Everybody loves a new beginning. We love the feeling that we are working on a new slate and always for the better. It is why when new years approach we set these new goals and objectives that we aim to achieve, in order to facilitate and fuel the belief that we are going to do better and be better.
But nearly every year, most people find that when the new year dopamine effect fails and the motivation for the fresh start fades, the determination to achieve new goals fades, and more often than not, we fall back to old ways and forget to aspire for our better selves. As this year comes towards its end, below are 5 ways you can catch up with the abandoned goals and shape yourself to better achieve your resolutions.
Remind yourself of ‘Why’
Along with healing all wounds, time can also make us forget our ‘why’. Why did you want to climb a mountain? Why did you want to run the marathon? Why did you want to move to a new city? Why did you want a new job? We often find ourselves paying attention to the tasks and the actions, without paying the same attention to why we want to do these things, or why we even want or need them in the first place.
Part of you remembering and achieving your goals is to look back at them and remind yourself of why you wanted them in the first place. Doing this will renew your sense of responsibility for yourself. Importantly, it will also help you realize if this is something you wanted for yourself or for others. Is it something that you put on your list because it was in line with what others around you were doing? Is it something that you wrote down because it was expected of you? Remembering the why will enable you to reflect on whether your resolutions mean anything to you
Check in on Your Peers
It has been said that people learn more effectively when they are teaching others. The same applies to accomplishing those new year resolutions now hanging by the thread. When you cause yourself to check on your peer’s progress to hold them accountable, you also do it for yourself; after all, you don’t want to be the person who holds others in high regard, and not hold yourself to the same standards.
In addition, checking in on your peers and their resolutions should remind you that you are not the only one working on some goals; community in achieving goals go along way, and you might even find that they have the same goals as you. Your peers’ own experiences and plans might inspire you to get going and perhaps even present opportunities to share knowledge and resources that could spearhead those achievements.
Break it Down
When setting these resolutions, most of us tend to list each goal, but with little attention to the direction of how we are going to achieve them. Some people go as far as to say that when you have a goal but not the broken-down steps on how to achieve it, then it is not a goal, but a dream.
And for the most part, resolutions tend to be dreams, because they capture the aspirational ideals that we aim for. But even the most conceptual goals (such as “Be more present” can be broken down to smaller pieces (listen to meditations for 15 minutes a day). So, if you set high resolutions but did not break it down to smaller do-able steps, perhaps now is the time. You might be surprised at how achievable the resolutions can seem all so suddenly!
Accept Change
When we set our resolutions, we don’t anticipate that we are going to change our minds. Yes, perhaps we are somewhat aware that we will probably abandon some of the goals, but altogether, we assume that our mentality will remain static. But that’s often not the case. Throughout the year, we are exposed to different people, different cultures, different challenges, and much more. These experiences shape us in a way that can alter our life’s purpose, altogether, as well as, subsequently, our resolutions and goals.
When that happens, you should feel perfectly fine to accept it. You can look at your list of your resolutions and embrace the fact that it’s possible and perfectly fine to let go of resolutions or goals that you no longer feel connected to. For this reason, learning to adapt better to situations should probably be a permanent goal on our resolutions!
There is Time
As much as we embrace the beginning of the year as an opportunity for a fresh start, we don’t face the end of it with the same optimism; sometimes the end of the year can seem like the end of things, including time. You may check your list of resolutions and find that you realistically do not have enough time to complete everything that you intended to. And that’s perfectly fine. It happens that we find ourselves chasing after achievements or labels or positions, so much so that we rarely marvel in our own presence and our own fulfilment.
In a world where hyper-productivity and displaying achievements is so prevalent, it is easy to feel like what you have achieved is not enough. When looking at your resolutions, remember to take time to check in on your own happiness. Achieving goals and resolutions can give some motivation and propel your life goals, but it is entirely possible to achieve milestones and still not be fulfilled. It is therefore essential for you to highlight the aspects of your life that make you happy and bring great purpose to your life. To achieve your resolutions, there will always be time. But to make yourself be fulfilled and present, the time is now, and it should always be.
FILE - Opposition leader and former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, speaks at a news event in Kampala, Uganda, June 14, 2021.
By NANGAYI GUYSON
KAMPALA, Uganda — Maria Nakyanzi, 61, a resident of Kyango-Kazo cell in Kasaali Town Council, Kyotera District, was attacked on September 2, 2021 at around 8 p.m. by machete wielding assassins who sliced one of her arms and she is undergoing treatment in Kalisizo Hospital in the southern part of Uganda.
