The Best New Year’s Resolution

As the new decade dawns, many of us have already pledged to do better, if not different.

We use the start of a new year to reflect on our shortcomings and to identify gaps in our lives that need to be filled. It is all good. Rebooting, refreshing or turning a new leaf holds the promise for an improved life.

Some of us set targets to acquire the tangible or material things that we think will give us pleasure or at a minimum, make for more convenient living. There is nothing wrong with us aspiring to acquire material things, but we must also acquire the discipline to temper the quest. Speaking of discipline, the start of a new year and in this case, decade, is a convenient time for us to focus on improving the health of our minds and bodies – ‘mens sana in corpore sani’ – a healthy mind in a healthy body. This is the recipe for good living. Let us acquire the discipline to achieve that.

We should take the dawn of 2020 to commit to a healthy lifestyle. A good diet, sufficient exercise and ample rest. It is arguably the best New Year’s resolution we can make and the one that pays the best dividends should we put it into practice. Our health will greatly improve, we will be better able to sustain positive feelings about ourselves, we will radiate warmth and antisocial traits will be greatly diminished. We will put less strain on the health services, our family and dependents. In short, we will become better versions of ourselves.

We must move forward in this decade with all the positive things we have learnt. We must not neglect the environment in which we live, nor should we neglect the quest for a sound body and mind. Let us do much better in this regard for 2020 and beyond.