The Tribune

By AYANNA CLARKE

Happy New Year everyone!

Suffice it to say, I’m excited about 2019. A better me (or you) is right around the corner and I can’t wait. Here’s my new check list:

• Positive attitude

• Willingness to change

• Great support system

• Healthy relationships

• Avoiding pitfalls

A lot of us have entered the new year with that same outlook; with the same cheer on our lips and the same hope in our hearts. But wait...wasn’t it just like this last year? Or the year before, or even before that? Unfortunately, we’ve all been here before.

One of the hardest things to get past in any new year is the outlook of just how much hasn’t changed. Honestly, when we get past the “Auld Lang Syne” of the moment, we realise we have the same bills and the same responsibilities; regrettably, using the same resources. Really, the only thing that has changed is the date. That puts a damper on things, or does it?

Consider for a moment that, yes, you are the same person you were two years, two days ago, even. But I’d bet you make decisions a little bit differently now. You’re probably not surrounded by the exact same people that you were a few months ago, and perhaps your desires for the future have changed with the passing of time. All this helps to teach the lesson that just because you’re in the same place doesn’t mean that you are the same person.

Let’s take a moment first to give thanks for surviving the passing of what was a difficult year. I smile as I remember who I was and what I was experiencing this same time last year. I am so grateful that through it all faith, hope and love sustained and kept me going. I know you’re grateful that these things kept you as well. Now let’s ask some questions regarding 2019:

• About yourself: Will my actions reflect congruity or similarity? Am I going to be or do I even want to be the exact same person that I was last year?

• About your friends: Will I opt for having partners or patrons? Am I going to settle for having people who will just take from me or those who will push and prompt me to my next and perhaps best level?

• About the quality of your relationships: Will I be a crystal ball or a wrecking ball? Will I use my influence to build or to break?

• About achieving your goals: Will I find solutions or resolutions? Will I find ways to solve problems, or apply lessons that will help me avoid problems in the first place?

Admittedly, I was a bit stuck as to how to start 2019 off, I mean, we did so much chatting last year, what else could possibly be said? I asked a friend for some help and they sent me one of those memes quoting, “God is going to give you more than you asked for.” I laughed, but almost immediately the idea of how fitting it was for this new year series struck me.

Asking suggests hope and expectation that this year can be different from last year, even if so much remains the same.

Each new year brings its own set of troubles and triumphs; calamities and celebrations. But life brings change. Even the smallest child understands that holidays change into school days; the employee recognises that vacations must now change to work days. And of course, spenders realise that lean times are ahead as they change into earners once again. Wisdom from previous times should enrich us, teaching that although circumstances are alike, in the circumstance, we are not the same.

God Bless you this week!