There is something magical about the December holiday season.  Maybe it is the optimism for the endless possibilities that the coming year holds, or the big sigh that comes after a year-long tiresome hustle— heck, it could just be a feeling of fulfillment from a year of productive hustle! Whichever the case is for you, this is a wonderland period, when we all just want to have fun and bliss our worries away.

 Unfortunately though for some people, this is the time for self-flagellation. It is the last month of the year that reminds them of all the ‘unachieved’ goals, the missed opportunities and a lot other sobs. They replay the ‘Jan-Nov’ music over and over in their minds. No, this is not some kind of hit song; it is the kind of self-pity rhythm that hits you so bad. 

 For some magically optimistic people, there is still a short window of opportunity to at least achieve one more thing. Let’s just say they are drowned in the ‘he will propose over Christmas’ kind of delirium. It could not be any other way for this kind of people; the goals were set in January 2017 and they have to be achieved.  There’s pressure. A lot of pressure. Understandably so.

 In fact, I can relate to this kind of pressure to some level. You see, in December 2015, my very hopeful self was convinced that 2016 was ‘my year’.  I set out to upgrade myself on different levels. Let’s just say my list of hopefuls was unrealistically long. To my ‘surprise’, by the end of 2016 there were lots of painful unchecked boxes. I beat myself but thanks to Lord Almighty, I didn’t wallow in despair for too long. I reflected on my disappointments; consoled myself for what I felt wasn’t meant to be and set out to do things differently for what I thought I handled wrong— not for 2017 but for a lifestyle. I resorted to setting realistic goals and to being true to myself. To my pleasant surprise, it has been quite a fulfilling milestone. 

 The purpose of this write up is not to tell you not to feel bad for not getting what you wanted but to tell you that you should not indulge in self pity. Everything that happened —or did not happen— was for a good reason. I can assure you that for every goal that you didn’t ‘achieve’, there are underlying successes that you just don’t see; little successes that you may be overlooking.  So light up and enjoy the holidays, darling. You have a lifetime ahead of you, and the possibilities are infinite. 

 After all, maybe the secret to achieving these goals is not attaching them to timelines?

Post by: Amina Ruun

PHOTOS: Boaz Nicholas

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