At the dawn of the New Year, it is tempting to rattle off a few feel-good #NYRs (New Year Resolutions), on a quest to signal to the world the commencement of a new cycle of self-improvement… But let’s face it: most NYRs ultimately, amount to nothing. Sure, they sound grand in theory and look impressive in your mind’s eye and even in a diary post… But more often than not, we overreach, promises are broken, fizzle out and melt into nothing, like a speck of butter on a hot barbecue--poof aaand it's gone! Typically, this happens as soon as wishful thinking makes first contact with practical reality and requisitions iron discipline, in the cold light of day.

Some people prefer to hide behind the veil of ambiguity or plausible deniability being deliberately vague, picking immeasurable goals, such as: “I will move more.”; “I’ll strive to eat healthier stuff...”; or “I will be nicer to others.”
I don't subscribe to these half-measures, I prefer specific, quantifiable goals, for instance: “I will do 50 pull-ups before breakfast, at least 5 days per week.” Or “I will pass [that] exam.” Or “I will quit smoking/drinking/gambling.” You get the picture—if it’s not a clearly defined, concrete goal, I'm not interested, as I simply don’t see the point.
I focus more on the process than on the end goal, as I believe that  #HWPO (Hard Work Pays Off) and if you have the courage to put in the work in preparation, success will, inevitably, follow!


Aside from deliberate vagueness, most resolutions fail due to a lack of discipline and follow-through, as well as taking on far too much. Temet nosce! Know thyself. Appreciate your limitations and know the boundaries of your abilities and willpower. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuL1cU-E8x4

Here’s what I’ve learned, after having failed and procrastinated away last year, without ever getting up to steam. Successful NYRs are rooted in:
RESOLVE: Pick achievable goals and strive to surpass them. Find a Goldilocks level of challenge--not too easy, but not too hard... Don’t burn out—this is a year-long marathon, not a week-long sprint.
NO EXCUSES: Pick goals that depend on your discipline and execution. The 16th-century oracle Nostradamus did predict some torrential FUD on a collision course with the human race in 2023. However, barring any force majeure, work hard to fulfil your self-promise a.k.a., your NYR.
FOCUS: Don’t spread yourself too thin—pick no more than five goals (better tackle 2-3) and adhere to their fulfilment religiously.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Get a calendar and mark the days when your goal was met or surpassed, as well as days you've skipped. Give yourself a day or two off per week—feel free to work through them when you’re able, but let the safety net be there in case you fall ill or are swamped with work. There’s nothing that destroys morale like breaking a winning streak and the daunting idea of starting from square one.

So this year, I will follow my own advice and pick just 3 humble habits I’d like to establish by the end of this year:
1) Go to bed before 2 A.M. At LEAST 5 nights per week.
2) Get in a minimum of 3 hours of Mandarin study per week, snow, rain, or sunshine.
3) Make 5 posts per week on Twitter in addition to my daily posts on TORUM.

Friends, I’d love to know… what are your NYRs? Drop them in the comments and let’s adjourn and reconvene back on this post in a year’s time. I hope to see everyone high-fiving themselves jumping-jack style!
Ps. I will post a quarterly progress report to keep myself honest!


Strive for self-improvement unremittingly!
自强不息!!

You know, my favourite Mandarin saying is 自强不息 (ziqiangbuxi), which means "To strive unremittingly for self-improvement"

There is a second part to this expression: "自强不息, 厚德载物" 
Anyway, the latter part means: "With great virtue, one can take charge of/carry/raise up the world", i.e., become a worthy Legend. We should all strive to master our inner and physical worlds...
In 1914, a prominent scholar and politician named Liang Qichao quoted the Yi Jing (易經) in a speech, given at the Tsinghua University and describing the virtues of a perfect gentleman, :
君子以自强不息!
"A perfect gentleman never stops striving toward self-improvement." The saying has since become the motto of the University.

So no matter the outcome in life, let's just all do our best, every moment, to be better people:
自强不息, 止于至善!
自强不息, 厚德载物!

I learned this saying a couple of years back, from one of my favourite Li Lianjie (Jet Li's) films--FEARLESS:
https://youtu.be/grjNa7O1UIY?t=194