New Year Resolutions: Its up to you to make your destiny!:

Access a whole New Year of opportunity!

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For last year's words belong to last year's language; next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.

- T. S. Eliot

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Charmaine FERNANDO

Make this a Happy New Year! Last year has turned history now, leaving behind us enough experience, exposure and lessons learnt, to shed new light on how to recognize opportunities and challenges and rise to each occasion with heightened spirits in the new year. Have a great Year ahead where you achieve your dreams! You have to mould your own destiny. Have you made your New Year Resolutions? A new Year brings in an auspicious hour to begin new beginnings; to shape each day in to a happy experience. Resolve to do what you want to do and work at it with commitment; no one can stop you getting there!

Have a change of heart

Well, with an economic recession still glaring in the face, resolving to spend less and save more in 2010 is the way forward in case you were a novice, wondering how to get about making a resolution or two. Nobody goes marketing to spend haywire in these days where cash is hard to come by. Every penny counts and how to buy for less without compromising on quality is another war only housewives know how to map out. Women are born thrifty and this is their hour to show their true colours.

Even tiny ants save for a rainy day, see? And, rainy days are already in. Human beings who calculate the distance from the earth to planets beyond our reach in light years didn't know it until the recession hit us, face flat. It seem like we have a tendency to focus on the distance rather than what's under our nose. Never mind.

Live 'simple'

There's a world of beauty in simplicity. Have you resolved to learn something new in the new year? Left-overs are small mercies in these days of a global recession and small cash. Jump-start your money-saving efforts with a few painless changes to the way that you spend.

If the folk in rich and mighty countries are trimming their personal budgets to such an extent that they work out car pools to save petrol spend and in New York, the shoppers have dropped in numbers and the luxury items and high end branded ware are reported stagnant sitting on dusty shelves. Nothing extravagant moves hands in these days of austerity. The world is watching their pennies and shillings. Take it easy. Spending less doesn't have to mean living less. Be rupee-wise and develop smart sense. Remember happiness is just a state of mind! Simplicity is, after all, a virtue worth inculcating; an asset in a financial crisis like the one this planet is going through right now.

In an impulse to feel the pulse of the people we meet and greet in our daily life, and to find out what resolutions they have ear-marked to ring in the new year, Daily News made some direct contacts to find out. Calling upon a few people who are versatile and principled we gathered that one does not need to wait for an auspicious time to launch a good habit or break a vice. But the general belief is that a New Year prompts a change of heart to become better and be wiser.

Plan your life

Janaki Kuruppu, Director - Strategy and Perceptions Management, Office of the President spoke about her personal ideas on life and what resolutions mean to her. Having achieved the pinnacle of success as an entrepreneur, she sold her research company to AC Neilsen and worked as its Managing Director.

Janaki Kuruppu	A.K. Rohana	Upul Lakshman	Ranjith Silva
Somapala Pallewela	Tharanga Priyadharshanie	Chandana Ratnayake	Chandani Nugawela

Later she joined Cargills as their Management Strategist. 'I made a change of heart two years back giving up the perks and benefits, joining the public sector to create an impact. As the Chairperson of Mother Sri Lanka' Movement, together with many private sector volunteers, we promote 'Think Country First' instilling a change of heart in the state sector employee attitude to infuse more dynamism in to the system', she explained.

Feeling the pinch

Resolving to be more spiritually oriented this year she plans to give more of herself in to work because 'its up to each one of us to make our work interesting enough to want to go to work every day and derive satisfaction at the end of the day. Each one has a role to play' she said.

We spoke, to Ranjith Silva, who is a retired private sector executive, about what hopes and aspirations he has for the New Year. 'According to my conscience I don't practice vices that are harmful to me, my family or my country. Every day is the same to me. My family comes first. Making them happy is my goal. I don't wait for special social or religious events or a New Year to start better practices in my life. This year I have resolved to focus more on the future prospects of my two younger sons and their professional studies. I live a simple retired life and the entire family is Dependant on the interest I derive from the bank. I am hopeful that the New Year will usher in a prosperous year, for the people of this country who have gone through a lot. The war is over. But with the world recession lifted sooner, with greater interest rates for pensioners, we believe life would turn better', he said.

We spoke to the internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan cookery expert, Felicia Sorensen who admitted that she cannot help putting on weight because she loves and always works with food. This New Year she has resolved to shape up somehow. She insists that she is a content person who has everything she ever wanted and does exactly what she wants.

