IT’S NEW YEAR’S EVE – Let’s find joy together

DAR ES SALAAM: Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 – page book. Write a good one. Brad Paisley. It is New Year’s Eve, and we are all hopeful that we will see 2026.

Despite the many ups and downs of life; challenges, uncertainties, anxiety, fear, disappointment and physical and mental pain, some of which can feel painfully permanent, we still look forward to crossing into the new year.

This reflects the power of hope: Hope for a better year, another opportunity to build happy, meaningful lives.

It is resilience; the determination not to fall and remain down and the confidence in ourselves that we can accomplish even what seems impossible, if we put our mind to it.

The engine meant to steer the new year in the direction we desire has often been more about rhetoric and routine, rather than the deliberate, focused actions required.

When the clock strikes midnight on the 31st of December, the world erupts in celebration.

Hooting and fireworks fill the cities, music, song and dance echo through towns and villages. In other places, families gather in quiet prayer at home, while others simply watch and wonder what lies ahead.

Each one of us welcomes the new year in our own unique way, and there is no right or wrong way to celebrate.

Celebrate in whatever way best satisfies your spirit as you usher in 2026, with the main goal being to make the new year better.

How do we make the New Year better?

A successful year is built on an action-backed process of learning, unlearning and relearning. It is not easy, but it is possible.

At the start of every year, we make resolutions: Lose weight, start a business, show up better in the workplace, enroll for a master’s degree, become a better cook, take better care of our health, find a life partner, build a house for our parents and many others.

However, most resolutions, no matter how good, well-meaning or well-articulated they seem, are often overtaken by more urgent life demands or quietly abandoned along the way.

Perhaps they were not a true priority, perhaps we lacked the knowledge or skills to achieve them, or perhaps we realised that the goals no longer made sense to us. It’s also important to note that a new year’s resolution does not have to be entirely new.

We can carry forward unfinished goals and aspirations from 2025 into 2026 and pursue them with a fresh mindset, a renewed attitude and a firm commitment to follow through. Here is how to do it.

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Pointers For Success in 2026

Pause, Reflect, Reset – For example, you’ve clocked 70 years of age and you want to build a double-storey house within a year like your neighbour: Pause and take time to think this through.

At this point in your life, do you really need a house with stairs or can the nice bungalow that you are already living in be renovated to your liking?

Have you considered that as you continue to age you may not be able to climb the stairs whenever you feel like? What will be the point then?

At this stage of your life, what things should you really be focusing on, and what are simply nice (but perhaps not practical) to have? (Re)Define your values and strengths – Let’s say that for the past three years you have been looking in vain for a “wife/husband material” to marry: Be honest with yourself, your strengths and weaknesses and your values.

Get knowledge on your self worth and your behaviour, and see whether you’re setting standards that are unrealistic or settling for less than you deserve.

Are you consistently chasing away potential suitors? Take a look at the requirements you’ve laid out for your potential future spouse and ask yourself if you possess the qualities that would attract such a person.

Take time to understand the relationship and marriage landscape more seriously, and appreciate the nuances therein and how they may impact your own approach to relationships.

CONCLUSION:

May we enter 2026 with the desire to continuously learn about life. May we acquire new knowledge and make it work for us in a positive way.

May we train our minds to be adaptable to an ever-changing world.

May we appreciate those close to us; family, friends, colleagues knowing full well that they will annoy and disappoint us, but we still need them in our lives.

May we find ways to get along with each other despite our differences. And lastly, may we take care of our mental health so that we can sail through to 2026 with calm, clarity and confidence.

May God help us all. Happy New Year!