Subject: New Years resolution

The clinic has now reopened for the new year 2014. Some of you may have a list of New Years resolutions. Others may make a rule not to have any as they will be broken by the 21 of February!

I used to make one every year and often repeated the same wish for the following year - yes a wish! The one in particular I used to repeat was : This year I would like to read more....

The problem with most resolutions is that they are wishes, hopes and direction not really a resolution. If the road to hell is paved with good intention then there might have been one saying: I wish to read more this year for me. When was the last time you stopped and took to time to think about it but all the way! Many of my patients come to me half expecting me to give them shed loads of exercises and recommendations.... and usually like a "fairy god mother" i give them what they need and what I know they can fit in their busy lives for the few first weeks of rehabilitation. We all have too much to do and to much to think about in life.

Resolution should be more like a religious oath! more like a plan and a life changing program.

For example if one decide to cook a chicken tagine one would look a recipe up! List the necessary ingredients, go shopping and then follow the indication on the book to achieve the wonderful result.. (I can hear some of you saying that they don't ok some of you may not need a method but most of us need one!) well why don't we do the same about resolution.

•   Take a minute to think why we make that resolution,

•   What would be the outcome and it's benefit?

•   Make a plan to achieve it !

and then apply the plan with regular reviews.

This is a natural pattern we all follow at work, and in many other activities... But not for New Years resolutions. We just mention them, may be write them down and forget about them as life take over...

In December 2010 my wife recommended a book to me and since I have read it three time and offered it to many colleagues and friends. "Leadership wisdom from the monk who sold his Ferrari" - From Robin Sharma.

Although it is a surprising book it contains loads of ideas, recommendations and secrets that we all more or less know but fail to apply. It is real easy to read as it is written like a novel. Like a person telling you his encounter with a wise man! and you are the 3rd person in the room. You see, listen and then you cannot help yourself but have the bright idea to apply some of that wisdom to your life, work, etc...

Reading one exchange between the two characters I was shocked:" could it be so easy!?" The monk was asking his friend why all these magazine at work. He said it was a membership useful for his profession with article, profiles and the latest developments. But with a busy life 7am till 7pm everyday of the week he didn't have time to even spend with his children!

The monk replied something like: if you think it is important then why don't you make a daily appointment of 20 mins each day to read!!!!......

I stopped reading and grab my electronic diary and made an entry 21:30 reading daily 30 mins - repeat everyday.

How does it work? Well today I read from 5:35am till 6:10 so 35 mins. So 30 mins minimum covered. Say yesterday I didn't today I would need to read 2x30mins if I read only 45mins tomorrow it would need to catch up. If I read today 1:10 or more tomorrow I would still need to do 30 mins reading. Fabulous I now read over 38 books and magazine instead of the 5-7 I used to.

Not only it allow me to cover a wide range of subject and authors but also allows me to return to some which I felt helpful.

In his latest book "the leader without a tittle" Robin gives amazing help in finding one's happiness in life and at home. Where the books with the Monk may have been more orientated to business managers and owners, this one is for everyone. It is not very long or hard to read and it help with everything that may frustrate you in life. It is so simple and so simply presented that it is at the reach of everyone. So I can recommend you all to read it over and over until you have squeezed out of it all the goodness one can take from the obvious juice to the subtle vitamin not always recognised (the little things that will change the way you deal with some situations and free you from a position you never thought you could get away from).

Good luck and good reading.

Christophe Becquereau