(No seriously, I may tease the way he speaks sometimes and disagree with his sports analysis on occasion, but I completely support and agree with his response to Magic Johnson’s question.)

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4711527

To such people, I  say, “Pshaw! You can make a resolution any time you like.”

So I did a little research and I find the etymology of “resolution” to be very interesting:

“. . . from OF, resolution, French resolution =Provencal rezolucio =Spanish resolution. =Portuguese resolução =Italian resoluzione, from Latin resolutio (n-), an untying, unbinding, loosening, relaxing, from resolvere, past participle resolutus, loose, resolve . . .”

Although the conventional meaning of “resolution” may be to stand firm in a decision, I like this interpretation: “to let go of something or to free yourself of something that was previously keeping you down.”

Starting today, I am going to let go of four things that are keeping me down. I am going to start small and add to it next Thursday when I make my next new Thursday resolutions. If I exceed those small goals, then more power to me.

1. I’m going to let go of excuses. I’ve gained 20 pounds since May 2008 and I’ve been nothing but excuses since then: “I go to school full-time and work part-time. I just ate. I’ve had a long day. I’m eating healthy enough.” And so on. I was doing really, really well for the entire year before that and I am going to get back to that. 15 minutes of exercise/4 days this week.

2. I’m going to let go of being luke warm. I’ve been an okay member of the Church. I attend Sunday meetings, I pay attention, I participate in classes. But beyond that, I’m pretty lacking. The Lord has been clear that He is not okay with those who are neither cold nor hot; when they are luke-warm He spits them out. I need to increase my devotion. 1 prayer during the day when I’m most alert & 1 column of scripture reading a day.

3. I’m going to let go of ignorance. For the longest time, I’ve been satisfied with not reading the news, becoming politically engaged, or reading that much. I want to be more aware. I want to read more. 1 news article a day–from first to last word.

4. I’m going to let go of selfishness. It’s been too easy to let friendships weaken and responsibilities fly by as of late. I got so focused on my life and maximizing my free time that I don’t often think of others–particularly Mal. I want to do a better job of keeping the house clean, responding to friends, and serving others. Once a day do something that will make Mal’s day a little better.

Like I said, these are small, and I hope to do more. Till next Thursday.

Mallory = Yoshimi

Mallory has evil robots of her own. I know she can beat them. She won’t let them defeat me.

(Don’t know why, but this song just reminded me of Mal.)

I actually saw this on a Comedy Central show called Tosh.O.

Me and the host had the exact same reaction when we saw this clip, “Did that just happen???”

One thing’s for sure, I don’t write about me or my family often enough in this blog, but I’m feeling rather introspective at the moment. I spend so much time thinking . . . okay, worrying . . . no, fretting about the future, I don’t make enough time to sit and think about how I’m doing and what I’m accomplishing. So, to answer a few pertinent questions:

1. How am I doing?

You know what? I’m doing really well. I’ve got a lot of good things going for me. And I’ve got the best thing any man could ask for: Mallory. She’s a strong, talented, clever, thoughtful, and caring bombshell of a woman. She supports me in all of my adventures whether it be school, home, or work. She accepts me for who I am: both the mature part and the ever present not-so-mature part. She is amazing at what she does and is a great financial support. I’ve seen her do her thing. I only wish I could do what I do with half the skill and passion that she does. In all honesty, I am so lucky to have her. And those who know her would have to agree with me.

I have no real complaints. I’m healthy. I have a loving family. I have a lot to be grateful for.

2. What have I accomplished?

I fret so much about where I’ll be working or how I’m going to provide for my family down the road, I completely miss what I’m doing now. Sometimes I need to stop and really think about what I’ve done. Here’s a list of what I’ll have accomplished from 2001-2010. (Yeah, Mal, this may make you feel “old,” but we crossed that bridge a long time ago, remember? For those who aren’t aware, early on in our courtship, Mal would often bring up the age gap between us. Finally after a couple months of dating I asked, “Well, do you want to stop dating me then?” “No! Of course not!” “Then let’s get over it.” We haven’t really discussed it much since . . .)

