MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. -- HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you and your family had a very blessed and Merry Christmas and had at least one Christmas wish come true. I have been watching a lot of the Hallmark Channel over the holidays and there was always talk of a Christmas wish. I also hope you brought the New Year in with style and great expectation! This has always been my favorite time of year; filled with beautiful decorations, lights of every color, candles with their magnificent scents, and shoppers bustling from one store to the next in hopes of finding that perfect gift for a loved one. But it’s also a time to reflect back on the past year and ask yourself if you did all you could do to make it a success. And, if not, what are you going to do in this new year to make it the best year ever!
The New Year is a time for new beginnings or a time when we look for a fresh start. Did you set a New Year’s resolution this year? I’m a little boring when it comes to setting one as mine seem to be the same each year – eat healthy, keep up with my running routine, and continue to practice patience. I usually do really well on the eating and running but the patience piece is always a challenge from month to month. How about you? Did you fulfill your 2016 New Year’s resolution? How about 2015? Statistics show that most of our resolutions don’t even make it to March. I think my best advice would be to not set your goals too high and maybe set a few smaller goals to attain throughout the year, maybe quarterly goals.
So what type of resolution did you make? There are many different types of resolutions. You can plan to further your education either in your civilian or military career. Or perhaps you want to make a resolution to complete the course(s) you are currently taking and finish in the top 10% of the class. Have you taken a look at the 2018 school dates for the Military University? Is there a class you might enroll in that would enhance your chances of a promotion in 2018? What about a class at the local college or university? Have you ever thought about learning a new trade or skill and branch out in a new career path? Or advance your skillset at your current job and take your current hobby to a whole new level? Be sure to check with our education office to see if you might qualify for tuition assistance.
How about a family resolution? I am adding a resolution this year to make more time to spend with my husband and daughters. These days it seems like everyone is in a hurry trying to get somewhere they should have been yesterday. Are you taking time to stop and have a conversation with your family that is not interrupted by a phone call, text, email or tweet? The phrase ‘take time to stop and smell the roses’ has new meaning for me. My girls are now sophomores and a senior in high school and I don’t remember a lot of the last 15 years! It goes by so fast! Try to sit down at the dinner table without the television on or maybe go together and walk the dog – even the dog will be able to enjoy this new resolution.
This upcoming year holds many unknowns but I think that has become the norm for every year. The world is at such uncertainty and our personal lives are being affected by that both emotionally and physically. But in all honesty we can only try and take care of our own little world. We need to work and strive to better those things we actually have control over.
I have true faith that you will make a very wise New Year’s resolution whether it be for career advancement, family enrichment, or physical betterment. We each aspire to be a little better in what we do. I look forward to working and growing with you in 2018. I know there will be challenges but if we tackle them together, there is nothing we cannot overcome.