As we enter a new year with all the hope and promise it brings, we may visit some goals we want to accomplish in 2025.
There are the boiler plate goals like weight loss, workout commitments, healthier living and the like, and those are all good.
Being able to let go of bad habits is never easy for any of us, and we will continue to battle with our inner demons every step of the way.
There will be a tendency to believe the deck is stacked against us, that somehow we cannot improve because there is a concerted effort that we should fail.
We will blame family members, friends, coworkers, and even society in general — everyone except ourselves.
I heard a scripture Sunday that made me think of our outcomes, our challenges, our pitfalls and our promise.
In Matthew 5:45 we are told, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.”
It’s easy to look around us and wonder why success seems easy for some and hard for others, or why some people who may have questionable lifestyles seem to prosper while others who are devout and committed struggle every step of the way.
Many look at American society and blame it as the reason they are not doing better.
Despite the fact that Americans live better than 90 percent of the planet, it is easy to point a finger at society.
But the sun rises in America just like it does everywhere else, and it shines on all of us.
The sun does not just shine on some of us and is denied to others.
Likewise, rain comes for us all as well. It doesn’t just fall on the poor and destitute but on the wealthy, too.
Such is America.
The opportunity to succeed exists for everyone. That doesn’t mean everyone will succeed (in terms of economics), but it does mean the chance exist.
America is the land of milk and honey. When I heard the claim that the American economy is the envy of the world, it made me think just how bad off is the rest of the world?
Like everywhere else, inflation has taken its toll on all of us. Sure, the wealthy have more resources to deal with economic downturns, but they also have more to lose as well. Fortunes have come and gone in the blink of an eye to the day trader.
Those who have inherited great wealth from their parents and grandparents have also mismanaged those resources and ended up passing nothing down to their children.
Success is not guaranteed, but neither is failure.
America is not only the land of opportunity, but it is also the land of second and third and fourth chances. People have started over and over in this country.
Walt Disney filed for bankruptcy in 1923 only to create the world’s most well known entertainment company worth billions today.
Dave Ramsey filed bankruptcy and now hosts financial seminars, helping millions of people get their financial houses in order.
Even Abraham Lincoln filed for the closest thing to bankruptcy back in 1833, which allowed him to pay off his creditors over 17 years.
The list goes on and on — MC Hammer, P.T. Barnum, George Foreman, Cyndi Lauper, Willie Nelson and Elton John just to name a few.
But each bounced back. They found a way to battle through tough economic times even though most were born into poverty.
The sun shined on them all, and the rain came as well.
The absence of difficulty is not what makes someone successful. Making it through tough times is sometimes the best lesson of all.
I cover a lot of games, and I hear hopeful parents say just how much the team wants to win.
That’s great. But wanting to win on game day is not unique to anyone. Everyone wants to win at the tip-off.
Winning rarely occurs at that moment. That game was already won or lost months ago by those who came to the gym to work out when it wasn’t required. It was won or lost by those who picked up a ball and found a rim and shot all day until it was too dark to see the rim.
Winning occurred when everyone else went out for fun while others focused on their jump shot.
Winning doesn’t occur on game day and it won’t occur on New Year’s Day.
But it will be a fresh start. It will be a chance to stop looking back and start moving forward.
It will be a time to revisit our habits and look at what has been working and what hasn’t.
We may all want to be better in 2025, but it will only happen if we are willing to do the things we haven’t done before.
After all, if what we were doing was working, we wouldn’t need to make that resolution, would we?
We can succeed even in areas where we have failed before. Millions have done it before us.
And the groundwork for success isn’t based on the actions of anyone else.
We can take ourselves by setting goals that are completely unrealistic, or we can set attainable steps that lead to incremental improvement.
What comes quickly can be lost quickly, but if we are willing to put in the time and effort to make real change, it can happen.
A new year provides a rare opportunity to leave the past in the past. Wherever we have come up short in the past, that does not exist in 2025.
But if we believe it requires perfection to achieve our goals, then we have set unattainable goals.
The system is not designed against us, but temptations lurk around every corner. It is so easy to give up on a commitment, or to “cheat” just this once.
Winning doesn’t happen for those who skipped the workout just this once. I mean twice. I mean this week. I mean I’ll try again next year.
When we stumble, it’s important that we rededicate ourselves to the goal. We have to recognize that it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
Our success, our failure, its our call. It’s not anyone else’s job to get us across the line.
As you start the new year, I encourage you to make it your best one yet.
Earl Watt is the owner and publisher of the Leader & Times in Liberal, Kansas. Watt started his career in journalism in 1991 at the Southwest Daily Times. During his career, the newspaper has won a total of 17 Sweepstakes awards from the Kansas Press Association for editorial content and 18 Sweepstakes awards for advertising. Watt has been recognized with more than 70 first place awards for writing in categories from sports and column to best front pages, best sports pages and best opinion pages. Watt is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and is the descendant of several patriots who fought for America's freedom and independence.
