In the New Year, our readers want to quit their bad habits, focus on their career or change their career and lifestyle, give more time to their family and friends, or become a new person

 I would like to go vegan. Rather than starting a new life, I would like to spare the lives of the innocent animals. It isn’t that I don’t love chicken momos or sausages, but if I let go of my love for meat, that could make our planet a less cruel — I would take the chance to make benevolent choices. I know it might be hard occasionally for I have been a non-vegetarian for the past 16 years. However, I am determined. And from 2017 I want to make a healthy choice for myself and the environment. Also, I have already explored vegan recipes and prepared a few items which turned out to be delicious. So, I am glad that I can still reward myself with heavenly taste going vegan.

— Sudesha Rimal

 My name is Kamlesh Rawal and I am from Tikapur, Kailali district. My parents — 55-year-old father and 50-year-old mother — work as security guards in India. After SLC my family sent me to Kathmandu for my further studies. After selling a small part of our land, I studied a technical subject — Lab Technician. After the course, I got a job with a salary of

Rs 5,000 which was very less to our family — our family struggles financially. One day a relative of mine told me that I was earning less and suggested me to go to the USA and said would take care of the expense that I need. So, I took IELTS exam in which I got 7.5 out of 9, sat for an interview for visa and I got visa for the USA. So, on February 5, 2017, I will be flying to the USA — the year 2017 will be a life changing year for me as my career and life of my family will change for good.

— Kamlesh Rawal

 Our life is nothing but a series of experiments. All of us are looking for love, success, happiness et cetera. The truth is that most of those experiments will fail, leaving us questioning the very reason for existence sometimes. In my life, I have come to realise what ancient mystics like Buddha and Mahavir realised ages ago that desire or obsession for something you don’t have causes humans to make endless mistakes that results in consequent misery. So, my  New Year’s resolution for 2017 is to tame that egoistic attitude which has poisoned my life. The new year will be welcomed with fresh hopes filled with humility and sense of contentment.

— Nerinav

 The year 2016 was the most terrifying year of my life. It became the longest year of my life and turned to be nothing that I had thought it would be at the end of 2015. I made some of the toughest decisions and most number of mistakes. I want to change it this year.

I have started Bachelor’s in Engineering. Choosing a career is not easy in our middle class society. And I don’t know if I did right or wrong by choosing Nepali Engineering as my career but I didn’t find other options. I was bound by the limitations of my family. Along with the ups and downs in my family, I saw the same in the relationships with my friends. I expected it to be better time and again, but kept repeating. So, I just waited the right time to start afresh.

A brand new year is that time. So, I hope to improve myself, score good marks and I will work hard and more in 2017. I don’t know why but when a new year begins, I feel energetic. It boosts me up and I am hopeful of doing new things in 2017 as it motivates me to forget the negative part of my life and move on. I just want to forget the year 2016 and achieve good things

in 2017. I want to boost my career and so I will focus more on my studies. I think I look reserved in front of others. So I want to change that aspect of

my life completely. I am also expecting to be active with friends and I have planned to go Sindhuli Gadhi.

— Binod Shrestha, Tilganga, Kathmandu

 If you are in a kind of a relation where your boy or girl is not ready to commit, then I am sure you are with the wrong person. As it is called experience speaks. I had this bitter experience a year ago but in this new year, I have decided to change my relationship status from ‘complicated’ to ‘single’. I made this major decision because I believe that before anything else, we should always love our self first. Here love our self refers to self-respect. You are in a relationship with a guy but this guy is not even sure of your position in his life. How would you feel? This confusion lowers your self-respect. So when someone says they love you, they also should be able to say it proudly. If they cannot do so, a perfect goodbye is a must. With this great New Year ahead, a new change in relationship is desirable.

— Anonymous

 I recently broke up with my boyfriend. We dated for three years and ever since we broke up I’ve been thinking a lot about changing everything about my life including mobile number, email address, hairstyle, fashion statement and everything. I’ve been indulging in unhealthy stuff like alcohol and smoking, and suddenly I saw your Question of the Week and I made up my mind at the very moment.

