My 2022 Resolutions and the Key Takeaways for 2023

In December 2021, I made a few resolutions for 2022. One was academic, the other a personal development initiative and the last a work-related goal. The idea was to achieve these goals. This was the first time to set clear goals and a framework for achieving them. Previously, I would roughly have one bigger goal, say getting a better-paying job or a study program, and then plowed my way through the year.

But my experience with 2022 resolutions shows that setting goals_ and achieving them_ is a difficult one, especially if you are living in Juba. This is not to say you should discard the pieces of advice you get on how to set goals and accomplish them. There is no single framework that works for all. I, for instance, failed to achieve some of my 2022 resolutions. But the thing is that you will need more than a structured system or a routine to achieve your goals.  In Juba, disruptive events, the high cost of living and one’s social environment are good indicators of whether you will stick to your resolutions and achieve them

If you are staying in Juba, chances are that you can relate to the high frequency or adverse effects of disruptive events. Whether you are talking of weddings, communal meetings, youth/students’ association meetings, fund-raising events or frequently hanging out with relatives/friends, they are more likely to disrupt your work/rest plans. They have a tendency of taking up hours you could either rest, work, reflect, reset or all the above.  One student of the University of Juba confessed to me last year how these events have undermined his study schedules for the past few years, resulting in low grades and loss of focus.  He is not alone. I have also struggled to avoid these events in Juba because the moment one tries to avoid these events, a charge of detachment from one’s community or social circle after some semblance of success can easily be labelled against one. How you balance these disruptive events and your weekly/monthly schedule is indicative of whether you will accomplish your resolutions by the end of the year.

But disruptive events are not the only problems you will encounter in Juba. Unless you are financially stable, Juba is an extremely expensive city, and chances are that you may trade your routine with trying to stay afloat. In fact, Employment Conditions Abroad (ECA) International ranked Juba as the global most expensive city in 2017 for expatriates. The high cost of living in Juba affects not only expatriates but also nationals, with food, housing, transportation, personal care, entertainment, etc. representing bigger problems than disruptive events.  Livingcost.org estimates the cost of living for a single person in Juba at USD $1,261.3. For a family of four, you will need close to USD $3,108 to maintain a standard of living that allows you to achieve your goals. This shows that as you set your goals for the new year (unless hustling is one of your goals), you will additionally need to factor in how you will sustain yourself and your family in Juba.  

There is also your social environment. Even if you are financially stable, your social environment plays a critical role in achieving your goals. It either supports or distracts. Early this year, I planned to publish a weekly blog. Initially, I collaborated with Dr Joseph Geng Akech and published on the constitution-making blog. This went on for about a month and stopped. I found it difficult to sustain it because of my social setting.  For example,  in August 2022, I set up my own personal blog and started publishing it. It worked pretty well when I was in Nairobi. When I returned to Juba, I only published in the first week. In the second week, a cousin’s marriage came knocking on my door, with the event demanding that I travel to the village. The event consumed over three weeks. When I returned to Juba, the clock was quickly ticking on job-related deliverables. And before I could reflect, boom, it is December 2022. The year is over.

The important takeaways are that how you manage disruptive events, sustain the high cost of living in Juba and control your social circle/environment could have a considerable bearing on achieving your 2023 resolutions.