Resolutions? Some make 'em and some don't
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on January 1, 2015 1:46 PM
Goldsboro Parks and Recreation director Scott Barnard probably won't make a resolution for 2015.
Not after the one he made for 2014.
Because he was on the losing end of a bet made for that one, he will have to sport a pink mohawk at Monday's City Council meeting.
"Last year, the Parks and Recreation Department made a weight loss challenge resolution because we decided as a department we weren't practicing what we preached," Barnard said. "It started May 1, and we had 90 days. We split it into three teams: the golf course, operations staff and program staff. I was captain of the team that lost, so at Monday's City Council meeting you'll get to see me with a pink mohawk."
The effort was not a total loss -- Barnard actually lost 28 pounds by sticking to his New Year's resolution. His team as a whole lost several hundred pounds.
"It was the first time in a few years that my doctor gave the thumbs up," Barnard said.
He is not going to make a 2015 resolution -- and not because of the haircut he is about to receive.
"I guess I really don't have a personal resolution. I'm resolution-free," Barnard said. "In years past I've made one, but right now my personal life is pretty busy so my energy outside of work is directed toward that."
Wayne County Commissioner Ed Cromartie is making a weight loss resolution for 2015, picking up where Barnard left off -- sans mohawk penalty.
"I'm going to try and lose 50 pounds," Cromartie said. "I've already started about 10 days ago and I'm already down about seven or eight pounds. I want to try and get in overall better physical condition."
Cromartie said he also wants to do what he can to help those he sees who are in need.
"That's something that's good for all of us," he said.
Goldsboro City Council Mayor Pro-Tempore Chuck Allen is also resolution-free in 2015, but is excited for what's in store for the city this year.
"We had a good 2014, and I hope we have a good 2015," Allen said. "We've had good job and business growth, and my main goal is to continue that. I think we need to work on social aspects of the city with things like crime. We need to continue to look at that and how to improve it."
According to research conducted by the University of Scranton, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 40 percent of Americans make New Year's resolutions -- and only 8 percent of them achieve those resolutions.
For 2014, the top three resolutions made by Americans were to lose weight, to get organized and to spend less.
Instead of waiting for the new year, some people choose to strive for improvement each day.
"I don't make New Year's resolutions because I don't think people stick to them," Wayne County Sheriff's office Detective Sgt. Tammy Mozingo said. "I try to be a better person every day."