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A friend of mine told me that his New Year’s resolution was to be more empathetic.
“I started early this year on Dec. 1,” he said. “No reason to wait.”
He seemed to imply that I had somehow inspired that empathy, perhaps because I basically have the soul of a social worker and can’t stop myself from helping others.
And yet, I know that although helping others comes to me quite naturally, I have other faults that are equally as detrimental that really need my attention.
For example, I tend to worry a lot, and my desk at work is atrocious, and I can hold a grudge — well, too long.
I sometimes speak before I think or pray, and have hurt those I care about, hitting the “send” button and then regretting it — sometimes for the rest of my life.
As we head into the first weeks of 2017, historically a time to set aside bad habits and make life-changing decisions, it has occurred to me that life is all about the second chance and even the third, fourth and fifth chance.
I believe that we can lead our best lives by focusing on our successes or our measures of success.
Perhaps we didn’t engage in a vigorous exercise program, but we did increase the distance that we walked every day.
We might not have read the classics, but we are committed to reading on a regular basis.
Yes, I believe that we increase the likelihood of success every time we give a positive habit another try.
Something that I have done this year is listen to positive messages as I’m driving.
Someone told me, “Your car could be your university,” and I took it seriously.
Recently, I arrived at what seemed like a challenging assignment and intuitively bounded from the car with an air of confidence.
Staff photographer Sean McKeag noticed the difference.
As we finished the assignment, he said, “What’s going on? You seem so enthusiastic.”
“Listening to positive messages in the car again,” I said.
Now every time that we encounter a difficulty, I tell him, “Sean, this setback is just a setup for a comeback.”
Most times, we get a chance to laugh and the task before us seems a bit easier.
So, am I encouraging people to make a New Year’s resolution? Certainly.
But, if you should fail, don’t beat yourself up — continue to move forward, surround yourself with good people, build your faith.
Because life, after all, isn’t really about our outward success, but about our friendships, our family and the building of our character.
Still, I’m pretty sure I should clean up my desk.