I’m not sure where you are with your New Year’s resolutions, but I’ve pretty much kicked all my big ones to the curb. I had great ambitions of doing some phenomenal things out of the gate, but you know, I just don’t feel like it. From this year forward, one of my New Year’s resolutions is going to be – not to achieve my New Year’s resolutions – at least I’ll accomplish one. But I have set a goal for 2025.
I’m not saying I don’t want to have a good year because I do, who doesn’t? For me, the goal I have set for myself is a silent goal, and only I will know if I am achieving it. It will be noticeable to me but possibly not others. When it’s not noticeable to others, that means that I must keep at it, or I will fall short of achieving my goal.
Sure, I’d like to lose some weight, get in better shape, and stack some money in the bank. Those are pretty common goals for a lot of people. But this year, that’s not going to be my focus. I will continue to exercise, watch what I eat, and attempt to be frugal, but if I’m not going to crack my skull open trying. I’m just going to do the best I can.
My focus in 2025 will be on one goal, not a list of things to achieve, just one simple goal. Surely, I can achieve that!
I’ve often lamented in this column about my age, and I will be honest with you, things do become less cluttered the older I become. Oftentimes I get so focused on doing things, I lose sight of the most important thing in my life….me. At least that is how I’m beginning to see it.
I’ve tossed away the diet plans, the exercise routines and all the get rich quick schemes and made my goal for 2025 this;
- Treat others the way I want to be treated.
That’s it, that’s all she wrote, that’s my goal and nothing more. I am going to try and adhere to “The Golden Rule.”
If I can keep that goal, there’s no telling what I can accomplish in 2025. If I can truly treat people how I want them to treat me, good things are bound to happen, at least that’s what I want to believe.
I hope if I stick to this one goal, then everything I want in life will fall into place. Good things will come my way, good people will cross my path, and others will want to be around me. That’s a pretty powerful goal if it works out that way, but that might be a naive way of thinking. But I have seen that approach to life work, especially in others.
The great leadership teacher John Maxwell put it this way, “If you want to get the most out of your life, then focus on helping others get the most out of their life first.”
That’s an unbelievably unselfish attitude, and unfortunately, it’s not simple. I had a sign posted in the baseball field house when I was coaching that read,
If you want to become an All – American, then push
your teammate to become an All -American.
Same concept as Maxwell’s quote, teach others how to win in life, not lose.
I know from experience that even when I treat someone the way I want them to treat me, they may not return the favor in kind. It is at times like that when my goal is being tested. Do I return ugly with ugly, or do I let it go and continue to treat them the way I want to be treated? That ain’t easy, but achieving goals never are.
I am on day nine trying to achieve my one goal of treating others the way I want to be treated. If I were to give myself a grade on my efforts thus far, I’d give myself a C plus. I would have given myself a higher grade if that person would not have cut me off in traffic today!
Such is life, my goal is ongoing, and some days will be better than others. Even still, I plan to give “The Golden Rule” a run for its money this year and see where it takes me.
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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles appear on Fridays. Email comments to [email protected].