As a reminder of just how quickly time flies, Sunday marks a significant juncture of the year – the halfway point.
July 2, while not as significant as January 1 when it comes to reflection and resolution, is an ideal time to muse upon the status of New Year’s resolutions.
For many, January goals are little more than a faded promise having swiftly fallen back into old habits. Studies suggest only 8 per cent see their resolutions through and 80 per cent give up by February.
However, the first half of this year has been a resounding success for some UAE residents, with newfound habits becoming a mainstay in everyday life, helping them to become that improved version of themselves they envisaged on New Year’s Day.
It was relocating to the UAE that inspired three-time British Olympian Sarah Lindsay to change her mindset and make a New Year’s challenge that would help her step out of her comfort zone.
“I’ve never made a resolution before but for 2023 I vowed to say yes to more social activities and trying new things,” she tells The National. “I’ve been taking up new sports that I’m not good at like wakesurfing and golf and even though I’m known for being sporty, I don’t like being a beginner so it’s been a challenge to keep pushing through.”
Trying new hobbies or sports, like wakesurfing, is a popular New Year's resolution. Photo: Watercooled
Lindsay, a celebrity fitness trainer and owner of Roar Fitness Dubai, sees her New Year’s resolution as a journey rather than a goal, which has helped her to stay motivated at the six-month mark. “I am very busy and focused on my business so that can be quite consuming but I want to enjoy the journey at the same time and don’t want to miss out on other experiences,” she says.
Ex-professional cricketer Azeem Rafiq also credits his move to the UAE for helping to stay on track with his resolution.
“Moving to Dubai has been really good for me and is helping to get my fitness levels back to an elite level," the British bowler says. “I’m determined to do this for the rest of my life so I need to get in optimum shape before 40 so I can sustain it.”
For others, old habits appear to be dying hard with some resolutions proving trickier than imagined – especially for those who outlined a number of targets.
“I set myself a lot,” says Dubai resident Arian Hasanyan, “some of which I’m nowhere near.
“What I find is if something triggers me to look at the resolutions I’ve written down, I’ll regain focus. For instance, I remembered that I’d set a challenge to do a 10km run, and so far I’ve done two this year, and a Spartan one. I also want to visit 10 new countries and I think that is still achievable.”
Keeping track of resolutions can ensure they are easier to stick to throughout the year. Photo: Isaac Smith / Unsplash
However, like many of us who get carried away with grand plans in January, Hasanyan concedes some resolutions won’t be achieved. “Bulking up hasn’t happened nor has learning another language," he says.
"Another one was renewing my footballing coaching licence, which I still need to do. Talking about it now is perhaps a good time for me to reassess.”
New Year’s resolutions can be a great way of holding ourselves accountable for expanding our horizons – whether that’s acquiring more knowledge, travelling more or learning a new skill.
Louise Dawe, marketing manager at DP World Tour, Middle East, pledged to complete her diploma in sustainability from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. It’s a resolution that remains firmly intact with the finish line in sight, but she admits it hasn’t been easy.
“Studying and working full time has been a challenge,” she says. “It’s been difficult to juggle both but luckily my employer has given me study days, which have been really helpful. It’s a distance-learning course, so I’ve also missed the camaraderie of working with other people.”
When giving advice to others, Dawe says the key is to pick something that you deeply care about, so you’re more inclined to see it through.
“Make sure it’s something that you feel motivated to do otherwise it just won’t happen," she adds. "I’m really passionate about sustainability, so researching and writing marketing strategies around this has never felt like a chore for me.”
It’s sound advice for those looking to resume their resolutions. Whether the goal is to live a healthier lifestyle, pursue a long-held dream or be more financially responsible, July 2 is the opportune time to evaluate progress – or lack thereof – and recommit to the promises we enthusiastically made to ourselves.
Time may not stand still but there’s enough left of the year to achieve those goals, according to Hasanyan.
“I’m determined to keep going,” he says. “What I’ve learned is that writing down steps to achieve your goals, not just the goal itself, will help stay on track in the future.”
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
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Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
