Setting new year resolutions appears to be passe amongst spiritually-aware personal development experts. More people are recommending using intentions or themes to guide our directions at the start of a new year.

Since two years ago, I have also personally found it more helpful to be setting intentions rather than be engaged in traditional resolution setting. In fact, I have found that the use of power words and phrases – to encapsulate the essence or the meaning of the intent – very effective.

It is no secret that the quality of consumer merchandise has dropped significantly in recent decades. Products made today are not designed to last more than a season or two and are nearly always cheaper to replace than to repair.

Singularity is described as the point when otherwise continuous mathematical progression becomes infinite. This would indicate that all continuous extrapolation breaks down beyond this point. Some feel that technology could become so productive that a singularity or period of extremely rapid growth could occur.

Singularity indicates that technical advances have interfered with economic growth. There is speculation that economic growth rates could exceed current understanding. Dr. Hanson, an economist at George Mason University, views two periods of steady economic growth based on the invention of agriculture and the Industrial Revolution. Dr. Hanson feels that another period of singularity will appear in 2075.

Instant gratification is wanting everything now, and its converse is deferred gratification. Low impulse control provides short term satisfaction but causes long term chaos, imbalance, and personal failure, while high impulse control causes short term dissatisfaction but provides long term order, balance, and personal success.

Here are some classic examples of how the impulse of instant gratification works in real life:

- If you are seeking a relationship, you want it to unfold as magically as in the movies, and you’re impatient about building rapport and getting to know someone. Beguiled by Hollywood, you believe that romance is as simple as locking eyes across the room, talking breathlessly, and effortlessly plunging into a whirlwind of pleasurable experiences.