As 2015 draws to a close, it’s time to think about that annual rite of January – the New Year’s resolution. Like yours, the 10 resolutions below surely address familiar themes … family, health and money. That about sums it up, right? So without further ado, in 2016, I resolve to:
Diet: Having started my holiday weight gain a bit early this year, roughly back in 2012, the healthy eating resolution vaults to the top of this list. As 2016 dawns, I resolve to eat smarter, eat less and exercise more. If previous years are any indication, this particular resolution will last until about mid-January.
Have more patience: I resolve to be more patient with my kids. This is a serious one. They’re at ages now – 12, 9 and 7 – where they can be helpful around the house, and sometimes the exact opposite of that. Chores are becoming more of a regular thing for them: taking the garbage out, collecting dirty laundry, unloading the dishwasher, shoveling snow and walking the dog. All are duties that any or all of them can be counted on to perform, either voluntarily or more often with a little gentle prodding. And that’s where the resolution part comes in. Gentle prodding, or eventually getting them to the point where they don’t even have to be asked, is a definite point for me to work on in the year ahead.
Listen: Closely related to the item above. Nobody has all the answers, and it’s both healthy and courteous to remind ourselves of this from time to time. Whether at home with my wife and children or at work with colleagues, making the extra effort to slow things down and really hear what those around you are saying can make all the difference. Not only will others know their thoughts and opinions are valued, but you may get to entirely different outcomes faster and more easily.
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Spend time more equally: Having coached more of his teams and attended more movies and sporting events with him, I’ve certainly logged more 1:1 time with our oldest than with either of our other children. It takes deliberate care sometimes to set aside specific time for each child. It’s important to have individual relationships with all of your children and for each of them to know that they and their interests are just as important to you as those of their siblings.
Make time for us: Between work, three kids and managing all of their activities, it’s too easy to let quality time with your significant other get put off. Not that we don’t make time for us now, but putting a regular “date night” on the calendar holds you – and your spouse – to keeping it.
Explore (more) space: Fourteen years into our “starter home,” the time has long since come to determine if it may well be our finishing home as well. Whether it be to build up, build out or move, it’s incumbent upon us to pursue one of the three. With that 12-year-old just a short six years away from college, the need for more room will have come and gone without any action if we wait much longer.
Save: Again, this one is very closely related to the item directly above it. Whether it’s a little extra in the kids’ college accounts or a little more in our own retirement funds, making a concerted effort to plan better for the proverbial tomorrow will make you feel better in the reality of today.
Work smarter: We all have only 24 hours a day. Putting a premium on family/leisure time is important. In 2016, I resolve to do what I have to do, and let others do the rest. Is the 12-year-old ready to start cutting the grass so I don’t have to? We won’t know unless we let him try.
Stop procrastinating: I should probably have mentioned this one sooner, but I just kept putting it off. Whether it’s painting the shed, staining the swing set or landscaping the outer reaches of the yard, there are some projects that find themselves on the to-do list year after year. Not because they need to be done every year, mind you, but because they haven’t been done recently in any of them. In 2016, that ends.
Live: It may sound silly as it’s something we all do … until our time is up. As you’re reading these words, I’m en route to the funeral service for a nearly lifelong friend who passed away last week at the age of 44. A chief executive, holder of multiple patents and in the prime of a happy and healthy life, he was lost in an instant due to post-surgical complications. Nobody plans on something like that happening, so we must make the most of our days here, as rarely do we know which one will be our last.
So what are your resolutions for 2016? Like this, maybe take the time to sit down and write them out. Not only will that help organize your thoughts, but it may give you specific action plans for not just want you want to do, but for how you plan to do it. Then hold onto your list and check back on your progress periodically throughout the year.
If nothing else, you’ll have a head start on 2017!
Rob Manker is a freelance writer who lives, works and parents in Naperville.