Away with lofty resolutions

By ANNE MUKEI

KENYA: A New Year is always welcome by those who have had a rough ride and want to start their life anew. They look forward to that second when the clock strikes midnight, signaling the start of a new phase. The New Year presents a time when one can make serious decisions about their life and improve on it if need be.

It signals that the beginning of a new dawn is here. I am not always an elaborate person and many are the times when I welcome the New Year but don’t go ahead to make those rather elusive resolutions. I just cannot fathom the idea of taking a piece of paper and detailing my goals for the next 12 months.

Therefore, more often than not, I just go with the flow, improving on areas that I need to work on, as the need arises: this means that I do not pressurise myself to do things. I have decided to steer clear of making resolutions just because I am compelled to and just do what needs to be done at the right time.

I guess I fear the pressure that comes with making new goals and decisions. But I am glad that I am not alone. A friend shares my approach. She says that this year, she will just take what she has and run with it. For she has to start from somewhere, and this somewhere is from what she left in the previous year. And so she has to work with background. I could not agree more.

For the reality is that most of us try to reach out for lofty things and ideas. Setting goals is good, but setting goals that are not achievable only makes one feel bad once they have not achieved them. So this year, make it a point to focus and build on what you already have, rather than believe your success is pinned on acquiring things.

While at it, do not set your goals based on other people’s achievements. For no matter how difficult it may be to comprehend, everyone has his or her own destiny that is not hinged on any one else’s.

At any given point, we are all on different journeys. You may not realise it but each and every journey is as unique as your fingerprint. Therefore, even if our experiences are similar, they are never the same and this also applies to how we react to them; how we interpret issues.

Enjoy your year ahead. The future may seem uncertain, but it comes as a cocktail of both the good and the bad. Embrace each and every situation, even the bumps and valleys, for they always give way to joy. A happy New Year to you!