She went further to mention she goes wherever she wants to go without any hindrance. 'I don't have to do things to please anyone. I am highly disciplined and very positive but my only weakness is food.

'I need to get back to exercises to stay fit to give back to the country for the contentment it has given me. I have travelled the world, worked three decades at the Hong Kong Hilton but Sri Lanka is my world and life. I am confident with the daunting spirit of Sri Lankans we will bounce back just the way we over came a terror ridden war and a tsunami. A world recession can't hold indomitable Sri Lankans down for long. Let's hope this New Year rings in new beginnings for the better', she said.

Daily News spoke to Somapala Pallewela who runs a wayside boutique selling eggs, coconut oil and dryfish among other commodities.

He was an angry man because his expectations have been high and there were very few sales. 'I don't have hopes. If I build on hopes I will be disappointed. We are just existing; not living. People are watching every cent they spend and how do we expect to make profits?' He lamented. 'I don't have savings because it is an impossibility in the current situation', he emphasized.

Practicing austerity

People are actually practicing austerity in times of hardship against a world financial recession. As a consequence people have less cash at hand. What little they have they are thinking twice about spending. Its not happening only in Sri Lanka. Its happening in the developed countries. Even the extravagant Americans who swear by brands are looking for bargains in smaller downtown stores. Life has its ups and downs. And this is one. People need to learn lessons from the wastage they have made and trim their budgets. Sri Lankans have started doing that now. The traders who lived on profit find it hard to face facts.

Upul Lakshman is a newspaper agent who runs a confectionery store selling cakes, biscuits and other sweet meats. He was an outspoken man with an open outlook. 'I have done this for 13 years. 2009 was not a prosperous year for me; not enough business as aspired. People expected a sudden change to take place soon after the war ended. When it didn't happen we got disheartened. But we know the reality is that people have less money in hand to spend and what little they have is spent on essentials. Confectionery is considered an extra so I am hard hit. A world financial recession has taken the toll on Sri Lanka as well perhaps,' he said.

'But one thing now we can go about freely from Point Dondra to Point Pedro. No restriction. No fear for life.

With time things should improve fast because a country, means its people and not the land alone. The people have suffered enough. People are hopeful and are looking up to have their expectations met,' he said.

Making ends meet

Chandana Ratnayake a pavement hawker was happy to have people crowd around him buying toys, tea strainers and little knick knacks for the home. His theory is that when you don't try to make big profits and understand peoples mentality it is easy to sell. 'I earn little but people crowd around me and gather a bargain,' he says. 'There is no big change that happened yet. But it is imminent. We are given loans from Sanasa to keep the business moving but we need to improve on our profits because the cost of living is high. I have resolved to make the most of this New Year and find new ways of earning better profits,' he said hopefully. Innovation is the key forward.

Tharanga Priyadharshanie was smiling from ear to ear because the past year had been a good one for her and the New Year holds a lot of exciting promises for her. This nineteen year old girl, a sales assistant in a sari shop says, 'I get paid well. I got this job. In the New Year we are getting married,' she smiled more. He is in the Army in Killinochchi and she plans to join him there and begin a whole new experience of a happy future!

'We are hopeful that life would be better now that the war phobia has subsided. The people need to move freely, have enough money in their hands to buy utilities and a secure country to live happily,' she said.

Chandani Nugawela, a married lady running a garment outlet said people don't spend rashly. They are looking for bargains. 'Last Christmas I had good sales when there was no world recession burden heavily sitting on our businesses. People has money to spend. Now people don't spend at all. I didn't do sales for even two thousand up to 30th December', she said.

Dress up the season

'New Year a good season for us and this is sale time. I am hopeful to make some good profits because Sri Lankans believe in dressing up the season with something new even if they are practicing austerity. My clothes are priced low and generally move well. I am very hopeful of having a change of heart to expand next year and it all depends on my sales at pre-New Year,' she said smiling.

Selling lottery tickets isn't the only job A.K. Rohana spends his life on. He has a permanent job in the state sector. Besides with the profits they have made has opened a boutique at home base where his wife manages the sales. 'Life is a challenge despite three income sources. Because the goods don't move as much as we want to. People are careful with every rupee. It's good but for businesses its trying,' he said.

Resolutions are not made by many but once they are made how they manage to keep depends not only on their commitment. Being global citizens we are influenced and weighed down by a global financial recessions.

One thing people are learning fast is waste not want not. Naturally resolutions are good as long as they are kept. Never lose hope. We Sri Lankans have great resilience against crisis situations. This time too our people will come round to live up a great New Year like never before! Enjoy!