The New Year always brings with it the idea that makes us want to make a fresh start to the year.
We get carried away in the frenzy of the approaching year while being bathed in sudden bursts of unfounded and unreasonable motivation.
Every New Year demands its own recognition, different from the exiting one and if you are over forty that is one hell of annual promises to yourself.
Every New Year blackmails us into making some resolutions, usually based on what we failed to do in the passing year.
We do that in the hope of turning our fortunes for the better because we were disappointed by some simple goal we failed to achieve or a habit that ended with us in a mess.
Hence the buzz about setting resolutions at the beginning of each year.
However, most times, New Year’s resolutions are short lived.
Most of us are “re-running” some resolutions for the second, third or fifth time or just decide to forget about unresolved ideas or plans that we made in any one of the past years.
As many would say, “Ngwaga o sa nthateng…”
As the New Year approached, a lot of people I came across were quick to declare that they were making plans and goals for 2011, not resolutions.
But I could see through it all ÔÇô the fear to fail again! Many of us would take it easily and think ‘Potato ÔÇôpatata!’, but is it really?
Well, as we all might know, setting goals and plans has to do with the endeavor by a person to attain certain achievements by an end point, by a certain date and time and, usually, involves setting deadlines. Making a resolution, on the other hand, is the commitment that the individual attaches to the plan or kicking unwanted habits or a lifestyle change.
Mmmm, so this might just be a case of commitment phobia. People want to achieve certain things but are afraid of committing.
We suffer the secular tradition of resolution making every 365 days because a lot of people decide on the spur of the moment and come up with resolutions just because they are expected to or they see people around them making them.
And at most, you find people making resolutions for things that are not even priorities in their lives or, when they are, they do not put much thought into it until they are confronted with an unavoidable situation that conflicts with their resolution.
But people do make resolutions.
“My New Year’s resolution is to focus a lot more on my spiritual life. Last year was an incredible year of blessings and challenges both of which I strongly believe God carried and guided me through, so I think I owe my relationship with him a lot more attention,” said On Air Personality and Professional Communicator, Oratile Jazzelle Kebakile.
“I intend to do this by more meditation, studying the Bible and spending time with spiritual guides.”
She added: “For my beloved Batswana, I wish them the same, an active spiritual life. It is said that when ones soul and mind are in sync only success can befall them. More faya to us all!”
Baatlhodi Gaonyadiwe, a student, says that it is very common for the enthusiasm to die out after a few weeks or months into the New Year, but he insists he never gives up without a fight and strives to achieve his resolution, thus he always has principalities and plans in place that will eventually help him achieve his resolutions.
“As a student, I have a lot of resolutions that I make with regards to my academics, as such I exert a lot of energy into my studies throughout and always strive to improve on marks I get throughout the semester. I also have a small enterprise, which I want to see flourish. I also make out a resolution for that and work out ways through which I can attain that,” he said.
Musician/Producer, Kabo Leburu, says his resolution for this new year is to see more musicians perform live.
“Maybe then we can get more support as well as recognition from both local and international promoters and event organisers. By performing live, these guys will take us more seriously and only then will we be paid our worth, and be treated with the same level of professionalism as our international counterparts,” said Leburu. “I also hope to release my second album as well as host a charity show for disadvantaged kids. Last year, I made a pledge to inspire more kids to learn and play music instruments; I will be going around the country collecting instruments to donate to underprivileged children.”
My colleague, Kagiso Madibana, has a different view.
“I prefer to identify opportunities within my reach,” she said, adding that she does not believe in being pressured into making plans just because it’s a new year. She simply does not believe in New Year’s resolutions and says that setting plans or making resolutions sounds all the same to her.
“Personally, I don’t see the difference between the two, unless there is a clear distinction on the time factor. When people set goals, they set a time limit, I think that’s the same thing with resolutions, although goals could be either long term or short term,” she said.
Turning a new leaf for most people has to do with assessing their lives every once in a while and this has, over time, set the pace for resolution making, or made them afraid to do it again!
Most people having failed to do things they had planned to do in a year usually are afraid of that disappointment again and they would rather steer clear of making resolutions. All the while some try over and over again and aim at winning.
But then again maybe people do not want to wait for the New Year to turn a new leaf. Plans can be made and goals set and reached throughout the year!
