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As we take a retrospect of 2021, we must remember that 2022 will not be any different from the previous years until we make a conscious effort to do things differently. Just like old wine doesn’t taste new when we put such in a new wineskin, we won’t get new results if we stick to our old, unproductive habits.

This is the year we must divorce some unproductive habits. Below are some of the habits. Take note of them all, especially the fifth one;

Making life a hell for others because others did same to you.

I have personally encountered lecturers who make the long essay project of their students a scary experience for them just because they did not have it easy with theirs. I have observed how some parents have denied their wards some vital opportunities because life was not easy for them when they were younger.

Life is not a revenge. If we were not comfortable with some setbacks, we should be intentional about removing those setbacks from the path of the generation after us. Our aim should be to make life easier for posterity. If those who will come after us will battle the same Goliaths we encountered, then there was no progress whatsoever.

We should not be unfair to others just because life was unfair to us. If people hand over to us a baton of hatred, we must be intentional about passing on a baton of love to others.

Mishandling government property.

It is such a pity how many treat properties that belong to the government. Some even steal from the office because they know that, after all, it belongs to the state. Mediocrity has almost become the watchword for any property that has got to do with government.

Our character is tested when we come into contact with what doesn’t belong to us. Our true selves come to bare by how we treat what belongs to others. In this new year, we must be intentional about treating people’s property as though it was ours.

Just because it is government property doesn’t mean it should be wasted. If we expect people to treat what belongs to us with utmost care, we should be conscious about treating what belongs to everybody with the same amount of care.

Counting your successes by the failure of others.

Some are happy when the businesses of others collapse. It may sound outrageous but some are even happy when their friends plunge into irrecoverable debts. Just because others failed doesn’t necessarily mean we will take their place.

No matter how many fishes reproduce in a year, the sea can still contain all of them. Regardless of how many birds there may ever be, there will be enough space for each of them to fly in the skies. Similarly, in life, there is always space at the top for everybody to soar.

Life is not a competition where people need to fail for others to win. Life is not, for instance, a football competition. We cannot have only one winner. The winning space is big enough to contain everybody who works hard.

The time we spend despising the wins of others could have been spent in making us better. In 2022, we must not wish that others fail. We must not gloat over their downfall. We all can win.

Postponing your happiness.

Some are waiting to own yachts for them to realize they are blessed. Others are waiting to be married to be happy. Nothing should make us postpone our gratitude. Whatever we are grateful for, we are happy about. All we have is today. We must be happy!

The day we lose our legs, we all realize what a blessing it is to walk. When our eyesight is no more, we understand that we had such a blessing we had taken for granted for a long while. We are all blessed. We are sometimes too busy chasing after material things that we forget all these blessings bestowed on us.

Pamper yourself. Speak life into your life. Don’t entertain any negativity that will poison your soul. Celebrate yourself as much as you celebrate your idols. Life on earth is too short to not be happy.

The little you have is enough for celebration. While waiting to win big, learn to celebrate your small wins. A postponed happiness is a postponed life. If you are waiting to be happy tomorrow, you will never be happy.

Blaming your failures on everybody except yourself.

An entitled mentality assumes that everybody owes them everything. People with an entitled mindset do not go any extra mile for themselves. After all, others must do so for them. They go about blaming everybody and everything for their woes.

People who have concluded that others owe them one favor or the other always owe. They are always drowning in poverty. They are never able to live their life to the fullest because they are almost always looking up to some non-existent help.

We need to take responsibility of our lives in 2022. A life on autopilot lands nowhere. Great achievements don’t just happen. There is always an intentional effort behind every great thing you see happen anywhere in this life. Your life is in your hands. Make something great out of it.

The writer is a playwright and Chief Scribe of Scribe Communications, an Accra-based writing company (www.scribecommltd.com). His play, I Want To Sue God!, is Saturday, March 5 & Sunday, March 6, 2022 at 3pm and 7pm at National Theater. Visit www.scribeproductions.com for more details.