I often wonder if anyone sustains a New Year’s resolution. I mean, in July of 2023, will anybody be keeping true to what he or she promised on the stroke of midnight that ended this past year?

We all know the standard resolutions. Work out. Lose weight. Eat better. Stop smoking or drinking. Stop smoking and drinking. Change jobs is another popular one.

If the truth be known, most of us are creatures of habit so any resolution made to change a personal behavior usually stays on course for a while, but come that one temptation some weeks or months later, we eat those cookies, smoke that cigarette, drink the beer or just deal with whatever we dislike about the job.

Let’s face facts. We might begin what we resolve to do, but we tire of stepping out of our comfort zone, so we give up the resolution until the next new year comes when we’ll make the same promises again that we can’t keep.

If you allow me the opportunity to propose the ultimate New Year’s resolution that anyone can easily do, then let’s see if you at least might consider it. It requires very little effort. It’s a perfectly healthy thing to do and the side effects can be wonderful.

Within its repetition and simplicity, there’s the potential to make a small or large influence upon not only yourself, but on others as well. For them, it might mean nothing at or it might help them feel that they really matter to the human race. This resolution can change a mood from bad to good, from sad to happy or it may do absolutely nothing, but there’s certainly no harm given or received.

You can resolve to do this with anyone you encounter or you might choose to be selective. It can be highly effective in your home, but it can have a greater benefit in public places. It does not matter if putting this resolution into action will illicit any response and for those who do not respond, they might appreciate it more than those who do without you ever knowing.

This resolution requires no strict schedule and no training. Since it’s spontaneous, you won’t know when you will use it, you’ll just know why. You may also find that it can return to you a strong foundation for building a widening circle of good will.

You can make a tired person feel better, or an elderly man or woman who lives alone feel acknowledged. It’s also an outstanding example for children to learn to appreciate. And it literally takes just a matter of seconds.

My apologies for having you read this much without revealing the resolution, but please bear with me just a few more paragraphs.

I resolved to do this just this past year and believe me, I’m not the person who would ordinarily do so. In public places, my resolution has often encountered an exchange of pleasantries. I’ve also received nothing in return. That’s fine by me because I don’t need to know if anyone was positively affected by my action or not.

Alright then, it’s now time to reveal the Ultimate New Year’s Resolution! It requires either a smile and head nod and/or one to two very simple words. It works any time of day, but it’s especially effective in the morning hours. It’s much easier to do in your home with family, but its significance is more evident in public places. Here’s how it works there.

You’re walking by someone coming your way. It could be in a parking lot, a grocery store or a post office, the location does not matter. If the time is before noon, you simply say, “Good Morning,” while your eyes are looking at the person walking your way. If it’s later in the day, a simple “Hello” will do or a smile with a head nod. I don’t like to say the words, “How are you?” because you’re not stopping to get an answer from someone you don’t know at all and most likely, will never see you again.

As I had mentioned, you may get the exact response you gave in return or nothing at all, but the significance is that in under three seconds, you have acknowledged that someone you don’t know exists on the same planet that you do. That’s it, you may say? This is the ultimate resolution?

I recall reading about a young man who was contemplating taking his own life until someone on the street near where he lived said “Hello” as they passed each other by on the day he was going to end his life. Just because someone briefly acknowledged his existence, he reconsidered what he was about to do. He is now a happily married man and father of three. Of course, this is an extreme example, but the possibility exists that a brief gesture can help someone have a good day or help lift him or her from a feeling of despair.

Don’t feel disappointed that this resolution wasn’t something more extraordinary. I believe if more and more people would do this simple thing, imagine how extraordinary our lives could be simply by extending this simple act of kindness.

So, if you are reading this column with your morning cup of coffee, well then, “Good morning” to you! If it’s any other time of day, “Hello!”

Happy 2023 to all of you and thanks again for spending some of your time with me and my thoughts today.

Rich Strack can be reached at richiesadie11@gmail.com