A new year. A fresh beginning. A new start. A new chapter to be written in the life of our world, our country, our nation and our private lives. 365 sun-kissed mornings and starlit evenings lie ahead, bursting with anticipation and promises. Questions to be asked, answers to be discovered, problems to be resolved, plans to be made, dreams to be lived, and opportunities to be found. At the start of this new year, as the roar of the traffic outside my window picks up again following the brief Christmas respite, it is good to sit back, to reflect and yes, perhaps to even dream a little.

I was saying to myself the other day that we need a cyclone in our lives – the psychological type. Here’s why. As our country grapples with the twin challenges of globalization and technology, it will have to undergo massive change in order to shed its old image of an isolated island in the middle of nowhere and fulfil its vision of becoming the “tiger of the Indian Ocean”. As our corporations gear themselves to support this “tiger” vision, they will have to become highly customer focused, clear in their vision, empowered all the way, constantly learning and innovating, and conservative in their finances. And as our leaders in turn grapple with the immense task of building a high-performance team, they will have to find ways to unleash passion in their employees, transform their dreams into realities, build commitment and deliver results.

In the light of this massive change, as ordinary human beings engaged into ordinary jobs, what can you and I do during the year ahead? We could start by identifying the broad outcomes we wish to achieve, whether at work or at home. Secondly, we could set forth a precise chain of events designed to achieve these outcomes and remain unflinching in our resolve and determination. Thirdly, we would need to look back periodically, reflect on the kind of results our actions are producing, and adjust our course accordingly. Above all, we would need to learn from these actions so that we are ready to start all over again if need be.

So, let us turn the page as this new year begins. Let us forget last year and all its mistakes, burdens and sorrows. Let us look at tomorrow, but start now. Let us start afresh and do so every day, every minute and every second. We only have this very moment: what we can do begins right here and now. Let us acquire what Jacob Braude calls the ultimate wisdom: the ability to live in the present, plan for the future, and profit from the past.

I wish you well over 2005.

<B> Prof E. Charoux

[email protected]</B>