On the night of January 1st 2019, as the world ushered in a new year, Diane Uwimana went to her room and prayed to God for having ushered her in to a new year.

She then proceeded to list things that she wanted to accomplish this year which included; starting her own business, buying a plot of land to construct her own house, and paying back her debts she had borrowed from her colleagues.

However, it was not only things that she wanted to do that she listed down, she also resolved to drop some character traits that she felt were not serving her well, one of those was her short temperedness.

She immediately started reading books on anger management, and got a counselor, something that has helped although she admits that it is a process.

At the end of April, Uwimana paid  back all her debts that totaled Rwf 5 million. She started up a Unisex Salon last month and she is still saving up for the piece of land. She has higher hopes that before December, she could have acquired money to buy the land.

As people begin a new year, they make plans that they pledge to accomplish. Just like other years, many people had a number of resolutions for 2019. 

A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. As we are half way the year, some people haven’t managed to fulfill any of the resolutions they made while others are on track and the rest don’t believe in setting up resolutions at the start of the year.

According to Dieudonne Bukaba, a Nutritionist based in Kigali, he had many plans he prayed for but he highlighted three ofthem in December last year, the first was to serve God with his whole heart. He is on his journey of experiencing God even more. He is glad that he is not the way he was before.

"My next commitment was getting married this year, I have been dating my girlfriend for quite some time, but I asked God to show me signs if she is the perfect one for marriage, God showed me signs that proved that she is the one for me. We are getting married in July,” Bukaba says.

23 year-old Cissy Uwera, who is a student aged had weight problems after doctors told her 80kgs was dangerous for her. This year she started working out in the gym and went to a nutritionist for advice on her meal plan. From January to now, she has lost about 5kgs.

Her plan for this year was to lose about 20Kgs and she is positive that she will reach her goal, with persistence.

Bukaba’ s third dedication was to buy a car of his own as he was tired of using public means and luckily he managed to reach that milestone.

Uwera says, she was mocked a lot in school by fellow students because of her weight, and when she imagines about the pain she passed through, she longs to be small just like other girls.

She says, sometimes it is not easy to work on some resolutions on your own and in such cases it is always better to seek professional advice.

For Roger Mwesigwa, his one plan for this year was to quit smoking and drinking, he formed a group with other youth who are addicted to drinking and smoking and they encouraged each other on how they can drop the two habbits.

He says, these two vices are not easy to quit, but he has managed to avoid staying in bars, and he is now associating with people he can open up to get counseling and advice from. He says, he has no doubt that this is one of the greatest decisions he has ever made.

Brenda Kukunda is one of the people that made resolutions this year; she wanted to accomplish her studies, which she fulfilled. She graduated with a Business law in April.

She notes that what enabled her excel was the commitment to read tirelessly, do extensive research, and valuing her academics above anything else.

She is anticipating starting her own business, and generating employment opportunities to a number of people.

"Two things I had on my list to complete this year, one was to spend enough time with my children and the other was to save my marriage that was at the verge of breaking,” says Martha Maliza.

Since her kind of job needs her every minute, it has been hard for her to spend enough time with her children as she reaches home when they are asleep, and then leaves for work so early when they are still sleeping.

She has been given permission by her boss, to go back home a bit early before 7; 00 pm, three times a week.

For her marriage, Maliza is still trying to sort out issues with her husband and she is optimistic that he will come back home and they raise their two kids together.

Clare Mutoni has always wanted to learn new skills, this year she pledged to get guitar lessons, luckily enough; her boyfriend gave her a gift of a guitar on her birthday, so she is able to practice during her free time. 

So far, she has learnt some guitar chords, and her next plan is to learn how to sing so that she joins a music band.

Tips to fulfill your resolutions

Bukaba explains that you should be devoted to achieving your goals no matter what. Know why you’re making a resolution in the first place, and give yourself time when you want to achieve your goals.

"Write your resolutions down and post them somewhere. Your resolution should become part of your life but not a one-time achievement and they should be making life even better, happier, and more contented,” he stresses.

Maliza notes that for each plan to be completed, you need to stick to it but most of all, be patient and persistent. Don’t give up on something you started.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com