New Year’s Day is a time when we reflect on the year just ended and think about the things we’d like to accomplish in the year ahead.

Many of us will resolve to spend more time with family and friends. In this difficult economy, some of us find ourselves doing more with less, but it’s important to set aside time for ourselves and those who mean the most to us.

Our time on this earth is limited, and we must find time to enjoy it.

Others will resolve to get more exercise. Studies show that exercise makes you healthier and helps you to live longer. It helps to keep your weight under control and improves your mood.

The average adult should spend 30 minutes a day involved in vigorous exercise, but even if you don’t spend time at the gym, we can all take steps to improve our fitness. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and leave the car behind every once in a while for a nice walk.

And if you want something more organized, you’ll find lots of fitness courses available at the Cass County Family YMCA, at the Downtown Senior Center and at other local fitness facilities.

Some of us might also resolve to improve our diets. Recent studies have found that more than two-thirds of American adults are overweight. It’s tough in this fast-food world to eat healthy, but many of us would do well to follow our mother’s sage advice: Eat your fruits and vegetables.

Others among us will resolve to quit smoking. Even if you’re one of those smokers who has tried to quit before and failed, don't let it get you down.

I smoked for more than two decades. I used to joke that quitting was easy. I’d done it hundreds of times.

But I’m here to tell you that quitting is possible. You just have to keep trying until you finally succeed.

The same goes for other bad habits, such as the abuse of drugs or alcohol. The key to success is determination.

And a little love and support wouldn’t hurt. If you need help, you’ll find a list of support groups in today’s lifestyle section, and you can also find lots of resources on the Internet.

Yet another popular resolution is to go back to school.

Whether you want to finally earn your high school diploma, learn a new skill or just pick up a new hobby, you can find the training you need through the local adult education program or through the local campuses of Trine University or Ivy Tech Community College.

Or how about this for a resolution? Why not pledge to spend more time giving back to the community?

Whether you choose to help out at your local library, mentor a child or fix up the dilapidated house down the street, there are lots of local organizations that could really use a few hours of your time. If you need help finding an opportunity, try contacting the Cass County Resource Network through the United Way of Cass County. The phone number is 574-753-3533.

Many of us grumble from time to time about the way things are in our community.

We see trash along the street or graffiti on the side of a building, and we wonder why someone doesn’t do something to clean it up. Why is it, we wonder, that so many kids are failing in school?

How about if we all resolve to stop complaining and roll up our sleeves to do something about it?

When you see that trash on the sidewalk, bend down and pick it up.

And if you want to see fewer kids failing in school, call the nearest school and find out what you or your organization can do to help.

It’s easy to complain. The hard part is finding a way to make things better. And making things better, after all, is what all of us were placed on this planet to do.

• Kelly Hawes is managing editor of the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5155 or kelly.hawes@pharostribune.com.