“I had just finished my household chores,” Nakyanzi told IEA over the phone through her son Chris Mussengabi. I was sweeping the compound at 7:00 p.m. when I began to feel huge blows to the head, which forced me to fall to the ground, and this man began cutting me with the intention of slicing off my head. I simply used my hands to defend myself. After several minutes of struggling, I believe he concluded I was dead and abandoned me. I was bleeding too much and my neighbors found in a pool of blood. They came to my rescue, which is why I'm in the hospital.”
Joan Nalubega, 38, a resident of Kimanya B, Kimaanya- Kabonera constituency in Masaka City, was also killed in a separate incident on the same night by machete wielding assassins. They gravely injured the baby she was carrying on her back.
In an earlier incident on August 26, Madi Mulindwa, 47, was assassinated at his new house in Kisaaka Village, Kimaanya –Kabonera Division, Masaka City, on the border of Masaka and the districts of Lwengo and Bukomansimbi which was still under construction by machete wielding assassins.
"The killers attacked Kisaaka at around 10:30pm," stated Robert Mukasa. They chopped him to death."
“Some of our people are fleeing to neighboring districts since the situation is getting worse by the day, and we don't see security officers in our areas,” Mukasa told IEA on a phone interview.
The incidents stated above, which Mohammed Nsubuga, the Southern Regional Spokesman have confirmed, are just a few of many.
“Yes, all of these attacks have occurred,” he told IEA, “but we're working closely with sister security organizations to ensure the area is protected and the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Ugandan Authorities confirmed that unknown machete-wielding assailants have killed at least 30 people within the months of July and August in central and southern parts of the eastern African country.
The motives behind these attacks are unknown, leaving Ugandans fearful and with many concerns about could be these attackers. But President Museveni, on the other hand, has accused the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group with Islamist roots operating in eastern DRC, of being behind plans and orders to kill Ugandans, and has said he is in talks with his DRC counterpart, President Felix Tshisekedi, to allow Ugandan forces to attack them.
“The planning and orders for killing our people are coming from the terrorists in Eastern Congo,” Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni remarked on August 26 during the funeral of Lt Gen Paul Lokech, also known as the lion of Mogadishu. We're still talking to HE Felix Tshisekedi on how to get rid of that cancer.” Adding that that he will meet with UNSC members to discuss measures to deal with the ADF threat, stating that it was inappropriate for the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUSCO) to coexist with the terrorist organization.
“Our soldiers are prepared to assist in the eradication of these parasites. We just need the Congolese government's approval,” he explained.
Showing his determination to invade Eastern Congo in search for the rebels, a very quick meeting with United Nations Security Council was arranged and on September 2, 2021, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni held a consultative meeting at State House in Entebbe with the five Ambassadors representing the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council which he later described as fruitful.
On the same topic, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will address the nation next week about the crime epidemic in Masaka City driven by machete-wielding bandits known locally as “Kijjambiya”.
The Ugandan Police have Charged two members of parliament in connection to the rampant machete-wielding attacks.
The director Criminal Investigations Paul Kato Tumuhimbise, confirmed to IEA that police on August 3, 2021 summoned politicians Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West) in connection with the larger Masaka murders and have since been charged with murder and terrorism charges.
“We found it necessary to summon the two Members of Parliament to help us in the investigations. It’s too early to talk about which cases they have but I can confirm to you that we summed them” He told IEA.
Muhammed Ssegirinya, a Kawempe North Member of Parliament (MP), has expressed surprise at police summons in connection with murders.
“I'm outraged that the cops are dragging me into murders like this. I was in the Netherlands for the last three weeks and only returned on September 3. I've never been to a location where people are being killed. I'm not sure why they've summoned me.
Ssegirinya told IEA, "This is merely a political witch hunt." “The regime of President Museveni used to blackmail political opponents. If you disagree with them, they will do everything they can to pull you into a high-profile case so that you become their prisoner or your reputation is destroyed. I'm perplexed that someone can turn against the people who have asked to vote for him and begin chopping them up. “I have no idea what the cops are talking about, but I will go there and listen to what they have to say,” Allan Ssewanyana Member of Parliament for Makindye west in the Capital Kampala told IEA earlier before his arrest.
