Getting Involved in the New Year

It’s the end of the old year and the start of 2020, which means getting flooded by dozens of articles detailing how to make a new you for the new year.

Sappy? Maybe, but making changes in the new year doesn’t just have to mean the usual promises of going to the gym more, losing weight, or making better financial decisions. True, those are solid resolutions, but they aren’t the beginning and end of self-improvement options. To that end, we have a few suggestions how to make the most of the new year.

We don’t mean the kind of political that involves watching lots of cable news and yelling at anyone who disagrees with you. No, we mean getting more active in the kind of political things that you care about. Got a social issue that you’re passionate about? Find out if any local organizations are doing anything to raise awareness on the subject. And if there aren’t any such groups, think about organizing one yourself.

Being political means using your voice to speak about the things that are important to you. Don’t be afraid to use it or, if the occasion calls for it, to raise it.

This one can actually cover a lot of ground. Getting educated can mean something obvious like going back to school, finishing a degree, or just learning something you didn’t know before.

Whatever getting educated means to you, make sure you take progressive action to accomplish it. So if you’ve got a few classes to finish before you get that accreditation, start making plans to complete it now. If you’ve got the opportunity to attend a trade school or management program, see what you need to do to attend those classes. And if you have the opportunity to learn something new, take advantage of it, even if the opportunity just looks like a simple trip to a museum or history center.

Opportunities in life tend to come from the most unexpected places. Who knows what you’ll discover just by looking at a science exhibit?

Getting more physical always tends to be one of the most common wishes for a new year. But getting active doesn’t just have to mean spending more time on a treadmill and less time doing anything else. Should the opportunity arise, find a way to combine the two.

If you’ve got kids, consider getting more involved in their activities. If they play a sport, consider volunteering as a coach. If they’re in the performing arts, think about being a driver to their next competition. If they participate in an after-school program, think about volunteering as a chaperone.

And if you don’t have kids, think about offering your time and expertise to the community. Get in touch with local churches and social organizations and see if they are looking for volunteers. Softball leagues need coaches and managers just as much as players, and charity organizations frequently need cooks and carpenters to help in the community.