By Robert Clements
Father’s Wise Words on New Year..!
T’was the night before the New Year!
The old man sighed as he watched his family sit together that night. He knew they would be leaving soon for the New Year dance, and he had also got his best suit pressed by the maid, so he would look good as the New Year came in. His wife sat by his side and smiled at him, she gave him a piece of paper and a pen. He watched as the others wrote on their own pieces of paper.
“Dad!” said his elder son, “you aren’t writing anything?”
“Yes grandpa,” said his eldest grandson, “you’re supposed to write New Year resolutions on your paper. See what I wrote grandpa..”
“Sssshhh son,” said his mother, “you’ve got to read it tomorrow after the New Year has come in.”
The old man sighed as he looked at his family.
“Remember dad, you were the one who taught us this habit?”
“Yes,” sighed the old man.
“I remember one night I wrote so many resolutions I never slept that night,” said his younger son, “and then next morning I couldn’t find the paper..”
“That’s because I took the paper out of your hand and hid it,” said his mother.
“Otherwise you would never have gone to sleep with so many resolutions to write!” smiled the old man, his father as he remembered that night.
“And what were those resolutions?” asked a curious granddaughter, “and grandpa did he keep those resolutions?”
“Yes,” said her grandfather, “he did, for exactly one day, and by the end of the day, he had already broken two!”
They all laughed and continued with their writing. The old man held his blank paper in his hand and looked at them. He cleared his throat once, but did not say anything.
“Dad!” said his elder son, “is there anything bothering you? You aren’t writing?”
“Are you feeling unwell?” his wife of many years asked, looking with concern at his blank sheet.
“I’m okay,” he smiled at her, but she was a little unsure, as she looked at his paper. Then suddenly he wrote something, folded it in two and put it in his pocket.
“I’m going to change,” said the grandfather as he walked out of the room. He watched as they all looked at the pocket where he had kept his little piece of paper. He smiled as his wife followed him into the bedroom after some time. He left his shirt on a chair and walked into the bathroom to have a bath. There was a smile on his face as he heard his wife tiptoe to the chair, he listened as she took the paper from his shirt pocket and rushed back to where the others were waiting:
“What did dad write?” asked the elder son, with mounting curiosity. They all watched as their mother opened the paper:
“My new year resolution,” she read, “is to allow God to reign in my life through the whole year. I resolve to do what He wills me to do, everyday!”
There was a smile on the old man’s face as his family opened their New Year resolutions the next day. “Isn’t it strange,” he said with a smile, “that we’ve all written the same thing!” He smiled and continued, “And now that I know you all copied my paper, let me tell you why I wrote what I wrote!”
“Nothing like the New Year to make resolutions, right? But most of them hardly last a week, and here’s why. Most of us make resolutions that have to do only with ourselves, but if we look around, we will notice that we are all part of a bigger social network, be it a family, nation or world. And so, one way to make a successful resolution is to see whether it will benefit those outside ourselves.
Yes, I’d like to lose weight, but would losing those extra kilos give me more energy and better health in aiding people around me? If yes, then your resolution has suddenly got a bigger purpose. With more energy I will be able to put more time into work which will benefit society at large. My family will benefit, my company will too, and finally I will!
The bigger purpose propels the resolution and makes it happen.
So, even as you make resolutions today, find a huge purpose.
For instance, my new year’s resolution is to complete a novel. A novel I started sixteen years ago but have never completed. Why? Because I love writing short stories, they seem easier, have a smaller time frame for completion, and more or less get me instant feedback. But a novel? And then comes the thought, what could my purpose be in writing this novel? Would it benefit society? Would it help bring about a change in thinking? And suddenly the novel’s taken a new turn in my head, and yes, I’ve already started.
What’s your resolution?
It’s so interesting to realise that we live collectively for each other, and many successful businesses understand that if a product is manufactured just to make them rich, that brand often fails, whereas when something is produced that fills a collective need, it becomes an instant success. I believe the same strategy works for our resolutions. So today let’s rewrap them in our mind while seeking the good they will give others.
Maybe, my exercising will help me become less of an unhealthy burden on my family-that’s purpose, right?
Maybe, learning a new language will help me communicate my ideas to more people, and make me acceptable to the audience.
Can you see the perspective changing? You can even make it more specific, depending on who you are and what you do.
But all this won’t matter unless we bring in another huge purpose into our resolutions: Does it fit into what your purpose is in this world? Does it help you realise what part of God’s divine plan you are part of? Finally, that’s the only purpose that matters. But here’s the thing, as soon as you fit into God’s purpose for you, your resolutions happen.
Happy New Year dear family, just align yourself with His Divine purpose this year, and watch resolutions become reality!”
The family smiled and nodded. Father’s wise words made sense to them..!
The Author writes a daily column. If you’d like to receive it by WhatsApp every morning, send a ‘YES’ to him on his WhatsApp no 9892572883