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Each year, a well-loved family member shows up to our Christmas gatherings with a small notebook in hand. In the notebook go each family member’s New Years’ resolutions, and the following year, as we give new resolutions, we report on our progress for the previous year’s resolutions.
To be truthful, I typically hate making resolutions, mostly because I fail at keeping them. A recent study by the University of Scranton found that only eight percent of people who make resolutions keep them, and over the past few years I have proven myself to be a card-carrying member of the 92 percent who fail.
Yet, as we head into a new year as a community, I thought it might be prudent for us to make some resolutions together or, if not resolutions, to set some goals for the year ahead. With that in mind, here are four resolutions every Trumbull County resident should make (and keep!) in 2015.
Resolution Number One: Do everything you can to encourage and empower young people in our community. Celebrate anything that encourages, equips, and empowers young leaders to be developed and to lead. If you’re on the board of an organization, insist that there is someone on the board that is under 35. If you are a leader, find a younger leader to mentor and encourage. If you know a young leader, give them a small gift this year to encourage them to keep going.
Resolution Number Two: Stop complaining about a problem if you’re not willing to be a part of the solution. It’s no secret that we have challenges to overcome as a community, but it’s easy to sit around the dinner table, complain about it, and never lift a finger to be a part of the solution. If you’re not willing to be a part of the solution, quiet down while the rest of us try to do our work. Please note that angry letters written to the Tribune do not count saying and doing are two different things, after all.
Resolution Number Three: Volunteer your time in a charity or organization that’s doing good work. This, of course, is related to Resolution Number Two, but it’s different enough that it’s worth being specific about. There are so many places doing so many good things, and while donating your money and gently-used items is a much-appreciated gesture in the eyes of every organization in our community, actually getting your hands dirty helps you develop a better perspective about what’s happening and what these organizations are doing to make our community a better place.
Resolution Number Four: Support local businesses and restaurants. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it’s really all about where you can eat around here. So enjoy those places, even if it challenges other resolutions you’ve made about losing weight and getting healthier. Or, just order a salad! Even more importantly, there are a lot of local businesses opening that deserve our support. Don’t hesitate to shop locally if it means supporting our community in a real way.
Resolution Number Five: Stop complaining about living in northeast Ohio. Again, this is closely related to Resolution Number Two, but is also worth mentioning. If you don’t like it here, move. There’s much more to be happy about than to be grumpy about and complaining gets us nowhere. The Mahoning Valley has a bright future ahead of it, but we have to be willing to put our hands to the plow and get to work.
May we be a community that lives in the eight percent and discover that, together, we can make 2015 a better year in our community than 2014.
Kyle Tennant is a Tribune Chronicle community columnist. He can be reached at columns@tribtoday.com.