Hello and welcome back to Tyson’s thoughts.
While it’s not technically the new year yet, when this actually hits print it will indeed be Jan. 1, 2025. I’m still in a bit of shock the "stardate" is almost 2025, and as I sit here and type this column out, to me, it feels like it should still be 2019 in some ways. Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic truly disrupted everything, and I feel like we’re still stuck here trying to play catch up with the time we essentially lost.
With that little introduction out of the way, what will I be writing about this week, you might be wondering?
None other than good ol’ New Year’s resolutions.
In the past I’ve always made resolutions, but for whatever reason, maybe because I lack discipline or am just kind of an easy going person in general, the vast majority of the time, I always seem to end up reneging on my resolutions at some point during the year.
Basically, I either just get bored of following through on them, or they’re simply too challenging and I give up and decide to alter my resolutions to make them easier.
I often wonder why this is, but recently I've come to the realization that our attention spans are probably in the worst shape they’ve ever been, and I think it’s due to how addicted everyone is to their smart phones, social media accounts, and other electronic gadgets.
Which brings me to my main resolution this year; to stay off my phone/social media as much as possible and enjoy being present with whatever I’m doing.
Life is short. I don’t want to be distracted by my phone while I’m in the middle of doing something I enjoy. Instead of being on my phone, I’m going to focus on what I like to do; writing, drawing, and being physically active.
From here on out, I’m going to put my phone away, continue to run 5k every chance I get, continue to draw in my sketchbook, and of course, I’m going to continue being a top-notch journalist.
Yes, faithful readers, life is ultimately what you make of it, and I’m tired of my phone having such a constant presence in my life. To put it bluntly, I think we all need to work on being more present in the moment, and we all need to re-learn how to enjoy a moment without wanting to take a picture of it on our phones.
With all that said, I do have a few other New Year’s resolutions I’m aiming to follow through on, but they’re mostly dull ones like finishing off my condo renovations, drinking more water, and running a total of 25km every week.
I really like all the resolutions I've picked out for myself. I feel that if I actually go through with all of them, then 2025 is going to be a great year for me personally and professionally. And after all, isn’t that why we set New Year’s resolutions? To better ourselves?
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk, I’ll be back with a lot more thoughts in 2025 after I think them up.
Tyson Whitney is an award-winning journalist who was born and raised in Port Hardy. His family has lived in Port Hardy for more than 40 years. He graduated with a degree in writing from Vancouver Island University in 2008. Email: editor@northislandgazette.com