MPs Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Sewanyana of the National Unity Platform (NUP) were charged with three charges of murder and one count of attempted murder before the Masaka Magistrates court, according to their lawyer Elias Lukwago.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has been accused of terrorizing the Greater Masaka region for rejecting him in previous elections, according to opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine. He claims that every time a region rejects Museveni in an election, bloodshed ensues, as seen in Acholi and Kasese, among other places.
Bobi Wine also said that the murders in the Greater Masaka region are part of Museveni's attempt to discredit political opponents and persuade people to back the regime.
"Those who know Museveni and how he operates would not be surprised if the entire purpose of these homicides is to blame political rivals and sow dread in the region and country” Bobi wine told IEA.
Because of the escalating killings of people in the area by Machete-wielding assailants, Kira municipality member of Parliament Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda believes that the Ugandan government has failed to provide enough security to the residents of the greater Masaka region and the surrounding districts, and has advised the government to give out guns to the people of Masaka to protect themselves.
Forum Democratic Change’s Secretary General Ssemujju Nganda raised the subject on the floor of Parliament on the 31st of August plenary session, expressing his concern to save the lives of Masaka citizens who are losing their lives on a regular basis, adding that the government is taking the situation for granted while people are dying.
“If it had been a protest, commandos would have been deployed all over the place, but this shows that power is more important in Uganda than people's lives; when there were problems in northern Uganda, people were asked to form groups, moved from arrows, and given guns; if people holding guns are unable to protect the people of Uganda, let people be given guns and protect themselves," Ssemujju informed Parliament.
Ugandans, have been disillusioned by security organizations, which claimed to have security under control when people are continuing to be killed. The country's military announced on Friday 26 August, 2021, that a suspected suicide bomber who was intending to attack the funeral of a key army commander had been apprehended in northern Uganda.
The suspect, Katumba Abdul aka Ben, was apprehended during an operation in the Pader district, according to the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF).
According to UPDF spokesman Brig. Flavia Byekwaso, the suspect had a variety of explosive devices in his possession, including ball bearings, detonators, switches, and suicide vests.
MALALA:Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala Image:FILE
ANC MPs give ultimatum to principals to announce a presidential candidate
In Summary
The enemy is approaching. He is firing at us we can't do anything. So, we risking our individual lives as politicians.
We cannot stay in a political movement that has no direction about eight months to an election. Mudavadi needs running mate outside Oka.
We are soldiers in a troop and we are carrying firearms. But we don’t have a general to tell us what to do or give directions.
The enemy is approaching. He is firing and at us we can't do anything. So, we are risking our individual lives as politicians.
We cannot stay in a political movement that has no direction about eight months to an election.
At the moment, we need to have one person that we can market. People are already marketing their candidates. We cannot just continue sitting here.
If it was a strategy to not name a candidate now, that would have been good. But it’s not even a strategy.
When you talk to Kamba leaders, they say when if it's not Kalonzo [Musyoka], then this thing can't work. We say the same thing.
When you listen to Gideon Moi, he says they will be working with Raila. Yesterday he said Raila is a friend and is part of us.
Now, such confusion as we open the year is very dangerous as a political movement.
His (Gideon's) body language is confusing us as foot soldiers. That's why we want a definite leader who can give direction to the troops so we don’t sent mixed signals to our supporters.
We don’t want a situation where one principal says they will support Raila and another says they will support others.
There might be unity of convergence in Oka but there is not unity of vision. For us to condense and crystallise this vision, we need to have a leader.
As ANC members, we have given enough notice to the principals to announce a candidate.
Everybody is insisting that it must be them. We do not have deliberate steps that are being undertaken and been monitored to settle on one person. That's the problem.
We will look for other strategic partners who are willing to talk and give us clear direction.
We will look for a running mate for Musalia Mudavadi outside of Oka and e will ask him to go to the ballot.
The Senator for Kakamega spoke to the Star - (Edited by V. Graham) The Star
Ainabkoi MP William Chepkut during an interview with Standard on a hospital bed at Mediheal Hospital in Parklands, Nairobi where he undergoing treatment after he suffered injuries following an accident in a city hotel. November 14, 2021. Photo David Njaaga/Standard
Ainabkoi Member of Parliament William Chepkut is a humorous man. He never fails to attract attention.
Apart from his colourful suits while on official duties, he wears another hat whenever he attends dowry negotiations or wedding ceremonies back in the village; he cracks ribs with his comical jigs.
