We are at the beginning of a New Year, and many are thinking about changes and resolutions. I think that, instead of a resolution that will achieve personal growth and self promotion, the world would be a better place if we resolved to take on a new type of resolution. What if we all began to practice the motto, “It is not about me.”?

It is not that I frown upon taking off a few excess pounds or stopping a harmful habit. Do that simply because you should. Yet, if you want to see true change in your life, practice shaving off some of your sarcasm, quit making hurtful comments, and think before you talk. Now that could be a real challenge! Wouldn’t the world be entirely different if we all took this resolution to heart?

Think on this notion for just a second. What if, this morning when you woke up, you thought about how you could show a little more love to your family? How different would your day be if you decided to have the heart of a servant? Oh, I can see the frown on your face already. “I am no one’s servant,” says the proud, stubborn spirit. I don’t mean to become a doormat. I mean to open the door for someone. There is a big difference between being a servant and a slave.

How different would your day be if, instead of being focused on your own desires, you spent your free moments working out a plan to do an act of kindness for someone you don’t even know? Maybe you open the door for a stranger. Maybe you shovel a neighbor’s driveway. Maybe you simply smile and greet someone with a, “Happy New Year.” Any of these choices would be sharing of yourself and working toward making your world a better place to live.

These acts of kindness to a stranger can actually be easier to carry out than the acts of kindness we give to those we spend each day with. Why is it more difficult to be more kind to our kin? What is it about close friends and family that seems to erase the need to be more cautious with our criticisms? Is it the safety of the bonds we share that allow for our sarcasm to flow so easily?

Whatever the reason or excuse we give, the truth is that it’s just not good enough. Get up earlier and be the one to make the coffee. Stop at the grocery store and get a “surprise” for someone you are going home to tonight. Make the effort to make someone’s day. Make this year a year where the people you love know it is not because you simply say, “I love you,” but because your actions prove your words. Take on the goal to be selfless.

Being selfless is not a new idea, or this writer’s original concept. Scripture has told mankind for centuries, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will   reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people . . .”.

Happy New Year, and may this year to come be filled with countless opportunities for kindness.