New Year Resolution - Direction For The New Year Ahead

How Time flies. Two weeks more and we will be saying "goodbye" to the year 2005 and be welcoming the new year 2006.

My question to you then is: have you had a great year in 2005? but regardless of whether you have had a fantastic year, a so-so year or a lousy one, they are no longer relevant since the year is going to be over soon.

What is important at this moment is to let go and move on, with the desire of making the new year a better one. and towards this aim, may i offer you a direction? i suggest making the year 2006 a year of "win without fighting" in line with what the 500 BC military strategist Sun Tzu has written in the Art of War: "Fighting to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is NOT the supreme strategy. The supreme strategy is to win without fighting."

If you think my suggestion is sound and you would like to make the year 2006 a year of "win without fighting" experiences, then there are three critical fundamentals you will need to work on:

First, stop being so self-centred, like thinking and saying, "i want...", or "i am right...", "do it my way...", etc. instead, set your ego aside and start thinking that others also have wants, or they could be right, or they too need to win just as much as you want to win. when you have empathy, that is, the ability to put yourself in the other guy's shoes, to think or feel like him or her, you are on your way to win without fighting. i once had an experience which i share herewith to drive home my point: instead of chiding the sole harrassed waiter (due to the other waiters not turning up for work that particular day for whatever reasons), i smiled at him with sympathy and understanding, with the result that he not only warmed up my soup as i'd requested but further got his colleague in the kitchen to add fresh chunks of beef. had i chided him, he could have done funny things with my soup behind my back for all i know.

Second, never stop counting your blessings, no matter how little they may appear to you. just as little drops of water make the large ocean, little blessings, when appreciated, will set us in the right harmony to feel more positively towards others. for example, a guy who is prone to complain about his or her demanding boss or his or her pressurizing job, should be able to cheer up if he or she is able to realize how many unemployed guys out there who would love to be in his or her position. i knew because i was once unemployed and how i envied those executives who hurried by me, wearing unhappy faces from being able to appreciate the fact that they had got jobs

Third, put a lid on your temper. anyone who easily burst his or her top will only invite more conflicts instead of resolving them. just consider the resulting ill-feelings which have led subodinates to grumble, rebel openly, or sabotage work; colleagues to put up resistance or withhold their cooperation; bosses to deny promotion or reject proposals; customers to buy from others; spouses to cease communication as they begin thinking of divorce or separation; and children to resent their parents, etc. many people have also languished in jails or had got killed because somebody hadn't been able to keep their temper in check. indeed temper has no place in your quest to "win without fighting."

There are, of course, many more strategies to consider how one could win without fighting. if you're interested to learn more, please consider reading my latest book, "Win Without Fighting" which has just been released and is available in most major book stores or on-line shopping. or you may want to consider getting me to "suntzunize" you and your guys in year 2006? if so, please confirm early to avoid disappointment as i am in the process of being booked till Nov 2006. for more info of my specialized Sun Tzu's strategies seminars, please go to http://www.webpoint.com.sg/suntzu/ where you may also get to read my monthly newsletter for free.

Having delivered this "close-the-old-year-and-move-on-to-a-better-year" message, i now wish you and your dear ones, a happy new year 2006.