For many decades, Professor Roth has observed students who talk about their dreams but never realize them and others who have actually made their dreams come true. His belief is that by making a seemingly subtle change in our choice of words, we can get a lot closer to realizing our dreams.

He advises to try it yourself. Changing habits to make time for dreams to come true is hard – but it’s an easy attempt anyone can make: For one week, try replacing three phrases as follows:

1. I MUST // I CAN

Only when we consciously pay attention to it do we notice how often we use the phrase “I have to…” in everyday life and thus program ourselves negatively. He advises replacing the two words “I must” with “I can.” The words “I can” formulate a much greater degree of freedom, but also emphasize the fact that some things that seem like a burden to us can also be considered a privilege.

2. I WOULD LIKE TO, BUT … // I WOULD LIKE AND I WOULD LIKE …

With the limiting word, however, we already give ourselves the best excuse in advance why we could not do something. The phrase “I want to go to the theater tonight, but I have to work…” will almost certainly come to pass. “I want to work today and I want to go to the theater” leads, in Roth’s view, to a far greater likelihood of accomplishing both, and still getting to the theater seat with the last bell.

3. I CANNOT … // I DO NOT WANT TO …

With the formulation “I do not want …” you position yourself clearly. Not always easy for your environment. But realizing your dreams is worth saying goodbye to the rather helpless words “I can’t…”. This requires maximum honesty, which, according to Professor Roth, is the most important prerequisite of all: honesty with oneself.

Professor
Bernard Roth
, one of the founders of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Standford University has taught as a professor of engineering at Standford University since 1962. He has authored hundreds of publications in his field of expertise, engineering. He became widely known, however, with the book: The Achievement Habit. Stop Wishing, Start Doing and Take Command of your Life. The book hit a nerve and not without reason, we also picked up this book at the turn of the year after some time.

THE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS OF THE LAST 10 YEARS

There is a lot of truth in the joking comment: I don’t need new resolutions. The old ones are practically still untouched. If, like GloriousMe, you like to use the electronic calendar for all your business planning, but at the same time enjoy filling a fresh new paper calendar with personal appointments and New Year’s resolutions every year at the turn of the year, it’s easy to revisit your New Year’s resolutions from 2010.

Because regardless of computer changes, software updates or the use of new planning tools, it is there in black and white, in our case of course with midnight blue ink on wonderfully soft white paper, what you planned 10 years ago or 20 years ago.

It’s worth revisiting those old New Year’s resolutions. It can often be seen that many of the professional resolutions and plans change from year to year. Some resolutions and goals have been realized, some have changed, some of the goals and resolutions have completely lost their relevance.

That’s good. Private New Year’s resolutions, however, seem to be more stable, as much of them are reminiscent of a carryover from last year, or, looked at another way, they seem to be much more difficult to realize.

THE RESOLUTIONS FOR THIS YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

To ensure that as many of this year’s resolutions as possible become reality and don’t end up “on re-submission” in another ten years, here are the GloriousMe resolutions for this year’s resolutions:

ANNUAL, MONTHLY, WEEKLY, DAILY

How quickly a year goes by and the New Year’s resolutions of 2021 are soon lying next to the annual resolutions of 2020. It helps to look at New Year’s resolutions once a month to assess whether the ship is staying the course, or drifting further and further away.

WEEKLY

Everyone plans the most important priorities of the week – but hardly anyone takes the time on Friday or Sunday to look back on the week and be happy about all the important things they actually accomplished. A good feeling to see what you could cross off as done, but also a good discipline to analyze how the time share of the urgent topics compared to the important ones.

DAILY

The most important goals must not be missing here. Sure. But usually the most important topics are often also the most difficult topics. Scheduling the hard nuts, the topics we might even prefer to avoid, in the morning or forenoon helps to actually tackle them. Everything else is then reward in the afternoon and evening for having made progress in the most important things.

The very early morning, in particular the relaxation phase after yoga exercises or other sporting activities, can also be ideally used to
Mantras
to repeatedly present yourself with the goals that are particularly close to your personal heart.

Conversely, for some topics it makes sense to deliberately place them in the evening hours. A busy banker learned from her mother that it can be very helpful to set a specific time to start practicing your instrument. So every night she’s home, she picks up the cello at 9 p.m. sharp. Just doing it, starting and doing it right at 9 p.m., is their secret to success.

NOT TO DO

Being honest with yourself and deciding what things you don’t want to do in the new year is the hardest part of planning of all. It requires rethinking why we do some things.

Do we think they are expected of us, but possibly no one else cares? Has something become such a habit for us that changing it simply seems too troublesome? Do we chase a dream when in fact our innermost being tells us that it is unrealizable? And honestly, how long has it been since you allowed yourself to do nothing at all?

THE EASY START

We tried out Professor Bernard Roth’s three recommendations. They are the easiest exercise at the beginning of the new year. We have found them to be very helpful in looking at issues in a new way and actually changing them. What’s stopping you from trying it too?

Fig.: Barbara Kruger, Belief+Doubt | Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 2012