No doubt you started thinking about your New Year’s resolution months ago. They were good ones, ones that would change things about you that you saw as a great improvement. But did you stop to think about how successful you were in implementing the one that you made last year?  How did it go?

According to some statics, these are the 5 most popular ones that were chosen over the years:

• Exercise more
• Lose weight
• Get organized
• Learn a new skill or hobby
• Live life to the fullest

Psychologist will probably tell you that not even one, as stated, is measurable. This could be the reason why you were not successful. How much exercise were you doing before? Was it consistent? Was it walking, running, lifting weights, or getting up to change the channel instead of using the remote?

Did you seek medical advice prior to deciding to lose weight? How were you going to lose it? Did you plan on starving yourself or cutting down on fast food, sugar drinks and snacks? Were you going to seek assistance in doing so? If you are not the one who prepares your food, you must have buy-in from the cook.

What does getting organized mean? Getting rid of excess stuff in the garage that prevents the car from entering? Stacked up paperwork left over from retirement? Making final arrangements for when you are no longer able to do for yourself? Downsizing from a big house to a smaller one or an apartment?

Finishing that degree that you started but never finished? Setting up that “Ham Shack” (Amateur Radio) to use the license that you pursued and continued to renew for the last two decades? Beginning to use those many tools that you acquired over the years to build bird houses or furniture?

Getting a Passport to travel to places that you always wanted to visit. Completing your “Bucket List” (things you want to do while you still can). Do you plan to do them alone or with someone else. If it involves doing them with someone else, have you discussed it with them? Their list may have changed since you last talked about it.

Here are some suggestions that could make the world a better place:

• Put others first
• Seek a peaceful way to accomplish a task
• Show compassion
• When you feel helpless, ask for help
• Spend more time with positive family and friends

If this sounds too complicated, why not take the advice of the Apostle Paul. Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us (Cor. 11:1). And we have not only the perfect model, but we also have the perfect power who works in us, both to work for His good pleasure (Eph.5:1-2).