I resolve...

Now is the time when I hear people say, “I’m making a New Year’s Resolution. I’m going to eat right starting tomorrow (but today, I’m going to binge like never before). Beginning on January 2nd, I’m going to exercise everyday (but today, I’m not going to get off the couch). With this New Year, I’m going to watch my spending habits (but today, I’m going to take advantage of the year-end sales and buy everything in sight). With this New Year, I’m going to drink less (but with football going on all day today, all bets are off).

Any time I hear someone say, “I’m making a New Year’s resolution, and I’m starting tomorrow,” I know that their stated resolve won’t last one week, much less a year. The first thing wrong with a New Year’s resolution, is the fact that a person has to wait for a specific calendar day to make that resolution. A true resolution will be made immediately when a person realizes that the former activity is detrimental. A true resolution will be acted upon immediately, not at some point in the future. A true resolution will be monitored on a regular basis, and kept at the forefront of a person’s mind.

So, with this Old Year coming to an end, and a New Year coming around the bend, I resolve to never make a New Year’s resolution. In its place, I will closely monitor my life throughout the year, making corrections when corrections are needed. I will not burden myself with worries about past activities that I cannot change. Instead, I will boldly walk into the future, using wisdom and knowledge from the past to guide me around obstacles that once tripped me up.

I resolve to not make resolutions lightly, but to make resolutions that will mold and shape my life as it should be.

Larry Tate 12-27-08