A Slice of Resolution by Tejas

A Slice of Resolution by Tejas - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

As the new year rolls by for the 21st time in my life, I cannot help but feel a little exhausted. I quietly take a seat as the celebrations break out around me and people begin to embrace and hit the refresh button. I begin to wonder if it is truly possible to just start afresh and chalk up a new set of resolutions for the year ahead. Every year, thousands of people attempt to run in tandem with their goals, only to see them fade away into the shadows of other commitments. A new years resolution only lives to see a quarter of the year usually and little is ever done to bring it back in full spirit.
Whether I was tutoring a student in high school math, coaching a group of kids on the tennis court, or even leading a team in a business case situation, I felt I always gave the best advice. Often times, however, it came to a point where I realized I wasn’t very good at getting them to implement my suggestions on a consistent basis. It was a challenging, yet intellectually stimulating position to be in at a critical juncture in my collegiate career. Upon graduation, I knew I wanted to smoothly integrate into the management consulting business but had to develop the skills needed to thrive in a client oriented industry. I learned there had to be a distinction between using just a calculated model to make decisions and applying the human touch to foster change. There is absolutely no substitution for self-motivation when it comes down to finding solutions in a pressured environment. It all boils down to one resolution that can help me excel not only as a student in a classroom, but also as a leader in this rapidly changing business climate. That is, making baby steps.

The one sure path to becoming a successful student is to set goals that start out small and then work towards the big picture objectives. This drives tangible change in the long term and helps direct the locus of control in any situation. Ten days have elapsed now after bringing in the new year. I have already begun to implement the baby steps model both in the workplace and academically. As an advertisement sales intern, I am responsible for selling ads to clients in the local tri-state area. For one client, I produced a marketing strategy that made the target clients feel awkward about their plan of action. I indicated to them that more than meeting projected sales forecasts, generating just one dollar in sales the subsequent month should be priority. When the monthly goals are achieved, the bi-annual targets can be looked at, and only then can we consider the annual goals. While a business example may be a good starting point to solidify the concept, others may seek solace in simple activities such as going to the gym or preparing for a difficult final exam. For instance, if working out five hours a week is our goal, it makes ore sense to drive to the gym five times and just sit in the lounge for thirty seconds. The most challenging part of maintaining a workout regime is not the process of working out. It’s showing up. When the larger goal gets sliced into simpler pieces, it becomes much easier to carry out. Covering an entire syllabus of content when studying for an exam may not be so hard if you outline the main ideas from each chapter. If your goal is to lose ten pounds by eating healthy foods, losing ten pounds should not be the goal. Rather, it’s better to prevent yourself from purchasing food that infringes on nutritionist recommendations. These packaged foods are the culprits when looking for the sources of weight gain.

Students must acquire this skill to avoid being overwhelmed by the expectations of lofty goals set on New Years Day. Sometimes, it’s necessary to cut baby steps to even smaller sizes so progress becomes much more viable. The essential takeaway from my specific resolution is to shrink goals that seem too far high up. Once change begins to kick in, more advanced goals can be taken up, just enough to maximize efficiency.

Set, slice, savor, and over time you will make the changes needed to hit the ultimate target.