Celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next is a blast! I enjoy celebrating everything that has been accomplished and look forward to what lies ahead. This year, the top 10 New Year’s resolutions look to be the same as in previous years and I cannot help but ponder a hypothesis.

As we compete to get ahead, people compromise what is most important to them in order to survive; and as uncertainty in the economy grows, so does competition. And everyone finds themselves, paradoxically, sacrificing time with their families in order to support their families; and sacrificing their own physical and psychological health in order to support themselves.

Guidance

Like any New Year, we look to our leaders for guidance and ask what they will do to turn things around. But without looking to our leaders for guidance, I focus on the people I see every day and change what I can and let go of what I can’t.

I can’t change a company’s business decision to send jobs overseas, but I can choose to buy things made in the USA. I cannot fix the predicament we all find ourselves in, but I can help one person at a time and make an impact in our lives.

Making a Difference

A decision made by any one of us may be relatively small, but collectively the small decisions we all make add up to make a difference. Together, we can move forward and help one another.

This year, I resolve to make purchasing decisions based on what I need instead of what an advertiser wants me to buy. I resolve to fight for the people in my family, my community and my country so that we may collaborate to solve problems that hit home.

This year especially, I remember my training as a PADI Rescue Diver and the number one rule of a rescue attempt:

“Be part of the solution, not the problem – Think, Then Act!”