New Year Day is never complete without people trooping to churches. These same people consciously abandoned church all yearlong. You will see their faces when it’s time to make New Year Resolutions and expectations. Very funny.
Let’s face fact, my people. It’s unfair for people to skip church services most parts of the year, denying the clergy their usual Sunday offerings. What’s the point resurfacing on 31st to disturb God with tall list of needs, and the “I Surrender All” act? Enough of the skipping church service business, let’s talk about New Year Resolutions. New Year has always been a time for reflections and more importantly, looking forward to the coming year.
Most people give attention to goals like losing weight, exercising, eating better, savings, learning something new, etc. Others prioritize taking a trip, volunteerism, and spending time with family and friends. Now lets break down these yearly goals into days and weeks. The same people eager to action yearly goals lose sight of how their actions or inactions affect their goals. People wake up from their beds with no planned activities for their day, and a lazy approach to their duties. Repetitiveness of tasks, little output, and procrastination are weighing people down. That for me is a worrying trend if we intend to action new year goals.
Research has proven that only few people are confident of achieving their New Year resolutions successfully. This is attributable to well managed setbacks and this secret is simple; it all comes down to attitude, attitude, and attitude.
With no intent of ridiculing any individual or authority, I find New Year Resolutions a complete waste of time.
At the end of every year, I do a little ritual which I believe is truthful and measurable before God and myself. I count my blessings for all the good and the bad things. First, I thank God I’m still alive; then I didn’t go to the hospital. I didn’t run out of air in my lungs or was involved in a police case or any accident. I was broke but survived each passing day. After all these, I simply ask God to strengthen and direct me to fulfill my heart desires.
I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me—Anaïs Nin
A Ghanaian New Year Story