Back to the list:

2001: Graduate from Orem High School

2001-02: Attend one year at BYU

2002-04: Serve 25 months as a full-time missionary in Vilnius and Kaunas, Lithuania.

2006: Graduate from BYU with B.S. in Economics

2006: Start law school at THE Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law

2008: Marry Mallory Beth Meteer in the Columbus Ohio Temple (June 21, 2008)

2009: Purchase my first investments on the stock market (for me, a complete right-of-passage moment)

2009: Graduate from Ohio State with a J.D.

2009: Pass the Bar and begin practicing as a lawyer

2010: Be well into my first true career (something that I’ve been working toward for over a quarter of a century)

2010: Bring a beautiful son or daughter into the Fielding Family by Dec.31 2010 (and for those of you freaking out, it’s not unheard of for a couple to start having kids within the first 2.5 years of marriage–and no, Mal is not pregnant.)

Needless to say, I’ll have had a rather eventful decade.

3. What could I do better?

This may be a character flaw, but despite all these great things that have happened–or will happen–I still see room for improvement. I could be a better husband, I could be more thoughtful and more selfless, I could eat healthier, I could be in better shape, and I could be more devoted to God.

However, I look forward to tackling those things. Those short comings don’t scare me or depress me . . . they encourage me. I see room for improvement. I see potential. I’m good now, but I can be great. And that gives me hope and pushes me to work harder tomorrow.

4. What’s in store?

Yeah, I’m talking about the future here, but I’m not fretting about it. So what’s in store? Yeah, I don’t have a job lined up yet. But I will. I’ll make that happen. I’m sure of it. I don’t have as much control over it right now since I haven’t passed the bar yet. But I will pass the bar, and I will be working and establishing myself. I look forward to it.

But like I said, I can’t control that too well right now. But what can I control? This summer’s agenda is short but exciting for me:

a. Study for the bar (basically it’s going to be a 9-6 job for me five days a week)

b. Work out (I’ve actually purchased the P90X discs and I am stoked to get my trash kicked every day; I’m really, REALLY looking forward to this)

c. Strengthen my spiritual connection with God and my wife: read the scriptures each day; pray more fervently; attend the temple

d. Dote on my wife . . . frequently

CONCLUSION

So really, I shouldn’t fret. Yeah, I don’t have a job lined up yet, but newsflash, Lincoln, you’re not alone in that boat. I’m looking forward to this summer. Heck, I’m looking forward to this next year. A lot is going to happen. A lot is going to change. This is a great time to be alive.

So I’m going to smile more, be content with what I can do now, and pour my heart into what I have control over.

BEARS SIGN CUTLER!

Oh yeah, and the bears signed offensive lineman Orlando Pace too.

Here is some good news and some bad news. I’ll give you the bad news first.

I was on a panel of smart, pleasant men and women last week, discussing the economy and, in particular, how it is affecting people selling vehicles with tires and wheels. I told the audience that the Federal Reserve, which has unlimited power to print money, had a program called the Term Asset Backed Lending Facility (TALF) that would help dealers restock their showrooms. I said I knew it hadn’t started yet but I thought it would start soon.

A gentleman on the panel — an intelligent, articulate, honest young man — said that, as a Fed employee himself, he knew the Fed was straining every nerve to get the TALF started. He said they are pulling people off their trucks who used to work on delivering cash to banks. That’s how hard they are working.

Friends and Internet neighbors, I felt like weeping. As I said to this man, “I know this isn’t your fault. But the Fed has an unlimited budget. They could hire some of the tens of thousands of young bankers recently laid off on Wall Street to get this program started. It needs to be started YESTERDAY! Why aren’t they getting professional bankers instead of people who work in trucking to do this?”

It’s Called ‘Government’ for a Reason

The man pleasantly said that legislators were always criticizing the Fed’s budget and so they had to be careful where they spent their money. This is an entity that has genuinely unlimited money. And people selling cars, trucks, and trailers are bleeding without that TALF facility — and some will die.

