Happy New Year! May 2024 bring you health, happiness and prosperity… and the keeping of your resolutions!
Typically- at this time of year- many of us make resolutions that we hope to keep throughout the year. They may pertain to keeping fit, losing weight, not drinking as much alcohol, attaining more life /work balance, improving one’s finances or improving relationships (Id. at 2.)
As this blog typically involves resolving disputes, perhaps the new year’s resolution involves being more affable, engaging in more active listening and reframing, resolving more disputes without the need for litigation , or recognizing one’s own implicit and cognitive biases and working to keep them from coloring one’s judgments and decisions. Or perhaps the resolution is simply to make better decisions. Or is one’s resolution in truth, nothing more than a decision and if so, how can one make a better decision(resolution)?
Whatever the resolution, an article by Lark Allen (posted on September 13, 2023) entitled “New Year’s Resolutions Statistics and Trends [2023]” reveals that only 38% of adults will make one resolution. Within the Gen Z population, 40% feel pressured into making a resolution. Of those that do make them, 81% feel positive about them. (Id. at 1.)
The study found that about 77% of the adults try to hold themselves accountable in sticking with their resolution. This statistic does not include Gen Z: they hold themselves the least accountable on this point. Other than this generational group, 46% of adults are still keeping their resolutions after six months while only 9% of adults keep their resolution for the entire year! (Id. at 2.)
So, why does keeping our resolutions fail? The excitement wears off and people lose sight of their initial resolution, (Id. at 3.) Or it is a Friday- for some strange reason, people tend to quit their resolution on the second Friday of the month. Or the resolution has simply been forgotten. This typically happens by February; people have gotten caught up in everyday life, distracted by its ups and downs and so have forgotten the promises they made to themselves on New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day. In fact, 43% of the resolutions made at the start of the year are forgotten by February. (Id.)
If one considers a resolution as simply making a decision, Susan Liautaud in her book, The Power of Ethics (Simon & Schuster, New York 2021) asks four simple questions to make a “better” decision.
The first is what are your guiding principles? Do they include honesty, integrity, kindness, empathy, authenticity, accountability, competency, resilience, gratitude, consistency and so forth? (The author lists about 60 principles!) (Id. at 24-27.). Or perhaps, not eating dessert after every meal or not gorging late at night?
The second question is whether you have all of the information needed to make the decision. Or are there gaps between what you do know and what you should know to make the best decision? Should you be checking other sources, and/or cross-checking the information? Are you engaging in confirmation bias by seeking out only the information that confirms your already held views or are you being honest with yourself and seeking out contrary information as well? (Id. at 27-30.)
The third question asks about the potential stakeholders. “Who or what stakeholders matter to my decision?” What person, organization, object or factor could influence or be affected by the decision or the situation? As the author aptly points out, “ We are never the only stakeholder in our decisions” (Id. at 31, 30-31.)
The fourth and final question simply asks what are the short, mid-term and long-term consequences of the decision you are about to make? What will be its immediate impact? What will be its future impact? (Id. at 32-35.)
The new year brings a lot of interesting and exciting possibilities..
2024 also brings a lot to think about!
… Just something to think about!
Again, Happy New Year!
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