Every聽New聽Year鈥檚聽Eve, I contemplate whether to make聽any聽New聽Year鈥檚 resolutions, and whether I could achieve them. This聽New聽Year鈥檚 was no different,聽and there is a good chance that I might stick to some of them some of the time. But what often does make a difference is how intentional or strategic I am in planning for change, and how positively engaged I am in realizing the desired outcomes.聽And when we are beset by so many聽worrisome global聽events聽and pressures,聽and struggling to manage change around us, it is hard to聽embrace a聽鈥榥ew you or future鈥欌�� no matter how great聽we think that might be.聽聽聽
Scholars who study behaviour and motivations have thought about this process extensively and in a variety of ways. I was struck recently,聽for example,聽by a聽聽by Prof. Vlad聽Gl芒veanu聽from the University of Dublin聽on聽possibility thinking, the ability to perceive and explore alternatives that are achievable.聽Gl芒veanu聽noted that聽鈥渢hese elements need to support one another, 鈥�. 鈥渢hat聽lasting change depends much more on how goals are set up, supported and built into everyday life.鈥澛燗s much as I might want to 鈥榖lue-sky鈥� and re-imagine the future, context matters. 鈥淧ossibility thinking does not mean ignoring limits鈥︹�� but rather 鈥渓earning how to work creatively with constraints鈥︹��.聽聽
Similarly, another set of researchers聽聽or any changes,聽found that what 鈥渕ade people the most successful were when they found pursuing the resolution聽something that was interesting and engaging and enjoyable for them.鈥� (Kaitlin Woolley, Wharton School of Business, UPenn).聽Katy Milkman of Cornell University refers to this as 鈥渢emptation bundling鈥�,聽whereby聽鈥渇inding something that feels like a chore if you do it alone, but then combining it with an activity that's truly tempting so that you're looking forward to and craving that other thing, and it changes your experience with what would otherwise be a chore.鈥澛燨ther research by Rachel Gershon (University of California at Berkeley) furthermore found that when these activities become social, rather than something we try to tackle alone, one gets even better results. (聽w/ Matt Galloway, The Current, CBC, Jan. 12, 2026).聽And so,聽despite聽all the anxiety-producing news headlines,聽despite聽the darkness and arctic temperatures of a聽likely longer聽and colder than usual winter, I am excited about what lies ahead.聽聽
This year, the School of Continuing Studies at 九色视频 embarks on a new strategic plan聽鈥� our collective聽New聽Year鈥檚 resolutions in a manner of speaking.聽Focused on achievable outcomes over the course of the next several years, we together聽are making five commitments: to expand access to, and belonging in, world-class professional education; to deliver excellence in teaching, learning and student services; to foster innovation; to promote well-being and to ensure our聽collective聽financial health. In 2026 we are re-dedicating ourselves to our diverse community of learners, our hard-working community of colleagues,聽friends聽and supporters. We strive to deliver a portfolio of high-quality, flexible learning solutions that are sustainable and聽that聽reflect the values and mission of 九色视频.聽聽
You might say that this is a tall order, destined to fail 鈥� like so many聽New聽Year鈥檚 resolutions. But I am driven by hope聽for the future. And, as聽聽recently noted, 鈥淸h]ope聽is the belief that if we change the world for the better, even by just a聽little,..聽we聽will ascend a gradient towards a better future, and as we聽rise up聽that curve, new terrain will be revealed... You can get there in stepwise fashion, one beneficial change at a time.鈥澛犅�
Our strategic plan opens the door to possibilities, to a better future. For now,聽it is just what Doctorow, citing Montreal鈥檚 legendary bard, Leonard Cohen, described as 鈥渁 crack鈥澛爐hat we must work to open wider.聽鈥�!鈥�(L.聽Cohen,聽Anthem, 1992). With the help of some possibility聽thinking, hope, and the strength that comes from a common purpose, we can 鈥渋magine differently: with others, within limits, and in ways that make positive 鈥� changes鈥� feel possible.鈥� (Gl芒veanu, 2026)聽
Happy New Year! Bonne Ann茅e!聽聽聽