It’s still early enough in the new year to commit to those resolutions.
Whether it’s working out harder, quitting smoking or stop using swear words, we are all out to improve ourselves somewhere in our lives.
It needs a strong resolve to do any of these things or you will just slip back into old bad habits.
That’s the situation Cape Town City find themselves in danger of slipping into.
Having ended 2019 rock bottom of the PSL, it seemed that the only way was up for the Citizens.
They kicked off the year with a 1-0 win over Baroka.
But then after leading 2-0 at AmaZulu, they managed only a point from that clash.
Then they returned to the worst of their 2019 troubles in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Kaizer Chiefs.
The game had all the hallmarks of a City game - exciting attacking football with no end product.
If only they had a striker like former coach Benni McCarthy in his prime leading the line.
They dominated runaway PSL leaders Chiefs, creating better and more clear-cut chances.
But the goals never came and Chiefs scored two identical headers to make it 2-0 before making it 3-0 from a set-piece header. After conceding from one header, you should have learnt your lesson.
In that match, however, it laid bare that City still have no discipline, no sense of responsibility and no resolve to do better.
And if they can’t recover their resolve, relegation from the PSL is a very real possibility.
The City players, like every other professional footballer swear that that is not what they want.
But here in Cape Town, relegation is a pretty regular occurrence, ask Goolam Allie at Santos and Ari Efstathiou at Ajax Cape Town.
City defender Taariq Fielies this week was asked about the dreaded drop and he didn’t even want to think about it.
POSITIVE: City ace Taariq Fielies
Asked whether relegation has crept into his mind, he said: “No. Everyone is positive that we will get out of this situation eventually. We are not thinking THERE, because if we start thinking THERE, it’s going to be a negative vibe in the camp. So everyone is still positive.”
Don’t let the negativity get to you. That's social media wisdom.
While I mean no disrespect to a warrior like Tara, this positive thinking is a popular way to deal with problems, but I don’t think it works.
Just by saying, ‘it’s not something I think about’ is not a satisfactory way of dealing with a problem. It’s not the secret to the universe.
Disengaging from a problem doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Which brings us back to resolve.
Resolve is accepting your shortcomings and then making the effort to change your reality.
And that’s why Thabo Nodada’s response impressed me.
I mean it truly impressed me.
This guy should captain the team after what he said.
He told the media: “Everybody has got to draw inspiration from somewhere.
“From wherever. It doesn’t have to be football.
“Whatever you draw inspiration from. Whatever gets you up in the morning and make you want to own whatever is in your way.
“That’s the type of characters we need right now.
“It’s been testing. The stakes are high. The team is not winning. Our position is not favourable.
“It’s been testing. But in all of that it’s about improving yourself.
“One thing this situation has taught me is that, there is so much I can improve in myself.
“There is more I do to help my teammates - whether it’s on the field or off it.
WORST GAME: Defeat at Chiefs
“I think that at this point in time, grabbing one of them and smacking them in the chest is gonna do more good than talking.
“That’s the type of [properly directed] anger and attitude we need out there right now.”
Now if that doesn’t inspire you, nothing will.
He has the heart of a leader. Leaders appeal to the best in you and makes reach for higher ideals.
Only when City players realise that they are danger, can they understand that they need to improve.
It’s not about being kwaai and a dik ding. it’s about being the best you can be that ignites inspiration.
So find your inspiration before it’s too late.