LOOKING BACK AT 2010 JUST ONE MORE TIME

New year resolutions are made on every new year. Actually I think some people should be prevented from making any new resolutions because they still have unattained resolutions.

What can you say are the high and lows of your personal life during the year 2010? In Ghana, 2010 began with church services throughout the country and so did 2011. Every 31 of December is a very busy time for most people in Ghana. At the beginning of the year, many resolutions are made. I still believe some of us have resolutions that were set since somewhere 2006 and we have never achieved them till date. We all made or set targets at the beginning of the year. The questions I want us to ask ourselves now are;
1.With regards to your personal life, how have you fared in the year 2010?

2.Were there improvements as compared to 2009 or the previous years?

3.What additional values have you added to your life in 2010?

4. Your plans, targets, resolutions and projections that you made for the year 2010, how many have you achieved?

5. Your family. Have you been there for them always? Dad, were you there for mommy and the kids? Did you scream at them when they called you or wanted to play with you?

6. How has your relationship with God been in 2010? The promises you made to Him and all the vows you made. Do you think you could have done better?

7. We the children also need to review our year. It is very necessary. If we are still in school, let us look at our past results at the end of the academic year or after our exams. Is your school result what mom and dad would be proud of after all the investments they are doing concerning your education? The fees they are paying, the accommodation, books, travel etc.

You can add your own questions but as I sat in the office to write this post during break time, I felt the year 2010 rather came to an end too soon. Am finding it difficult to understand how it came to an end all of a sudden. That is life. No one knows when. There is no need to rush in life. I know we must face life one step at a time as some people do say but sit down and think about all that happened in 2010. First sit alone and do a personal review. Identify your mistakes and look out for where you need improvement. After searching through yourself, if you are married I suggest you sit down with your partner. Review your marriage, how best you could have loved each other, prevented those little quarrels that came by during the year 2010 and how best you could have given the kids the happy home they have always admired or dream about. Sit with the children too and talk to them. Remember the children are the reason behind all those investments and suffering you are going through. Involve them in reviewing the past 2010 year and they will tell you what they were expecting you to do as a father or mother some time past but you never did because you never gave them the listening ear.
Its nice to make resolutions but I think we just don't have to make them just because everyone is doing so every new year. Let us learn to set goals or aims that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound - SMART. Don't just dream because people are dreaming or because you hear people say you dream when you sleep. Don't just make new year resolutions. I agree to the "dream big" concept where we are to dream without limits and encouraged to think big but its one thing dreaming or making new resolutions and its one thing achieving them. If we are to pay for all our unattained goals or resolutions, some of us would have been bankrupt by now. A friend once said if resolutions were sold in the market, man would have bought only the little that he can achieve so as not to waste his money.

We only thank God because it is free and we are simply encouraged to ask. We also have the faith that when God makes a promise to us or when we ask God for something, it can only delay but surely we will get it. He gives it to us at the right time. Maybe this is just one of the reasons for your resolution way back 2005 not coming to pass till date but before you make that excuse make sure you have done what you are supposed to do. If someone owed you money or took a loan from you and asked for one year grace period to pay back the loan, you may have seen it as "insane" or never a possibility but just look at how the year 2010 passed by. Its never too late. Just give a try once more and trust God. Put your faith in Him and He will never let you down. I said God because for me He is the one I worship and have all my hope in. If you read and you have a different deity from my God, you should trust or have faith in that your deity but I will be happy if you will just permit me to recommend mine to you. He is God and has never failed me.

I wish you all the best in the year 2011. Work hard toward the achievement of your various resolutions so as not to not to carry them into 2012 should the grace take you there. Repeat not the mistakes of life in 2011 and remember to keep a smile always.
Regards