How to tackle the New Year tips – from a local soprano star
‘When I write down lists, I find myself limiting myself in that sense,’ says singer Nozuko Teto as she unpacks her approach to the New Year.
OPERA singer Nozuko Teto is a Durban-based performer known for her soprano singing voice. With a blossoming career on the stage, Teto is reaching for new heights while learning to take one day at a time.
She is the chairperson of Zannarts NPO and through music performance projects she is reaching out to inspire youth. As a vocal coach, Teto renders her services at the Durban University of Technology as an academic junior lecturer. These add to her entrepreneurial pursuits and work as an online radio broadcaster.
We asked Teto to share some of her insights on how she tackles her goals and how she celebrates New Years’ Eve (NYE).
Q: What do you usually do on NYE – stay in with a few close friends / paint the town red?
A: I come alive when I am on stage – that’s when you’ll see the extrovert in me, but when it comes to my social life, I am an introvert. I enjoy staying in, hosting people, and playing music. When I host people, each person gets a chance to be a deejay, and we dance to their music. We appreciate listening to different kinds of music – it reflects people’s different personalities. That’s what I enjoy doing. We have snacks and drinks – that’s my idea of fun, rather than driving out and having to worry about getting home.
Q: Do see the New Year as a clean slate?
A: I see the New Year as a gift – just as every day is when you wake up. For me, the New Year is another chance to monitor the seeds I’ve planted, to see them germinate and see some blossom and bear fruit, or to realise the opportunity I invested in is not going to work out – then I try another approach, or I try again. Life gives you a lot of chances, and I always believe that my dreams are worth unlimited chances. As long as you are still breathing, you can have new goals and a chance to reach them. I don’t see the New Year as a clean slate, but it’s a chance to start fresh in some areas like physical fitness, therapy, school or work while continuing forward with ongoing goals.
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Q: What’s your take on New Years’ resolutions? Do you set a few goals or avoid them altogether? Tell us why.
A: There are some things I have already planned to do, and some things I will discover in January. I don’t really have a list to say, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ because life has taught me that we really do not know what tomorrow brings. When I write down lists, I find that I am limiting myself in that sense. I prefer to be flexible in that I set a new goal for each day. I will set my goals the night before based on what I plan to do the following day.
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Q: Would you like to share a few of your goals for 2023?
A: What I think a lot about at the moment is doing what makes me happy and what gets me on stage more often. I am thinking a lot about consistency in marketing my shows, achieving maximum visibility for my brand, and being visible when it comes to social responsibilities.
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