I would like to start my super new year 2017 being myself — I’m definitely not going to change anything about me. I’m going to throw this dirty

s**t that’s been bothering me. I’m going to focus on my career, quit drinking and smoking, spend more time with my family and friends, go to the mountains and treat myself. I’m going to shine  brighter this year like never before.

— Anonymous

 This year if I could stay still in my resolution, I would like to change myself  rather than any other aspect of  my life. I would like to conquer my fear. I would like myself to have a bold personality with some confidence in the work I do. I have a low self-esteem which creates a lot of problem. If I know the solution others have, I feel it’s wrong or they would laugh at me. I feel like I would be humiliated if I share my views. I have faced difficulties in indulging in a group many times.

I am happy in myself but I think I can do much better if only I could believe in myself rather than thinking about what others would say. I would like this year to help me gain confidence and conquer my little fear to help another year to pass without getting wasted like previous one. I hope that the year 2017 would be productive while using gadgets and Internet.

— Anonymous

 Walking all the way on my side, I didn’t even realise that 25 years of my life have passed. Those days were simple head start, same work and same food — monotonous life. But coming to this point, I have thought of changing a bit of myself. I don’t want to be that same girl with the same hectic schedule. Somehow I have managed to be more compatible with everyone around me. I have started to go to temples every Saturday, and meet my family and friends. And for 2017 I have planned to change my schedule and to give much of my time to my family and a little to my own work, or for religion and folk stories. I also want to go for hikes and obviously change my job.

— Anonymous

 I have recently moved to New York for my further education. And being a New Yorker, for me every day is a new day and of course a new life. Well, but if it comes to plan for starting a new life while a new year is here, I might not change rather I would make it a better life with what

I have. Living in a place like New York, far from home of course means missing home but I should see the bright side of it and overcome bad aspects. This place has a lot to offer like challenges, opportunities, happiness, loneliness along with miseries. But what I can do is be more patient no matter how fast time is rushing, to be more kindhearted no matter how mad the world is at you, to be more determined no matter how hard the failure hunts you and so on. These are the betterment I would like to bring in my life on this New Year 2017.

— Swekchha Luitel, New York

 We human beings always want to be happy and from recent studies and surveys, it has been concluded that real happiness lies not in materialistic things. The truth behind real happiness is when we get to experience new things in life. It can be either visiting new place, or getting new dress, or eating new delicacy or getting to experience new adventures in life. When I get new things in life, it feels like the happiest moment in my life. This New Year, I have decided to visit all nooks and corners of our country although I have visited most of the parts. In addition I have the most important or game changing steps that I have taken towards career — to expand my business. I have been involved in the business of solar and inverters since the last decade. Now I want to expand my business to the biomedical field as well. Likewise I would also like to change my status from single to married this year — I think it is the perfect time to enjoy conjugal life since I am over 27-year-old.

— Anonymous

 It is an undeniable fact that humans are born imperfect but they can be perfect to some extent through their good behaviour. As for me there was a time when I was going through a lot of hardship — lack of money, loss in business, bank loan, et cetera and they pulled me down time and again. But some life changing decisions and strong determination pulled me to the path of success. I started business in handicrafts and paintings with just Rs 30,000 and it made me into a multimillionaire in 10 years. I often well up with tears whenever I remember my struggling days. This year I am planning to invest some percentage of my capital in stocks and some in real estate as there is no potential risk in this sector. Likewise I will also expand my old business to foreign lands. In addition I am planning to sign up for insurance of my offsprings so that when they are grown-ups, I can utilise that amount for their higher studies.

— Anonymous

 When one chapter ends in life, another begins. Everything that has a beginning has an end at some point or the other. For me my educational graph almost came to an end in 2016 because I recently completed my post-graduation. So, for me my focus in this new year will be my career. Also New Year is the perfect time for all of us to start new things in life, and in my context, it’s my birthday too, so what else can be better than think of starting something new in New Year which happens to be your birthday as well. As a student whatever I have learnt and achieved in life, it’s time for me to explore that knowledge practically in terms of my career. I have a dream to work as a government officer and so my concern at present is to stick with it for that I have been preparing myself so that I can achieve what I have dreamt of. Apart from this I am happy with whatever I have so far with me in terms of family, home and relationship which I do not wish to change instead hope and pray that it remain like this forever with me.

