My New Year's Resolution

Today is the beginning of another year.  As usual, we hear about people making New Year resolutions.  I never did this in my younger years.  Maybe because I thought it was an exercise in futility.  I had known people who kept on making New Year resolutions but never kept them.  Year after year, good resolutions are expressed, but they were never done.  So what’s the use?  But seriously, if a person is really determined to be successful in his resolutions, it can be done.  He must just be firm and determined.  No dilly-dallying.  It is just like when a student wants to make it to the top of his class; he must work hard for it. He must do his assignments and study diligently, submit the required projects, and when examinations come, he would get excellent grades.

I want to be a better person this year.  As I am most definitely a routine person, any change in my daily routine would usually give me the feeling of being unglued.  Every time my routine is messed, I would feel completely lost.  And because of this, I would get cranky and angry with whoever and whatever is getting in my way.

I have a very small circle of friends and most of them are living very far from my place.  However, because I am an introvert and a loner, I am not bothered about this.  But whenever I read my Bible, I would feel that God intended for us to be social beings, and because of this, I would need to develop interpersonal skills to gain friends and develop my communication skills, which by the way are very poor.

Being a task-oriented person - a doer and not a talker (just the opposite of a people-oriented person), I know that this would be difficult for me.  I would be leaving my comfort zone.  So here goes.  This year, I would exert effort to be friendly and approachable, I would smile more, and greet people.  I must not be bothered by people interruptions, but give importance to those who want to talk to me about their concerns, because people are more important than my daily routine.  In other words, I must let people into my life.  I need to interact with more people.  I know that because I am what I am, this would be a difficult task, but with God’s help, I know I can do it.  In this phase of my life when I am no longer faced with deadlines or pressures to complete tasks, I can now give a part of my time to people who need a listening ear.  So family and friends, when you see me sliding back to my old natural self – giving more importance to doing my tasks at home (which can really be done later) than talk to people who need someone to talk to, I shall appreciate your help in fulfilling my resolution by reminding me about it.

For those who know me, they might wonder why I am doing this only now when I am already in my twilight years.  Well, I know it’s never too late.  I am still a work in progress, and I will do whatever I need to do until God calls me home.

“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”  Philippians 4:13