Focusing on 2015 in Ballito

It feels odd to be thinking about how we’ll tackle a new year ahead when we are in the throes of finishing up this one but by the time you read this article you’ll hopefully be deep into your end of year break and building up an appetite for the year ahead. My approach to each New Year hasn’t changed from the article I wrote a year or two back, the essence of which was that we shouldn’t be planning our lives on a year by year basis driven by resolutions we seldom fulfil and which empty out our integrity account. (Reference to article) Planning in essence is strategy and personal of life strategy is about taking a long term view of our intent and purpose and coming up with smaller, achievable goals that can be pursued and adjusted to make that happen.

So if I’m not going to talk about the 10 ways to make your dreams come true in 2015 or how to go from beggar to billionaire in 6 easy steps what exactly am I going to tell you about focusing on for the New Year? Here it is. To use an analogy, if you’ve set a game plan or vision for yourself (read striving to fulfil your purpose) and we equate this to a winding road you follow then you need a set of virtues to be your barriers that help you not drift off purpose or path. There are tons of those but the best ones I’ve come across in my years of reading and learning are covered below.

Wealth without work

The expression time is money is found on sage wisdom. One of the applications of this advice is to understand that without investing time and effort wealth cannot be created. Ideas and get rich quick schemes to generate easy wealth generally result in wasted and lost time which at best will set you back in achieving you long term goals and at worst will see you worse off than when you got distracted. Even if you do happen to stumble across wealth easily it is the hard work that develops the appreciation, and it is the appreciation that drives gratitude which ensures wealth is maintained and not squandered.

Seeking Pleasure without Conscience

This is self-explanatory and has a sting in the tail. Pleasure without conscience has consequence and the impact of this consequence will again result in a detour from your long terms goals and achieving your purpose. Don’t let this distract you from what you want to achieve. Common thinking here is “What’s in it for me?” which seeks short term reward or gain without linking of long term impact. Look out for symbiotic and not parasitic experiences and engagements.

Knowledge without Character

As Martin Luther King, Jr. put it, we live in a world of “guided missiles and misguided men,” where few technical problems are too complex to solve but we find it impossible to cope with the most basic of life’s challenges. In our lucid moments we see that we are doing great harm to ourselves and our planet, but somehow, for all our intellectual understanding, we cannot seem to change the way we think and live. That change is brought about by character and application of knowledge pertinent to the real challenges in our life.

Business without Ethics

Whether you run your own business or are employed you’ll find that some of your goals will involve your career or your business and doing business with integrity and ethics is becoming harder than ever before. We have to question if we can deem a goal reached if we’ve done it at the expense of our personal integrity or morals?

Opinion without Principle

Life in a small town can be fraught with perceived politics and opinion. Since opinion is your belief or judgement rested on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty we have to be sure our opinions are at very least grounded and voiced on strong principles. Principles are foundational and if we pursue purpose and goals on strong foundations as opposed to flimsy opinion alone we are likely to be drawn in debate and even argument which again steals time, energy and focus.

As I said there are many virtues we can address but these for me are good ones to focus on in the year ahead. Remember to set goals that are purpose driven and are time centric but not time focused. Apply these or other solid virtues to keep you on track and ensure you don’t trip yourself up in the year ahead.