Christmas came and Christmas left. All the garlands, tinsels, stockings, candy canes and the other ornaments that gave parents a new assignment will be pulled down. The wreaths with their accompanying bows and ribbons would be wrapped up again until after 365 days. Everything Christmasy will be put away. We will surely miss the decorations the banks made at the roundabouts in some parts of Accra. My favourites were the well-lit reindeers and Santa’s sleigh.

We are now back to factory setting. Eye clear!

January smiles at us so broadly; we can see its 32 teeth. People say its teeth were originally 31 but it gained some more; sounds more like January is an alien month. 31 or more, it still smiles at us. Just don’t look at the teeth, if this smile bothers you.

So our Christmas break lasted blink seconds and our Christmas pastries are either finished or left with the last bits that we eat with caution. The chevon, mutton, chicken, beef, fish or even the venison we stocked… do we still have some left? How about our December salaries, I’m sure we have spent just a third and the rest is still there. You don’t want to call me sarcastic, do you? Let’s just leave my answer be for now.

2025 made a gallant entry and it says to us, “Do with me what you wish”.

You made resolutions, right? Don’t be overly ambitious with whatever goals you set for yourself. 2025 is 365 days long and it is also 365 days short. Just ensure that at the end of the year, you achieve what you set out to do. To guide you, keep doing monthly checks to assess how close or far you are from realizing your New Year goal. We have 12 months to be renewing or redoing.

Let’s take the year by storm. Don’t listen to naysayers; they can make you miserable. Engage people who give you so much hope and a reason to keep pushing. You will usually hear people say that New Year resolutions are mostly not stuck and for that matter, there is no need to make any more. I have not stuck to many of them but I will keep making resolutions because as the Stoics say, life is only worth living if it is examined. The optimism of the Stoics has a great potential to influence one’s life to be a better person. How about reading stoicism quotes in the New Year? You should read The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. It’s full of nuggets of wisdom.

Assessment of life so far matters! Yes, it does matter to know how you have been leading your life and see how to spice it up. We all need to lead purposeful lives. After doing an introspection of your life you will know what fell short or what was fantastic. This seemingly simple but useful exercise of assessment automatically leads you to resolve to make your life better.

Make sure that you make a rare impact on your life first, and then on the lives of those around you…family, colleagues, and friends and in your community.

Whatever you set to achieve, you can! You need to put your thoughts and action to it and if I’m permitted to use the young cliché, be intentional about it.

Your resolution may be as inconsequential as being a great time manager or setting to look out for the beautiful sides of everything that happens to you but know that the effect on you and others will be immense.

Necessarily, add value to your life and be better this year than you were in 2024. Did you suffer undue stress in 2024, note down your stressors and gently delete them. After deleting, empty the trash can. Don’t bite more than you can chew. Don’t let social media tie you down or rule your life. Plan for each day and at the end of the week, watch how the plan played out. Do you need to beef up your resumé? Think about the course that will gladden your heart and bring you bucks. Find ways of getting your education financed. If you need to do short courses, do! Make the new 365-cycle impactful. It’s time to fly!

I am hopeful my muses will be with me to write meaningful articles in this year of positivity and I also hope that many will read or listen to it! It’s not lofty at all.

One more thing, a very important one, Mr Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie, thank you for embracing my wish of posting my string of words on Joy. You truly make things happen! Three cheers to the Joy Online team as well, you brought one of my dreams to life in 2024.

Cheers!

Lighthearted is a page intended to release happy hormones in your system. It addresses everyday issues in a casual and informal way. Serious issues are discussed in a relaxed manner. Release the tension as you read it. It’s as breezy as it is insightful. Enjoy!

About The Author: The writer is a public servant. On the fringes, she works with words because she believes that words unleash creativity and drive action. Writing, teaching and reading are her favourite three.

Email: christadelaclarke@gmail.com