Resolutions for the New Year.
By Sarvopama dasa
1) ( omitted )
2) To see myself as a survivor rather than a victim.
3) To see how I truly am the architect of my own destiny and how my feeling, thinking and willing determine how my life takes shape.
4) I resolve to reaffirm my dedication to Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON with a view to take very seriously his statement that ISKCON is his body and become determined to heal that body or die trying.
5) I resolve to set my sights on the highest possible goal. Srila Prabhupada said he would know his movement was successful if even one of his disciples became a pure devotee. My chances to satisfy this desire of my gurudeva are about as good as a snowflake in hell. Nonetheless I resolve to try or die trying.
6) I resolve to see how any apparent setback or difficulty in my life is there by Krishna’s arrangement and is really just an opportunity for me to rededicate myself to Krishna Consciousness and simply become more serious about my service to guru and Gauranga.
7) To decrease my eating and sleeping and learn to control my tongue by giving more attention to the quality of my chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
8) To make myself more available to anyone who wants support or encouragement in their effort to serve the devotees.
9) To do more to help the devotees distribute Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental literature all over the world.
10) To deepen my faith in the words of Srila Prabhupada and internally challenge and ultimately eradicate any tendency to minimize or neglect his orders.
11) To be strict with myself and always lenient with others.
12) To engage in more interfaith dialogue with members of a wide variety of approaches to God consciousness.
13) To be more effective in my efforts to present the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness to family members.
14) To be more vigilant in my efforts to use every waking moment to advance in Krishna Consciousness.
15) To eat only Bhagavat Prasad and be less distracted by mundane news and worldly events.
16) To become absorbed in Krishna Katha.
17) To fully curtail any tendency to engage in gossip or rumor.
18) To arrange my schedule so I can attend all temple programs without fail.
19) To participate more in Krishna Conscious festivals.
20) To be more gentle, peaceful and kind in all my dealings with my Godbrothers and Godsisters and Godnephews and Godnieces.
21) To always feel and voice my gratitude for the remarkable and rare opportunity I have to engage in Krishna Consciousness and actually develop love for God.
22) To see that anyone I take to be a demon is really only the external manifestation of some anartha or aparada that I have not yet eliminated from my sadhana.
23) To only use my natural built-in fault finding propensity to find fault with someone who is not yet chanting Hare Krishna, knowing full well that the minute anyone says Hare Krishna even once, they are well situated on the path to enlightenment and can no longer be subject to criticism.
24) To avoid my tendency to try to enjoy Krishna Consciousness and redirect any increase in energy back into my devotional service.
25) To seriously practice seminal continence and properly manage my ojas shakti in order to develop brahma tejas and, in that way, be a more effective preacher.