January 1, 2009

New Year’s Resolutions

Dr. Robert Peltier, PE

Why is it that so many of our New Year’s resolutions are focused on self-enrichment, yet they are the first promises we break? The typical resolutions — "get more exercise" or "stop smoking" — are recycled yearly. Surveys find that most resolutions are abandoned or forgotten by, appropriately, Ground Hog Day. I believe it’s time to reboot our resolution-setting software and refocus on others instead of ourselves.

Researchers tell us that only about 12% of resolutions actually achieve their desired results but that you can increase your odds of success by making your goals public. I guess a little peer pressure goes a long way, so I’m going to boost my chances in 2009 by sharing five of my resolutions with you

Hope fuels America’s engines of innovation and propels our country’s future prosperity.

Hope Floats All Boats

Expecting a better future is one thing that differentiates our society from other, less-fortunate parts of the world. Hope fuels America’s engines of innovation and propels our country’s future prosperity. Hope frees people to invest their time and talent in careers that will raise their standard of living and provide for their families’ needs and desires. Hope fills our lives with anticipation that tomorrow will be a better day.

When a society’s supply of hope runs low, as it has over the past few months, the ensuing void fills with uncertainty, which is anathema to an otherwise optimistic society. Even in these uncertain times, opportunities abound. The optimists among us will continue to view our coffee cup as half full, even when our 401k is a 201k. That’s because optimists measure progress by a generational time scale, not by new car models or quarterly reports.

From that bit of wisdom comes my first New Year’s resolution: Be optimistic about our future, and buy my friends larger coffee cups.