Every January, people make their own personal New Year’s resolutions. And then a month later, perhaps weeks or even just days later, people break those same New Year’s resolutions.
Diets are abandoned when the call of the cookie jar is just too strong. Exercise routines are let go as appointments and activities fill the calendar. Vows to go to bed early are cast aside in favor of a binge-watching on Netflix.
The problem with these types of resolutions is that it feels like once you have gone of the rails so to speak, there is no going back. All is lost. All hope is abandoned.
O.K. Maybe it isn’t that drastic. But all of these resolutions are centered solely on the individual.
But what if instead of just focusing on ourselves as we develop resolutions for the new year, our resolutions were centered around our community? What if our resolutions for the upcoming year benefitted our friends, family and neighbors rather than just ourselves?
What does that even look like? What affect would that have on others? What changes would happen in our community?
Essentially, it is thinking beyond ourselves and how our actions can impact - for good - our friends and neighbors. And it doesn’t have to be drastic. Start simple and go from there.
Perhaps it is volunteering for an organization which you have considered for years but have never reached out to. This is the year that you email, message, or call them and ask how you can help. Offer to help just once a month but I am betting that it grows from there.
Maybe you vow to donate blood for the first time or to return if it has been a while. Some people have had a bad experience in the past but that shouldn’t mean you never return. After all, you most likely won’t have the same Red Cross worker the next time around. If so, you should consider buying a lottery ticket because you are that lucky.
Maybe it is just attending an event held in the community to show your support for the organizers who have gone to a lot of work to make it happen. After all, community events are what make our community fun, make people want to visit, make people want to stay.
Maybe it is resolving to run for an elected position in our local government, truly becoming a public servant. These are the people who make an impact on our daily lives, more so than the officials in Washington D.C. or even Lincoln. Yes, it is time consuming. Yes, it puts you in the spotlight. But these people are the one who can make things happen or keep things from happening.
But if running for office seems too daunting, maybe it is just attending a city council or school board or county commissioner meeting a couple times this upcoming year. Just having your voice heard will make an impact on the community.
Maybe this is the year that you create a planned gift, leaving a donation to your community when you pass. After all, the community has played in a role in raising your family and been part of your life too. Think about the impact a planned gift could have on making your community even better.
And while many don’t like to think about it, maybe this is the year you finally create a will. How does this benefit your community? If you don’t have a will in place, the government gets to take its portion and decide what happens to your assets, with some - maybe a lot - leaving the community forever.
Consider the changes that would happen in our community if every person vowed to get involved, to make a change, to step up and make things happen which benefit not just themselves, but to benefit others. These are resolutions worth keeping all year long.
So let’s resolve in 2022 to make changes that benefit not just ourselves but also our communities and make them even better places to call home.
