It's December and Almost Time to Say, "Happy New Year"

“Start your new year today. And remember, anyone can make a resolution. Very few people keep one.” — Harvey Mackay

Often tomorrow arrives all too soon. But for me, the New Year can’t come quick enough.

I want to stop reliving 2016. I want to forget about the up-and-down economy, the elimination of jobs, wondering if gas prices will break through the $4.00 barrier, the two foreign wars America is fighting, and the year-long bickering between the two primary political parties. Most of all, I want to forget that I forgot to keep my 2016 New Year’s Resolutions: one was to lose weight a second was to be better off financially at the end of 2016 than I was at the beginning of the year. I kept neither.

Most people make New Year’s Resolutions.

Few of us keep them. We start the New Year with resolutions and end the year with mostly regrets. Then, we make more resolutions for the New Year. Resolutions are good because they make us confront reality. But resolutions without resoluteness are like nouns without verbs.

In discussing the history of New Year’s Resolutions, we find the Roman mythical God, Janus as the god of beginnings and endings. He is depicted as having two faces. Janus, was placed at the head of the calendar. With two faces, Janus could look back at the old year and forward to the new.

As I look back on my accomplishments and failures, I look back to the year that will soon be history. Looking forward to the New Year, I see change. While no one can predict the future, we know that 2017 will not be like 2016.

While many people will fail to keep their New Year resolutions, I am determined to do the few important resolutions that I make and thereby change the results I have been getting. I will heed Yoda’s advice to Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back, “Luke, there is no try; there is either do or not do.” I choose to do! I commit to fulfilling my New Year’s Resolutions.

17 Resolutions to consider for the New Year.

• Set reasonable but challenging goals that stretch you beyond your current abilities.

• Have short term goals and long term goals because you are constantly doing two jobs: being productive today and positioning yourself for a successful tomorrow.

• Focus your attention on the two or three most important priorities that will affect your success. Take actions each day to bring you closer to achieving what matters to you.

• Recognize obstacles and look for alternative pathways to your goal.

• Enhance your listening and communications skills.

• Improve and expand your education. Education is the single best investment an individual or organization can make. Search out material and people that introduce you to new ideas, new ways of thinking, and new ways of doing things

• Observe and imitate others who are successful and respected. Studying the strengths and weaknesses of successful people allows you to incorporate their best practices.

• At the end of the workday ask yourself, “What did I learn today that will make me more productive tomorrow? Then, apply the principle immediately.

• Take ownership of your job and the results you get.

• Make the most of every day by canceling out negative thoughts and replacing them with positive affirmations.

• Do more than is required of you and do it with enthusiasm.

• Be resilient. There’s no pathway to success without obstacles. The ultimate test is whether you overcome them.

• Take pride in yourself and your organization.

• Each day do your best and, having done that, sleep soundly.

• Celebrate victories, both small and large. Success isn’t just about hard work and achieving goals—it’s also about having fun at the same time.

• Live 24/7 knowing God isn’t always on your side but, you are on His side in all things.

There are few “new” resolutions and a few vintage ones. No matter the year, the wise man knows “All lives matter,” freedom of speech comes at a high price, and this freedom to express yourself is not yours only. Making resolutions reveal some important things about an individual. I appreciate the opportunity to shake the hands of military personnel and all First Responders. I’d rather have one friend than to know 100 politicians.

Over this past year, I’ve come to realize that personal happiness is a thermometer that measures my response to any event and other people. By foregoing happiness, I choose to be joyful in 2017; I eliminate the judgment of others and harness the events to work for me.

I guess you could say, in 2017, I resolve to respond to any event in a positive way and look for the good in people. If everyone decided to achieve these two goals, our world would dramatically change.