Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: So here we are having made our New Year’s resolutions, and I know that I am among the distinguished group of those who consciously did this. It all started when the Christmas decorations came down, followed by the desire to pursue a thorough house cleaning and then declutter and maybe even resolve to start downsizing.
When moving frequently isn’t a consideration because the Army isn’t changing our duty station any longer, these resolutions have become even more important to me. I personally feel vindicated when I am able to take a large load of unused items to a local charity or fill up the trash with tons of old papers, magazines etc. So okay now when that is done, what should become the really important resolutions and the ones that actually make the most sense for future well-being?
Several years ago I was visiting our daughter in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and came across an article in the local newspaper that made making resolutions important for 10 reasons. They dealt with self-improvement and were taken from www.FB.com/TributetoStephen Covey. They struck me as something that could be very doable and things that I could strive for. So in 2016 I decided that maybe I needed to work a little harder because I am super good at procrastinating and being indecisive, but I am also super good at appreciating my family, as well as you, my Aviation family and readers of my columns. With those thoughts I hope you will enjoy the following.
10 Things you must give up to move forward.
Give Up:
- Letting the opinions of others control your life. It’s not what others think, it’s what you think about yourself that counts. You have to do exactly what’s best for you and your life, not what’s best for everyone else.
- The shame of past failures. Your past does not equal your future. All that matters is what you do right now.
- Being indecisive about what you want. You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be. Make a decision to figure out what you want, and then pursue it passionately.
- Procrastinating on the goals that matter to you. There are two primary choices in life: to accept the conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.
- Choosing to do nothing. You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, or when. You can only decide how you are going to live, right now. Every day is a new chance to choose.
- Your need to be right. Aim for success, but never give up the right to be wrong. Because when you do, you will also lose your ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.
- Running from problems that should be fixed. Stop running. Face these issues, fix these problems, communicate, appreciate, forgive and love the people in your life who deserve it.
- Making excuses rather than decisions. Most long-term failures are the outcome of people who make excuses instead of decisions.
- Overlooking the positive points in your life. What you see often depends entirely on what you’re looking for. You will have a hard time ever being happy if you aren’t thankful for the good things in your life right now.
- Not appreciating the present moment. Too often we try to accomplish something big without realizing that the greatest part of life is made up of the little things.
So now here we are into our second month of the New Year, and for those who decided to prioritize and resolve to “lose weight,” or take out an annual gym membership etc., did it actually materialize? Perhaps the best resolution to make is taking stock of one’s best attributes and letting go of all the negatives. That is something that is achievable.
And lastly, like me, resolve to be even more appreciative of our Aviation family (our Soldiers, Families, and Civilians) and the bonds we share.
Judy Konitzer is the family forum editor for ARMY AVIATION; questions and suggestions can be directed to her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..”>This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
