Ah, resolutions – we all think of them, and usually the thoughts of them surface in late December and through the early months of the next year.
Some call them the ‘dreaded’ reminders that we all probably need to lose more weight, that we need to complete some long-postponed chore, or that we need to add some worthy goal on a daily basis. A 2013 article in the Cumming Patch, a newspaper of Cumming, Georgia, has this very interesting fact about resolutions; the writer, Brande Poulnot, a University of Georgia graduate and a former crime-beat reporter, pointed out, “Forty-five percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Those resolutions typically include losing weight and becoming healthier, spending less and saving more, and quitting smoking.” Another very interesting fact Ms. Poulnot shares with her audience is that more vehicles are stolen on New Year’s Day than on any other holiday. Not surprisingly, she also reports most New Year’s resolutions are dropped by the second week of the New Year.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, provided a very sage comment when he penned, “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.” That being said, it would indeed be very prudent to invest forethought into the personal development of a list of resolutions to begin 2025. Since most folks are eager to save money, making our resolution lists include resolutions that cost nothing would also be very advantageous. One resolve I would proffer for the New Year would be to use two monosyllabic words on a very regular basis. Those two words – thank you – can also be translated gracias in Spanish, merci’ in French, xie xie in Mandarin Chinese, or for most Southerners, thanks ya’ll. One writer, Dr. Laura Trice, has clarified, “By expressing your gratitude to someone who helped you, you are doing more than saying a basic thank you. You are sharing a bit of your heart.” She also details, “The acts of appreciation and gratitude have proven health benefits <http://www.webmd.com/women/features/gratitute-health-boost>, leading to boosts in the immune system and a decrease in stress.” Obviously, we could all benefit from those physical boosts and decreases in our stress levels.
Secondly, I offer the suggestion of taking time out for others. Imagine the impact spending time with someone elderly could make in that person’s life. The beloved Helen Keller, known by most folks as the deaf and blind lady who eventually learned how to talk and spoke to audiences worldwide, shared this bit of wisdom – “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” “Feeling with the heart” is indeed a trait that most of us need to develop to a much larger degree. Think of the joy found in the face of an older person who has someone spend time with that person – a former colleague, a former neighbor, a former classmate, or a former friend from years ago. Obviously, we cannot travel everywhere; however, we can spend a few minutes with someone who is experiencing a difficult time in his or her life. Imagine someone whose loved one is ill or who is experiencing his or her first holiday without that loved one. Imagine, too, the smiles that will be generated when that individual hears the voice of someone from the past or the present. Those memories, ones that indeed do not cost us anything, are ones that can help ease the loneliness of folks experiencing a ‘down’ time in their lives.
A third suggestion for a resolution, one that again costs nothing, would be to invest in some type of exercise daily. Yes, we can rush out and purchase a Fitbit or some other activity tracker; however, we can also become a proponent of exercise without tallying up a lengthy bill for exercise equipment. One simple suggestion to complete this resolution would be to park away from a place of business to tally up more steps. Set a realistic activity goal to complete daily; perhaps that goal would be a certain number of steps, or for those without trackers, set a time frame for activity, allocating so many minutes out of our busy days to engage in exercise. Obviously those goals need to reflect our health status and should be started after consultation with a personal physician. Yes, exercise is not something we all treasure; however, we can make it a daily goal to become much more active individuals on a regular basis.
February 17, 2025 has been designated as “Random Acts of Kindness Day” in the United States. Let me encourage all of us, myself included, to make that ‘random act of kindness’ much more of a day-to-day routine in our lives. Again, those random acts do not need to be costly. Imagine the impact a warm smile can have in the life of another. According to the website http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/smile.html, the smile “happens in a flash but the memory of it can last forever. No one is so rich that he can get along without it. No one is too poor to feel rich when receiving it. It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friends.” That definitely is a very powerful admonition to incorporate that small gesture more into our daily activities. Imagine the joy it can bring to someone who is exhausted, disheartened, depressed, or perhaps lonely. The smile, described by the late and beloved comedian Phyllis Diller as “a curve that sets everything straight,” is definitely a ‘random act of kindness’ that can provide joy to someone in need.
Obviously, writing about resolutions is easy compared to following through with those resolutions. Nonetheless, we can all make it a point to invest more time into our daily schedules to express ‘thanks’ and share smiles with those who make our jobs and our daily routines and lives much easier; we can also make it a point to brighten the lives of folks we know, especially those who may be experiencing a sad time in their lives, and we can all make it more of a habit to exercise and invest more time into being much more active individuals. Yes, we all typically make it a priority to make those resolutions; let’s try really hard throughout each day of 2025 to accomplish those recurring goals that make their yearly knock on our doors.
~Article by Carolyn L. Wells
December 26, 2024