On some occasions, he ignores the high table and settles in kitchen behind the tents to prepare tea for the visitors; actions that have endeared him to many. But for several months now, Chepkut has been missing in action.
Unknown to many, the MP has been recuperating in hospital following an accident at a city hotel. He says he missed a step at a staircase and rolled down sustaining serious injuries on his knees.
When The Standard caught up with him on Sunday afternoon at Mediheal Hospital in Parklands, he was talking to university students who had paid him a visit.
Even though his humour is still intact, a tinge of sadness flashes across his face as he adjusts the hospital bed to share his ordeal for the first time.
“In July, I missed a step at the hotel and rolled down several metres to the ground; I fainted and was rushed to Nairobi Hospital where I received treatment was discharged,” he explained.
Afterwards, Chepkut says he went to Dubai for further consultation and was told that he had to undergo surgery to treat his knee.
“I took it lightly and came back home and then proceeded to Uganda for other duties. But in a shocking twist of fate, around the same time I suffered two other accidents that totally grounded me.”
He says that in the last accident, he fractured his hand and was rushed to Mediheal Hospital in a critical condition where he was admitted at the Intensive Care Unit. He later underwent a 36-hour surgery on his legs and the injured arm.
“Being in hospital bed for this long has taught me a lot. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and how people have sacrificed their time to come and see and pray for me. I got a call from President Uhuru while he was in United States. Deputy President William Ruto has also reached out.”
For some time now, Chepkut has branded himself as the only leader who speaks the truth.
“There's another incident that happened in 2002, but I have kept it a secret. It was during the change of regime when I was poisoned. Some of my organs were badly damaged that I had to undergo a kidney transplant,” he reveals.
“It was one of the worst time's of my life but I survived it. At the time, I had not even settled in life but former President Daniel Moi extended a helping hand and that’s how I started my journey in life.”
The MP says he will spill more secrets in a book that he is authoring but he is quick to add that surviving such ordeals made him change his perspective in life.
On why he likes grabbing attention at events and ceremonies, Chepkut says he has learnt from the Bible which is placed on a simple table beside his hospital bed that there is time for everything.
“I'm a simple politician and I celebrate with those who celebrate."
He concludes: “I really miss those moments. I miss weddings and other ceremonies."
Chepkut may be in hospital for another one month. - Pkemoi Ng'enoh, The Standard
The fighting in the north has forced two million from their homes and many more in need of food aid
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is travelling to Kenya, where he will be discussing the conflict in neighbouring Ethiopia.
US and UK citizens have been told to leave Ethiopia "while commercial flights are readily available", in the words of a British minister.
This alarming advice, with echoes of Kabul in August, was issued as a rebel force from the northern Tigray region looked like it could be making a move on the capital, Addis Ababa.
A year into the civil war, which has left a humanitarian crisis in its wake, the chorus of outside concern is getting louder.
African and US diplomatic pressure is increasing as what happens in Ethiopia has huge implications for the rest of the region and the wider world.
Why does it matter?
The numbers on their own are shocking.
At least 400,000 people are facing famine-like conditions in the north, 80% of essential medication is not available and more than two million people have been forced from their homes.
The federal government has been accused of deliberately preventing aid from reaching Tigray, which it denies.
In addition, there is evidence of unlawful killings, torture and sexual violence committed by both sides.
But there are also strategic interests.
Ethiopia, with a population of 110 million - the second largest on the continent, had been a key, stable Western ally in a volatile region.
There are concerns that the current fighting could trigger wider violence in this multi-ethnic nation that could even lead to it breaking up. If millions of people were to flee a heightened conflict, its neighbours would find it difficult to cope.
Landlocked Ethiopia borders six countries, two of which are already experiencing conflict - South Sudan and Somalia - and one other, Sudan, has just seen a military takeover.
It has troops in the joint African Union-UN mission fighting Islamist militants in Somalia and there are fears they could be withdrawn if they were needed back home.
Before leaving for his Africa tour, Mr Blinken warned that out-and-out conflict would be "disastrous for the Ethiopian people and also for others in the region".
Troops from Eritrea are already fighting in Ethiopia and a prolonged crisis could suck in other neighbours.
But countries further afield have also been reportedly drawn in.
