And today, finally we welcome a new year – 2019. The last 365 days have been full of ups and downs in this country.
Our lives have been affected directly or indirectly by the turn of events last year.
In politics, 2018 was a year where changes that were never foreseen to happen happened.
It was the year when Pakatan Harapan (PH) managed to topple the Barisan Nasional (BN) government which had been in power for six decades. Together with Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), it garnered 121 seats out of the total 222 parliamentary seats in parliament. The rest, as they say, is history.
Here in Sarawak, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) was formed on June 12, 2018.
The biggest question among Sarawakians is: Will GPS be able to hold on to power in the state elections in 2021?
We have left behind 365 days which were full of memories and pages written with all sorts of happenings in our lives. Time, trials and tribulations have indeed enriched our lives.
Remember, we cannot change the past because it has become a story and a history of our lives.
If we purposely don’t want to leave our past behind, it will destroy our future. Our future is more important than our past, thus we need to chart the journey to ensure we have a better future.
What’s in store for us in 2019? Whatever the case may be, life has to move on. We have to face 2019 and the future with determination and optimism.
This is the year of the pig. The Chinese believes it is an auspicious year because the pig attracts success in all the spheres of life.
According to Chinese astrology, 2019 is a great year to make money and a good year to invest.
It is believed that 2019 is going to be full of joy, a year of friendship and love for all the zodiac signs.
Today is the first blank page of 365 pages.
How the pages are going to be written very much depends on how we want to write it. Surely, you want to make the story in 2019 more interesting with many happy endings.
The pen is in your hand and it’s you who is going to determine it and chart the journey.
The journey of 365 days begins today.
Thus, year’s end, as American author, journalist and naturalist, Hal Glen Boprland said, is neither an end nor a beginning but a going.
You can dream dreams. The sky is the limit. Nope, the sky is not the limit. Whether we are going to be successful or not in 2019 depends very much on us. Nothing else matters but how hard and smart we work.
To ensure you can achieve your dreams and your resolutions in 2019, it is very important for you to stay positive.
Work hard and make it happen. Indeed, if you want to be successful, you have to define and make it happen. Success doesn’t come easy.
I would like to borrow words from Walt Disney. The famous American animator, voice actor and film producer said: “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Resolutions can come in many forms. Some people make a promise to quit smoking, read more books or improve their academic performance.
Yes, come new year, almost all of us have our own resolutions but what happens at the end of the year?
How many of you have been able to keep your new year’s resolutions? Why are the new year’s resolutions so difficult to keep?
Never in my life have I kept a new year’s resolution. At one time, I still remember, I wanted to exercise at least three times a week and keep a diary – but to no avail.
What’s a new year’s resolution? A new year’s resolution according to Wikipedia “is a tradition, most common in the Western Hemisphere but also found in the Eastern Hemisphere, in which a person resolves to change an undesired trait or behaviour, to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve his/her life.”
A new year’s resolution is a promise you make for the new year to improve your life and well-being. Whatever your resolutions, the ultimate goal is to improve your life and career in the coming year.
But according to a study while so many people aspire to achieve ambitious goals, only 12 percent will ever experience the taste of victory.
Why is it so easy for us to surrender and waiver despite knowing that it’s not good for our own future? We need to realise that our small change of direction can lead to a big change in destination.
We have come a long way and the future destiny is in our own hands and our own doing. Really, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step and the first step probably is today which can change your future.
You cannot do everything in one day but you can do anything. Why not start by having a To Do list everyday, no matter how small the task is? Once you manage to complete the tasks, you can feel a sense of accomplishment.
Or are you doubtful about yourself that you won’t be able to make it? The only way to defeat doubt is to believe in yourself. Who cares if you’ve failed a few times? But who can stop you from trying again and again this year?
Yes, who knows, with sheer determination and a bit of luck, you can accomplish your dream in 2019.
• Associate Professor Dr Jeniri Amir is a lecturer and a political analyst at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
USE THESE QUOTES:
‘Why is it so easy for us to surrender and waiver despite knowing that it’s not good for our own future? We need to realise that our small change of direction can lead to a big change in destination.’
