+Pros
Marty Whitford – Publisher/Editorial Director
I’m a work in progress. I always will be.
I’m a man of many large appetites and a creature of habit, but some of my appetites and habits aren’t the best for me.
My progress requires continual change. It usually starts with deep soul searching. These periodic self inventories lead to new (or renewed) resolutions, and related measurables, action steps and action.
Sometimes I ask a colleague, friend or family member to serve as my guide for change. These beacons of light help me identify areas ripe for growth, develop change blueprints and keep me honest about progress.
There’s no time like the conclusion of each year to do a little soul searching and goal setting.
Here are my New Year’s resolutions and the people I’m trying to pay tribute to with each commitment to change:
- Eat less. Move more. — For my beloved brother, Jim, who left us far too soon and suddenly after suffering a heart attack five years ago.
- Spend less. Save more. — For our children — Mickey, Jamie and Meg — so we can give them the same quality educations and starts in life our parents gave us.
- Talk less. Listen more. — For all of the talented people I’m privileged to work with at North Coast Media and all of our dear friends in wonderfully close-knit pest management industry.
- Worry less. Pray more. — For my parents, who had a lot more to worry about, with 10 kids, but turned fear into faith through prayer.
- Take less. Give more. — For Bonnie and Mickey McNamara, my in-laws, who live next door. Life is truly beautiful with our giving-tree examples right beside us.
- Grump less. Laugh, love and live more. — For my soul mate Bridgid, whom I will love ‘til the end of time.
- Write and publish “Whit’s World — Part I: Living Proof Evolution Is Overrated.” — For myself, all of the Whitfords … and the world, which could use a few good stories, laughs and tears.
You can reach Whitford at mwhitford@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3766.
-Cons
Will Nepper – Managing Editor
My arguments against New Year’s resolutions:
- By Feb. 1, most resolutions already have begun to collect dust on the shelf of good intentions or have been thrown out completely. (There’s probably data to back this up, so I’ll leave it to you and Google.)
- Guilt, shame and embarrassment — the trifecta of bad vibes that stem from personal failures (like the inability to stick to your resolutions beyond Feb. 1) — are no fun for anyone. Everyone has that friend who gleefully checks your resolutions’ status every time you bump into one another. Fail, and you might find yourself avoiding this so-called friend at all costs.
- If your resolutions involve abandoning a vice or becoming healthy, there’s no time like the present. Those who put off self-improvement until New Years are probably the same folks least likely to get back on track once they inevitably fall off the resolutions wagon. Then suddenly, it’s Dec. 31, 2014, and you’re back where you started.
- If you find yourself making the same resolutions every year, perhaps it’s time to re-examine your self-improvement strategies. Also, purchasing a gym membership in January — when health clubs are packed with like-minded, freshly minted health nuts — might turn you off of communal exercise altogether.
You can reach Nepper at wnepper@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3775.
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