Vital lessons I will take with me to 2018

Like I have always indicated, I rarely make New Year resolutions because I feel that puts undue pressure on an individual. Laying down mega resolutions like losing pounds of weight and getting married exerts so much pressure on a person that most of them are broken before the end of the first quarter, according to research.

Nonetheless, in the spirit of new beginnings, I always walk into a fresh year with a few rich lessons from the previous year. These lessons are not earth shaking or stress inducing, but just simple steps to make the New Year more enjoyable and bearable.

Smile more: Life is already hard enough and a gloomy face complicates it further. If there is one great lesson I learnt last year is the power of a smile. Smiling costs you nothing yet it has myriad benefits for your well-being. Credible research has shown that smiling makes you likeable; it gives you an attractive face, eases the stress on you and puts you in high spirits which is good for your health.

Minding my own business: I rarely gossip or ask prodding questions about peoples’ personal affairs and this attitude has saved me from office and estate dramas. If the pretty tea girl has chosen to have a steamy affair with the IT manager, that’s none of my business and you will not find me at the water dispenser discussing juicy details with nosy colleagues.

Loving myself more: As career mothers, we tend to put our needs and feelings aside for the sake of hubby and the children. In so doing, we end up sacrificing so much including our happiness. Over the years, I have learnt the value of taking good care of myself by indulging in fine things like massages, pedicures and facials. I intend to take it a notch higher by visiting more posh salons and beauty parlors.

Solitude: From home to the office, there is too much noise and as a partaker of this, sometimes it all crowds and overwhelms you. My typical life involves attending to my children’s’ endless needs and sorting out house needs that are also endless. At work, there are deadlines to beat and reports to write and throw in house help ‘domes’, it gets messy. To remain sane and in good spirits, I have learnt to take solitude in a quiet place to rejuvenate whenever it gets suffocating. It can be a simple walk down the estate or locking myself in the room for a few hours.

Be more daring: Generation Y have a motto that you only leave once. When you embrace this free spirit, you loosen up and get more daring. In 2018, I want to do more red lipstick, minis and heels.

No more pretending: There was a time I used to take so much nonsense in the name of pleasing people. I participated in baby showers I felt little about to avoid not hurting other people’s feelings. I went to events for in-laws that I cared little about and I ended up feeling lost. This year, I will not play such draining games. If I do not feel you, sorry, I will not participate in your baby or bridal shower. I have left pretending at the doorstep of 2017.

The writer is a young married mother of two. She shares her experience of juggling between career, family and social life.