Make a resolution to help others

By: Andrew Browning

Posted: 1/14/08

With a new year freshly upon us and the hangover from Dec. 31 festivities finally gone, we are left to recollect, often hazily, what our New Year's resolutions were.

Many times these "epiphanies" happen while we are inebriated, and we always feel better about ourselves after we make them. Making them, however, does not mean we are going to keep them, and I have often been the culprit of my own misguided intuition after throwing back a couple of shots.

I want to challenge each and every one of you to strive to become a better person in 2008.

Although I think it is great that New Year's resolutions typically involve some form of personal growth like losing weight and quitting smoking, I would like to see more people acting selflessly by doing things for each other. I feel like people have become so wrapped up in their own lives they tend to forget about the people who have less. Many times, when we see someone in need, we walk by instead of offering our hand out to them. There are many of ways to help those less fortunate, and you will accomplish many things in the process.

You could spend some time in your community cleaning up the parks and neighborhoods. Become a Big Brother or Big Sister and you can have an immense impact on the life of a younger person, if you are willing to take the time to do so.

You could also visit a nursing home and talk to some of the residents. Trust me, you will make their day.

There are a number of organizations that work with people who have disabilities like Special Olympics or The Best Buddy program. Macomb also has a number of different residential facilities that serve special populations. Consider volunteering for one of those.

All I am asking is that you spend a small amount of your free time doing service work. Aside from improving your outlook on life, you can also pad your resume with these experiences.

Before you know it, you are going to be a junior or senior with the ominous task of writing a good professional resume, and if all of your bullet points say things like "excellent at beer bonging" or "The best dancer at the Pace," consider this the chance to put down something worthwhile an employer might find interesting.

You might even learn a little bit about yourself in the meantime. It was not until I volunteered to work with people who have disabilities that I realized how much I enjoyed it - the same thing could happen to you.

I know that you will have to put the can of Keystone down and roll out from underneath the tanning bed for a little while, but you might find that you actually get a good feeling in the pit of your stomach when you get done, and no, you won't get a hangover, either.