Anyhow, as I listened to that man, I thought, “Hey, why am I surprised? It’s called ‘the government’ for a reason. It has its own pace and its own ideas of what’s right and wrong.’”

Now that’s the bad news.

You have been — you are now — bombarded every day with TV shows, radio news, and newspapers telling you of this government support plan and that government support plan and how they are going to rescue you. To which I can only say, when you hear the word ‘government,’ in your mind, substitute the words ‘Department of Motor Vehicles.’ When was the last time they rescued you? When was the last time they bailed you out of anything at all?

Look, I worked for the government for many years. The men and women I worked with were some of the finest people on this earth. But there are only a few of them and a lot of us. They have their hands full. Yes, they can help you by mailing you a check. They can help you by cutting your taxes, and I hope they do. They can “bail out” specific industries for a while, such as we just saw with Detroit.

They definitely help you by fighting for your freedom.

But to expect that ‘government’ is a fairy godmother who will rescue you from your problems over any long period is just fantasy. Here’s the good news: This country will be rescued by each of us doing what we can do in our own individual sphere of action as government works in its sphere of action. There are roughly 142 million men and women in the labor force. Their ingenuity, flexibility, energy, and confidence will make more difference than anything government does on an individual basis — which is not to take away a thing from the effects of good policy.

In the free society, we rescue ourselves. I think in particular of a young man who graduated from Williams College in 1935. It was hard times, with almost 20 percent unemployment, as we now know.

The young man had no money and few connections. But he didn’t know what he didn’t have, and he didn’t know how deep the Depression was. So he just went out, got a teaching job in Iowa, used the money to work and study at The University of Chicago, found a wife, and started a career that took him to fame and prosperity. He didn’t count on anyone else to do it for him. He was a Phi Beta Kappa from a great college, but he didn’t hesitate to wash dishes for a meal and a quarter.

That man was my father.

I think of Herbert Hoover, who graduated from mining engineering school in the late 1880s. Just as he was entering the labor force in 1893, a huge Depression hit. But he didn’t know about it because there were few statistics, so he headed out West, started a mining enterprise, and became a millionaire.

Put Down the Paper and Get to Work

If you spend the day reading about how bad things are, you will never get out of bed. If you put down the paper and get to work, and then work twice as hard and twice as smart as you used to, and maybe take less pay right up front, you will get ahead.

Here is a lesson from my father: In every economic era, there is always a shortage of talented, creative, well-educated workers. Be one of those workers.

I think of my pal Barron Thomas, a talented salesman of airplanes and related items and services. Since the recession hit in earnest in the fall, I hardly get to talk to him. Why? Because he works all the time. He makes the deals the other guys are too lazy or short-sighted to make. If you absolutely, positively want it to be sold, if you want to buy at the best price, you go to Barron Thomas. The flight world knows it, and he gets sales. Plus, he doesn’t get depressed, because he’s working too hard to get depressed. He gets that endorphin rush, that glorious feeling of self-esteem one gets from working hard and being exhausted at the end of a successful day.

My point isn’t to plug Barron. He’s got a huge reputation already. My point is to tell you that the hard-working people will still get work. They will have money to spend. They will spend it, and eventually it will pull us out of this darned recession.

Earn Your Success

I think of Henry Luce, who started ‘Fortune’ magazine when the Great Depression was well under way, or Bill Benton, who started one of the most successful ad agencies of all time, Benton & Bowles, during the Depression. They didn’t expect a bailout. They expected to earn their success — and they did.

Imagination, hard work, and persistence can conquer any phase of the business cycle. Imitate Mr. Thomas, Mr.Bowles, and Mr. Luce. Let other people get depressed by the headlines. Let other people wait around for Mr. Obama to rescue them. You go out and go to work, using every resource of energy and imagination you have. The DMV is not going to bail you out. By and large, and with a few exceptions, you have to bail yourself out.

Get to work.