Resolved: To slow down

The Associated Press this week asked people of prominence about their New Year's resolutions. As you would expect, most of those quizzed wanted to make both personal improvements as well as improvements in society during the coming year. It comes as no surprise that we all want to start the new year fresh and improved.

Alas, those who keep track of these things tell us that most New Year's resolutions last an average of just under six weeks. Improved lifestyle alterations like dieting and quitting smoking top the list annually. Spending more time with the family is equally as popular.

Heck, I don't need a new year to make a resolution. I do it almost daily. Most of my firm decisions to change something or another rarely last six weeks. I sometimes measure success by the hour.

It's hard to imagine that 2009 will match 2008 in terms of volatility. With a history-making election and an unprecedented economic meltdown, 2008 will long be viewed by historians as a year of monumental change. Let's hope we catch a break or two in the coming year.

With the dawn of a new year, about the only thing certain is uncertainty. Let's face it, no one can fully predict where this economic downturn will take us. And there's an equal amount of unknowns surrounding the Obama administration. Unfortunately, even our dismal lives will be impacted once again by the decisions made in Washington, D.C., and I have less than absolute confidence that our elected leaders know much more than the average man on the street.

I want to resolve to worry less. But even now, I worry that I won't be able to keep that resolution very long. Despite the best of intentions, some things simply will never change.

I have an annual ritual that I have maintained for a number of years. This week -- that magical time between Christmas and New Year's -- I always clean out my desk and the files that have accumulated over the past year. I find notes and scraps of paper that include "to do" lists which, of course, I have not done.

By maintaining this annual housecleaning process, I give myself the appearance of starting fresh. Granted, it's only an appearance, but I consistently trick my mind into thinking that the elimination of these items somehow marks progress.

If I get around to it, I'm going to stop procrastinating this year. But I'll put that resolution on the back burner for now. There's plenty of time, right?

I suspect the key to a good New Year's resolution is to make it achievable. Resolving to end all of my bad habits may sound good, but why waste my time when I can predict the outcome? It's noble to resolve to work for world peace, but it might be easier to resolve to help your neighbor instead.

I have but one solitary resolution this year. I resolve to slow down. Everyone reaches a point where they need to slow their pace and enjoy more of what life has to offer. Actually, slowing down was not my first choice of resolutions. But at my age, it's about my only choice.

Happy new year.

Michael Jensen is a Southeast Missourian columnist and publisher of the Standard Democrat in Sikeston, Mo.