Chronicle Editor
Yvonne Ncube, Showbiz Reporter
What’s the time?
It is that time of the year when many people reflect on the past year and set goals for the year ahead.
It is a brand new year which means brand new resolutions.
Resolutions are goals or aims which people set and jot down the time of the year in which they intend to have achieved them.
Although resolutions may be made at any time of the year, it has been widespread and remarkably contagious to set resolutions at the beginning of a new year.
New Year resolutions have become a tradition, as it has become extensively practised locally and internationally.
Most people strive to have achieved the goals at the end of the year and they have become a catalyst that pushes people in achieving higher ambitions and reaching their full potential in making the resolutions a reality.
It does not matter how big or small the goals are as they vary according to one’s financial status at that particular time.
People often make resolutions that they know they are able to afford yet others take the risk of setting higher standards as a personal challenge.
While some practise this modern tradition so as to put themselves to task into working hard, others have adopted it because of peer pressure while many others just love to follow trends.
Not forgetting social media fanatics who practise just to update their statuses and stories on media platforms.
Some people prefer keeping their resolutions private, others prefer to publicise them so that they can be challenged to make them a reality.
Other people have questioned the safety of publicising resolutions as they argue that you might face criticism or earn gossip from the public if they fail to come to life.
When making resolutions public, one should be certain that they are achievable and should be confident about them.
When the year comes to an end, individuals cross out their achieved goals and those which they might have failed are put again in the bucket list the following year.
It all depends on how determined the individual is in attaining that particular goal.
Goals change from time to time as people mature, advance in education, grow financially or otherwise, thus many prefer to start a new year with new resolutions that match their current standards.
Thus, it is advisably to make resolutions that are achievable rather than fantasies that may take years or decades to be made reality or may never be achieved.
Some of the common resolutions that people list in their goal list are financial stability, good health, purchasing a car, house or a job.
However, as highlighted, resolutions differ from person to person; others may wish for material things. It does not really matter as long as it is what you want.
The year 2021 was not a smooth ride with the Covid-19 pandemic causing havoc in people’s traditional ways of life.
The development of new variants made it hard for people to adopt the new norm.
The regulations put in place to curb the virus closed opportunities for others, travelling became almost impossible while other people lost jobs during the course of the year.
Due to this, many people failed to achieve their resolutions.
Despite this, the populace has welcomed the new year with enthusiasm and set new goals.
It’s an adventure, but they are not starting with obliviousness this time around, but from experience.
Hope still lies within.
Saturday Leisure took to the streets of Bulawayo to hear residents’ views on New Year resolutions.
Leonard Takaruhla (28) said resolutions are paramount in challenging people to achieve their goal, but he discouraged making them public.
“I believe New Year resolutions play a big role in changing people’s energy into a positive one. Once you have a goal that’s written down, you know where to start and what you are starting with.
They also play a paramount role in assisting people to manage their finances.
When you know you have a goal, you will not misdirect your finances to material things that do not add long term value in your life.
“In as much as making the resolutions public is necessary in making one work extra harder in attaining them, I would not advise any one to do so.
This is because we cannot foresee what tomorrow is holding for us.
Take for instance the previous year, it was lockdown after lockdown, no one would have predicted that, so many people failed to do what they had put themselves to task for.
“Imagine if you had publicised your goals online then you failed to execute them, people will start talking then you have to start explaining to people who you don’t even owe explanations to,” said Takuruhla.
He said making resolutions needs self-determination.
“If you are to make New Year resolutions, you have to be determined.
I remember once upon a time, I made a resolution that I needed to be fit hence I had to join the gym.
I had all the enthusiasm on the first days.
I went to the gym from January 3 up to 11, since then they never saw my face again. So these are the challenges that are encountered as well,” Takuruhla said.
Thobeka Nyathi, 24, said subscribing to this tradition needs someone brave.
“This new tradition that we have since adopted is not for the faint hearted, it needs someone with a brave heart.
I’m saying this because when you set a date that I want to have achieved this particular goal at a specific time, and when the time has come and you realise you are not even nearer to achieving it, some people may lose their esteem and confidence in achieving it hence they give up.
“Giving up is not the solution neither is it an option, you have to pick yourself up and set another date.
Personally, I think making resolutions public depends on which platform you want to publicise them on.
Making the resolutions public helps in pushing you to achieve the goal because you know at the end of the year, people will be watching as a result you work twice as much.
I prefer posting my resolutions on WhatsApp because the status will disappear after 24 hours.
Of course it’s the same with Instagram and Facebook stories, but on those platforms, many people can access them,” said Nyathi.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Let’s keep the conversation flowing on Twitter @eehYvonne.
Online Reporter