IMAGE SOURCE,AFP
Image caption, Earlier this month, tens of thousands turned out in Addis Ababa to back the government in the war against the TPLF
Ethiopia has also purchased Chinese and Iranian weapons, and flights taking off from the United Arab Emirates are being used to transport them, the defence website Oryx reports.
From a US perspective, Ethiopia has long been seen as a reliable ally, especially during the so-called War on Terror.
It has fought against Islamist militants in Somalia on the frontline of that conflict and offered the US use of its airspace during the Iraq war. It was one of a few African countries to join the US' "coalition of the willing".
Stable government in Ethiopia has been vital to that relationship. The US has backed it up financially, handing over $4.2bn (£3.1bn) in aid between 2016 and 2020.
But the US envoy to the region, Jeffrey Feltman, has not shied away from criticising the federal government saying that its policies have resulted in mass starvation, and compared it to the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Is the capital under threat?
After a series of advances by fighters for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) along a main highway leading from the north into Addis Ababa, the tension cranked up.
The US issued the evacuation call to its citizens and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced a state of emergency and asked for more military recruits.
The Addis Ababa authorities called on people to register weapons.
Another rebel group allied to the TPLF said they were also getting closer to the capital.
The multi-ethnic nature of the city has added to tensions there, with some accusing the authorities of targeting Tigrayans in a series of arrests.
But the Tigrayan forces are still more than 300km from the city - around the town of Kombolcha.
"It's not the Taliban marching through Afghanistan and taking town after town without firing a bullet," Tibor Nagy, the former US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, told the BBC.
"Where the TPLF is operating now, there is huge resistance… and it would be a horrendously bloody battle for Addis Ababa."
He believes that taking the capital is being used as a threat in the same way that a nuclear power might use the possibility of launching its weapons.
The TPLF has said that what it really wants is to enable aid supplies to get through to Tigray.
"We will continue to march [towards Addis Ababa]… but it's not so much about Addis Ababa as our intention to arm-twist Abiy to lift the blockade," spokesperson Getachew Reda told BBC Focus on Africa.
The Ethiopian government has designated the TPLF as a terrorist organisation and the prime minister has vowed to fight on.
"We will bury this enemy with our blood and bones and make the glory of Ethiopia high again," Mr Abiy said earlier this month.
Are there any peace talks?
The concern now is that the conflict is entering a new phase and it will become increasingly difficult for either side to step back.
There are also fears the fighting could spread across the country.
The TPLF has allied itself with a series of groups also opposed to the government in a new coalition seeking the end of Mr Abiy's premiership.
The African Union envoy to the region, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, has spoken about a small "window of opportunity".
"Time is short for any intervention," he told the UN security council after he talking to both sides during a recent visit to Ethiopia.
He is calling for dialogue and a political solution, though has not yet described how that could be achieved.
The response by Ethiopia's UN ambassador, Taye Atske Selassie, encapsulated the difficulties mediators will face. He said he respected the call for dialogue but then went on to describe the TPLF as "a criminal group".
IMAGE SOURCE,AFP
Image caption, Tigrayans living in the US marched in Washington DC on the first anniversary of the outbreak of the war
TPLF spokesman Mr Getachew, meanwhile, tweeted that "most 'peace initiatives' are mainly about saving [Prime Minister] Abiy, not about addressing the most critical political challenges in the country".
Of course, negotiations to end wars are by their nature between seemingly implacable foes.
One way to get the two sides to sit down together would be for both the US and China, as well as others countries such as Turkey, to act together, the former US diplomat Mr Nagy argues.
"Abiy would not be able to resist the US and China saying the same thing."
He says the first thing would be to get the fighting to end and make sure aid can be delivered and then gradually explore political options.
What is the war about?
At the root of the conflict is a disagreement between Prime Minister Abiy and the TPLF, which for almost 27 years dominated the whole country, not just Tigray.
Mr Abiy came to power in 2018 on the back of a wave of protests by members of the Oromo ethnic group.
The Oromos - Ethiopia's largest group - long felt marginalised. Mr Abiy, himself an Oromo and part of the ruling coalition, was seen as the man who could resolve the problem.
In a whirlwind of reform, in which he liberalised politics and made peace with long-time foe Eritrea, the TPLF was sidelined.
The simmering dispute between the TPLF and Mr Abiy then erupted into war 12 months ago when Tigrayan forces were accused of attacking army bases to steal weapons and the federal government responded. Source: BBC
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