What are your New Years Resolutions?

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It’s the beginning of a New Year and time to make those resolutions. Many people say they don’t make resolutions because they will just break them but as the old saying goes, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.” However, there is another version of that old saying that says, “If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you!” I don’t think I’ll take up skydiving but making resolutions can be a good thing. After all, it’s a brand new year and a good time to begin again. Sometimes my resolutions come about through past experiences: In 2007, I resolve: 1. To spend more time with family and friends. (One resolution that I once read said, “I resolve to spend more time with neglected children. . . Mine!”) 2. To give up a bad habit. Whether it’s smoking, drinking, overeating, or biting your fingernails, overcoming something that is bad for your health or well-being will not only better your health but also give you a great feeling of accomplishment. 3. To get out of debt. Make a budget or take a course to learn how to gain financial freedom. 4. To resolve to mend fences with those strained relationships. Life is too short to hold grudges. Remember that bitterness is an acid that destroys it’s own container. Put aside thoughts of blame. As Voltaire said, “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible”, so go ahead and bury the hatchet once and for all but don’t mark it’s grave so you won’t be tempted to dig up that hatchet again! 5. To resolve to help others. Volunteer your time to do something for someone else. Hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, and schools always need volunteers or simply help out a neighbor with some needed task. 6. To learn something new. This can be an easy resolution to keep. Take a class in something you’ve always wanted to learn to do. Read a “how to” book or learn a new language. 7. To get organized. Organizing your home, workshop, or office takes away stress of unexpected company or finding that wrench or stapler that you need on the spur of the moment. 8. To read the Bible through in a year. We often make resolutions concerning our physical and emotional health but our spiritual health is most important of all. If you read only four chapters a day, you will be finished before the year is up. Whether you choose one of these resolutions or some of your own, it is important to keep trying because if we never made resolutions of any kind, we would never progress or solve any problems. Resolution and resolve have helped us improve our lives as well as having won wars. As Winston Churchill once said during WWII, “Never give in.”* If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving may not be for you but keep trying the things that are beneficial to you, your family, and to your health. Happy New Year!