New Year’s Resolutions

By Jillian Viljoen

Have you ever made New Year’s resolutions?

Are some of the items on the list familiar?

How many times have you managed to achieve all the items on your list? Honestly, I have never achieved all the items on my list. Maybe it is because my list has too many items (more than one item might be too many J) or maybe my resolutions are not achievable, unrealistic or my efforts are derailed by unforeseen circumstances. Resolutions give us goals to focus on and, when we achieve them, we have a sense of accomplishment. They add meaning to our lives.

An unknown author once said, “Set your goals high enough to inspire you and low enough to encourage you”. The current pandemic has resulted in all of us reassessing our lives; how we do things to achieve our goals within the confines of the protocols. The unknown author gives practical advice which we can all apply to our daily lives; be realistic and set simple achievable goals.

At the UKZN libraries, the provision of an efficient and continuous service to the University community is a resolution which the staff have maintained every year. The pandemic resulted in new ways of providing the service being researched and implemented. Librarians, https://library.ukzn.ac.za/contact-subject-librarians/, have stayed the course, never wavering in their endeavours to assist with queries while working remotely. Thank goodness for online resources, https://library.ukzn.ac.za/, and the internet.

I have often wondered what the key is to keeping New Year’s resolutions and have come to the following conclusions:

• Be grateful for who you are and trust in your instincts.
• Be grateful for and appreciate every blessing and bless others with an act of kindness.
• Take pride in your work and always try your best.

With the second wave rapidly engulfing the country, it is easy to feel despondent and to throw in the towel. But we can make a New Year’s resolution that we will never give up hope and we will support each other. At the UKZN libraries, our resolution is to continue to find new ways to improve on the service that we provide because we know that our collective efforts will make a difference. The pandemic has opened avenues to new beginnings. 

What is your New Year’s resolution? Whatever it is, make it count.