of strengthening your resolve and working past failure are far more temporary then the suffering experienced in a long life of regret and mediocrity.

“Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.” – Bruce Lee 

Your resolve is never broken until you have accepted defeat. If you fail; try again, and do not stop until the goal is accomplished. Change your strategy. Stop and take time to make plans. Build resolve slowly.

BUILDING RESOLVE 

First, accept responsibility for yourself, your life, and your choices. Its up to you and you alone to create the life you want. Stop waiting around for someone else to do things for you and get it done.

Second, be accountable for what you say, think, and do. If you fail or make a mistake, own it. Don’t attempt to cast the blame for your shortcomings on anyone else but yourself. If you failed to do what you resolve, its your fault. So be accountable.

Third, start small and rely on the compounding effect. Its important to aspire to do great things, but learn to crawl before you try to run. Resolve to do several small tasks everyday and slowly build up to resolving to do bigger things. For example, if you resolve to quit drinking and get back into the gym, start small. Resolve to go out and drink once a week and to go to the gym three times a week. If you go cold turkey and try going to the gym everyday you will burn yourself out quickly, lose confidence, and eventually give up completely because you took on more then what was realistic. It doesn’t have to be done hard when it can be done smart.

Fourth, increase psychological necessity. Have a stronger motivation then “I want”. “I want” is a weak motivator if you do not already have strong resolve. Find strong reasons for doing what you resolve to do. Do what you need to do because you have family that depends on you, or because you accept nothing but the best for yourself.

Fifth, live in your truth. Be aware of the decisions you make and whether or not they are in line with who you are and where you want to be. If something does not aline with your truth, resolve not to do it. If something does aline with your truth, then resolve to do it no matter the resistance.

BENEFITS OF BUILDING RESOLVE

Discipline. By forcing yourself to do that which you resolve do, you build discipline, the master- key of success. By being disciplined you will learn to delay short- term gratification and work toward long- term happiness and success.

Confidence. When you start consistently following through with your resolutions you will begin to build confidence in yourself because you are constantly proving to yourself that you are capable of doing that which you set out to do.

Decrease stress and anxiety. Whenever I catch myself not doing that which I know I should do, I start feeling anxiety. Likewise, whenever I find myself doing that which I have resolved not to do, I begin to feel stress. As soon as I live true to my resolutions, I instantly feel the relief of stress and anxiety.

ENERGY AND RESOLVE

It is best not to say what you are going to do until you have formed strong resolve. So until you have strong resolve, resolve to do what you ought, and then perform before you talk about it. Imagine an energy bar associated with your goal similar to a health bar in a video game. Sound is energy, so when you speak about your goal you use some of the energy associated with that goal before you even start working toward it. Speak of what you have accomplished and not of what you have yet to accomplish.

ALSO READ:

FORM YOUR CODE, ON THE VIRTUE OF SILENCE, ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY