Starting a New Chapter

When a new year arrives, many people would come up with many new resolutions, targets to be achieved during the year. Many want to change for the better and hope for the better. However, most are not clear enough what they mean by change. 

In their book on Blue Ocean Strategy, writers W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne provided some idea on how to change. According to them, change could be defined by identifying:

• Things that you would do more
• Things that you would do less
• Things that you will stop doing; and
• Things that you will start doing.

By detailing out what change means to you, what needs to be achieved would be clearer.

Many would hope that the new year would be a better year in many respects. Good or bad is relative. Some hope that others would change so that their lives would be better. However, if we rely too much on others, we may not achieve what we desire ourselves. This attitude of collective irresponsibility, where change must be driven by others and never ourselves, would certainly lead us to nowhere. we need to do whatever little things that we could in order to progress. Without the first step a journey would never start. 

A society consists of people, groups of people arranged in many complex relationships. There are formal leaders and there are also informal leaders who could influence many others. If we are interested to have a different year this year, we need to decide whether we need to lead ourselves or allow others to lead us. If we choose the latter, make sure the trust is placed with people who are honest, trustworthy and have high level of integrity. A formal leader need not necessary has all these qualities, especially in circumstances where leadership is determined through popularity.

Many of us will start a new chapter in our lives and I pray that we would end 2012 with great success. Happy New Year 2012.