HAPPY New Year Sara, Embun, Apid, Stephanie, Julian, Rayyan, Panda, Tony, Sin, Peter, Jay and Aru! Wherever you may be today, my wish is for each and every one of you to drag 2017 by the throat and make it work for you!
Each of you harbour your own ambitions. Your parents may have their own plans for you as well. They normally do. But one thing is crystal clear — you have to work hard to realise that dream. And, 2017 can be the start of that dream, no matter how small or big. Some parents don’t care whether you have one or not. But they will be happy and proud if you achieve yours and give them some reason to cheer.
You must take control of your life in 2017 and make something out of it. Pause only to plan. Never ever lose your focus and stay on track. That is the real challenge for you. It’s not the morning rain that forces you to think twice about going out to train. It’s not the neighbour’s dog barking all day that takes you away from your studies. The rain and the dog are nothing but distractions. These distractions will keep you away from your goals and make you fail. A few of you enter the year at a new school. You may need a bit of time to get used to the new situation. Since you are young, you will adapt quickly and not allow any biases and prejudices to stand in the way.
There are a number of “must-do” items for you to consider. Topping the list is your physical health. Too many of you pay little attention to your fitness. Hence, you fall sick easily. You need to go out there and work out. Exercise! You just need to look around you and see the number of obese people around. Scary actually. If you don’t look after your body at an early age, your body will not look after you later. Go out to the park and run! Jog if you can. Or at least walk. Get some sweat out and challenge yourself. Do it for a week and you can feel the change.
You have not been reading either. You spend so much time on social media on your smartphone you are beginning to be a stranger even to family members. I notice your frequent status updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They seldom fail to attract “likes” and comments. That’s good, but I fear you are not communicating enough with those near and dear to you.
I know that a couple of you cannot wait to see the back of 2016 quickly enough. For many people, last year was an exceptionally rough one.
Panda, I know what you went through. You are indeed lucky to get into the new year at all. Judging from the stories friends narrated to me, you survived through sheer luck and a sincere heart. Bob said: “We are lucky Panda is still with us. It could have been a different situation for her if not for timely intervention from caring friends and associates.
“The good news is Panda has seen the worst. She is on the rise. There are clear signs that she’s on the mend (in more ways than one) and she’ll be a totally different person next week,” remarked Bob as he gave a detailed account of what Panda went through for the better part of 2015 and 2016.
For all of you, 2017 is a year of consolidation. You need to refine your skills and pick up new ones. You are not short of supporters. No one will stop you from being what you want to be except yourself. You must be all that you can be.
As for the senior citizens among you, fret not. Age is just a number. Look at Jay — cycling hundreds of kilometres just to keep up with his teenage children! I don’t agree with the notion that senior citizens should stay home and prepare for death. Death can come to anyone at any age. Everyone knows that. Pick up a new language. Learn to cook gourmet dishes. Maybe it is also time to pack your bags and go on that world trip with your spouse. May 2017 be a prosperous and happy one for everyone!
Email: ahmadt51@gmail.com
Twitter: @aatpahitmanis
Ahmad A Talib, is chairman of Yayasan Salam Malaysia.