Our Viewpoint: New year, new resolutions

The anticipation and the excitement of the new year has come and gone. Now we’re stuck with those pesky resolutions. Did you make a resolution? If so, have you kept it for these first few days of 2025?

A friend and I discussed resolutions recently and came to the conclusion that we needed simple, attainable goals for 2025, so I’m sharing that realization with our readers. Instead of saying you’ll exercise or read every day, or you’ll be nicer, try making a resolution with a clear finish line. For example my friend, who like me is in her mid-40s, is in need of glasses. Her resolution is to finally take care of that and make the optometry appointment and get her glasses.

People tend to make resolutions that are these huge life changes or unrealistic habits. They are setting themselves up for failure. My advice is to start small and keep your focus on something that is attainable. I’m still wavering on my resolution, but I’m sure it will be something that can be accomplished in a day and with the right amount of focus.

So we are into the new year. I truly feel like 2024 flew by. All of a sudden it was December and I felt like I was scrambling to get the holiday pictorial done and finish print jobs for holidays. We had early deadlines for the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s, and that completely threw me off. I feel like just as I finish one edition of The Ledger, I wake up the next morning and start thinking about what will go in next week’s paper. There isn’t much time to sit and reflect.

In fact, sometimes I sit at my desk on Tuesday afternoon and think “what am I going to write for an editorial this week?” Oftentimes topics will keep me up at night and I know that’s what I need to write about. Other times I’m scrambling for a topic. I’m pretty sure most readers can tell the difference. I have a weird way of rambling when I can’t quite find the words.

Which brings me to one of the things I am most thankful for from 2024 - our columnists who you see on this page each week. Jim Elliott, Sandy Compton and Sunday Dutro come up with different topics each month and put their opinions and thoughts out there for all the Ledger world to consume and judge. Not everyone always agrees with every word, but that’s how I can always tell a journalist is doing his or her job. Thanks to Jim, Sandy and Sunday for continuing to fill page three with insightful, conversion-evoking words. It’s not an easy job to be vulnerable and let your opinions be known in such a personal way. I appreciate each of you and every word.

So, what will your New Year’s resolution be? Is it something that you can actually accomplish? Share your resolution thoughts with me at [email protected].

— Annie Wooden