— Tejaswi Pahari, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur

 Most of the people are not satisfied with their regular life. Everyone wants to have a change in at least one aspect of their life. I also want change. I want change in two aspects of my life — family and anger. I want change in my non-responsible behaviour towards my family and I want to address my temper problem in my life. I don’t like myself not regarding my family as an important part. I don’t give much time and respect to my family members which is a very bad habit of mine. I don’t take parents as determining factors for my success. I want this habit to go from my life. I also want to kick this temper problem out from my life. I get angry too quickly. Sometimes without understanding the whole matter, I burst and sometimes I get extremely angry on small matters which later harm myself. I can’t make friends due to my bad temper and I am regarded as an inferior guy due to this habit.

— Anonymous

 I want a tremendous change in this upcoming New Year 2017. I expect a healthy relationship with all my family members, friends and neighbours. I hope this year will give me a lot of sense of humour for achieving goals in my life. In this year, I expect to pass SLC examination with flying colours. And I am sure that I will achieve success

in my life this year. I want to work harder than 2016 to achieve higher success in 2017 because I want to show to my family that I can do things,

and be a role model to many of the juniors in my locality. In the end, I want these kinds of changes in the New Year and I am sure, I will achieve it because I deserve it.

— Ankur Anand Karn, Birgunj-3

 Life cannot be changed but we can change our decisions. I seem to feel that life is not precious. Sure some might think that their life is filled with pain, sufferings and struggles but they hold on to their life and cling on to it with some air of interest. But I have always known that after bad moments come good ones. We never know what will happen next. This coming New Year I want to figure out who I am, what I want to become, and what my talents are. I want to change the mentality of everyone that girls can do everything and have potential to do work like boys. As I did things what

my parents want, now I want to do something else which makes me happy. I will create a strong bond with my friends and family members who mean the world to me. Before I begin, I need to ask myself if I am starting over with or without support, and should I avoid starting over if  I haven’t spent time evaluating where I stand in life and what I need to change.

— Anonymous

 Our life is dynamic and with this changing life we want to see ourselves being as a better person than ever. Every year I make New Year’s resolutions hoping that maybe this year I will start doing something more creative than just wasting my time or how I will be better but all in vain. But all my hopes go in vain after a day or two. But this year I am willing to give my best to become a happy and successful girl. I have a really bad temper so I would want to control my anger and my reaction towards other people. Instead I want to be pro-active. Life is so beautiful then why not see beautiful things than just living with bad thoughts? There’s a saying that light a candle rather than curse the darkness. Keeping this in mind I want my new year to be filled with nothing more than happiness and positivity. And I believe that with a strong heart that 2017 will be my best year to completely begin a new life.

— Prakriti Thapa, Pokhara

 Since we are in New Year — 2017 of the English calendar, we are eagerly waiting to start anew. Different people might be having grand plans for grand accomplishments whereas some others might be wishing for simple but worthy achievements. To me, boosting my career is the change that I am seeking for in the year 2017. I believe that strengthening my career aptly will support me to gain perfection in my work so that I can carry out any decision and action without failure. Moreover, career development process will discipline a person to design him/her to act wisely in adverse situations too. Additionally, the success of career formation is closely connected to the procedure of socialisation which can always make a person aware of his responsibility, accountability and stewardship towards his family, society and nation as well. This is why I prefer my career change as an acute resolution this year.

— Padam Rai, Jaljale, Udayapur

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Following the YOLO (You Live Only Once) motto, people are trying to fill their lives with adventure and thrill, trying out new things that they haven’t before, even if it is just once. They do not want to lead a monotonous and boring life. If you get a chance, what kind of an adventure would you

embark on? Why?

­Send your replies in not more than 200 words by Friday, January 6 by 2:00 pm to Features, The Himalayan Times, e-mail: features@thehimalayantimes.com