My New Years Resolution

In the years past I have been the one that would listen to everyones new years resolutions and would quietly laugh to myself as I hear the others. I have thought to myself, "thats stupid, why have one?" I just have never saw the need to set one. This year I have realized that I was wrong all those years when I was laughing at some of them (I mean come on, some peoples resolutions are just odd, and funny)

My new years resolution is to work on not gossiping about anyone.

I had a companion on my mission whos name was Elder Laufatu. He was Samoan straight from the island. Nice guy, but we did not always see eye to eye one everything. I learned a lot from this man though. He had a quality that to this day I can't seem to get out of my head. he never gossiped. EVER! I never once heard him say something about someone else. I would be saying something about someone else, and I would not think it was gossip at all, and he would just ignore it, and or say something good about the person. At first I did not notice, then it would bug me. I one day realized why it bugged me. He could not gossip and I couldn't stop gossiping.

I was not that person that you were scared to say something to by any means. I try to be pretty honest, but if I saw something I might talk about it, even when it was not based in fact. Elder Laufatu however, he would nto engage in conversation about someone else even when it was based in fact. He just did not talk about other people.

When I realized that I was becoming a gossiper I wanted to stop. I did not like that I was doing it. So I tried to quit. I tried my best to not talk bad about people. Well that was a few years ago, and I have not gotten it under control. So this year is the year to kick that habit. I am no longer going to talk about other peoples relationships, hardships, problems, shortcomings, slip-ups or anything like that. I may discuss things about another if I am trying to build them up. I will only engage in positive conversation about others, and only if i am based on fact. I will always give the person the benefit of the doubt that they are a good person.

I know that I will fall short this year, and at time I may engage in gossiping. However, when I catch it this time I will not continue it. I will stop doing it. I may have to institute the push-up program to help rid myself of this. We shall see as the year progresses.

Part of the reasoning for taking this one on is I remember how I felt about Elder Laufatu. I never worried that he was going to talk about me when I was not around. I knew that he would not talk bad about me. It was a good thing. It makes you respect one, and their friendship more. There are things in life that are no ones business, but the people involved. There are things in life that are not for everyone to hear. So I am going to stay away from people and their lives. I am not going to help spread the gossip about others. I am not going to dig into other peoples personal lives. will I be tempted to? Sure, I don't see why I would not, but now I am going to condition myself to walk away from it, and not help it.

So why am I telling you all this? I don't know. Perhaps if you have not made a new years resolution then you could take this one up. I think that the world would be a lot better with out the gossiping that is in it. I think that we all would rest easier knowing that people are not not going to talk about us behind out backs.

Is it really going to be easy to do? Is it really going to make a difference? I would like to think so.