News
Editorial: Five New Year's resolutions I don't intend to keep
Tyler Ohmann
12/27/2011
New Year’s resolutions a lot of people have them, most who do, don’t actually keep them — including me.
Often mine include losing weight, being healthier or cussing less. Just as fast as I made the resolution it often passes, sometimes hours, sometimes months, usually a couple weeks.
So this year I’ve decided to do something different. I am going to list five things that I’m going to try and accomplish as ‘New Year’s Resolution’s’ (knowing full well that I probably won’t stick to them).
1. I’m going to get into work earlier
One of the best parts of my job is that I can basically set my own schedule.
Apart from making sure I get to all the events I cover and the exception of layout days, I pretty much get to be in the office whenever I want.
When I first started here almost a year and a half ago I came in right at 8:30 a.m. when we opened.
Noticing nobody cared if I was late, that 8:30 a.m. wake-up call began slowly drifting farther and farther north.
Soon it became 9:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and sometimes even 10 a.m. by the time I made it into the office.
Being to the office on time shows professionalism and instills respect from your co-workers. If you are there before them they know you are serious about your job, and I want to be taken more seriously.
Therefore, I declare that one of the five 2012 New Year’s resolutions will be to get into work on time every day.
2. Limit myself to 20 hours of television per week
Anyone who knows me understands that I am probably incapable of completing this task. I watch about as much television as a infant sleeps.
If you want to find me and I’m not at work, there is a good chance I’m in my recliner with the remote in hand watching the latest episode of whatever show I am obsessed with (and there are a lot).
By limiting myself to 20 hours, I will not only open up time to do many other things in my life: social things, useful things, practical things, but it will also potentially make me live a healthier lifestyle.
Therefore, I declare that I will limit my television watching schedule to a measly 20 hours per week. (As a note, if I were to guesstimate, I would say I’m pushing 50 hours.)
3. Dine out less often
I often dine out several times a week. Not only does this limit what taste palette can experience, but it is also often unhealthy.
Whether it is grabbing something quick to go from the convenience store or food place or ordering a pizza, the process of dining out or getting take out can seriously damage my health and my pocket book.
Therefore, declaration number three of the 2012 is dining out far less often than current situations entail.
4. Put more effort into my personal life
As a single young man in Bottineau I have realized one has to work to find someone to be with around here.
This is something that I don’t generally feel comfortable doing. I have put my faith in God that he will hopefully put me in the right situation to find my soul mate and that we will live on.
Now I don’t know if that person is in this area or not (I’m guessing no), but I do know that if she is, I’ll likely have to work on it.
This means going out and being more social, meeting more people and showing people who I really am.
Doing these things could really improve my chances of meeting someone that I genuinely enjoy being around.
Therefore, I declare my fourth New Year’s resolution to try harder to find a feasible personal life.
5. Be less cocky and narcissistic
I often am a little bit to full of myself for my own good, and I like to talk about it.
This only happens when I am extremely comfortable with the situation or I have had one too many cold ones for my own good.
Stopping being a braggart could help with my fourth resolution, make me more friends and get current friends off my back.
Thefore I will be less egotistical in the new year for my final resolution.
I fully intend to keep all five of these New Year’s resolutions. It will make me a better person to be around, and a better person for me.
Of course I say that every year.