The month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions (the word “janitor” is derived from the same Latin root, originally meaning “doorkeeper”).
Janus was depicted with two faces, a symbol of looking at both the past and future simultaneously.
It is a longstanding tradition to meet the new year acknowledging the accomplishments of the prior year and projecting goals for the upcoming one — think “best of” lists and gym resolutions.
And despite ongoing concerns associated with the worldwide economic malaise and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ lack of a productive offense, several key developments in 2011 give us hope that Jacksonville’s arrow is pointing up heading into 2012. The sale of the Jaguars to Shahid Khan, the mayoral election of Alvin Brown and the selection of Paul Anderson as the CEO of the Jacksonville Port Authority are a few local transitions that will have an impact on the city for years to come.
The Fourth Judicial Circuit bench also is experiencing a period of transition as we mourn the passing of Circuit Judge Jeff Morrow and honor retiring Circuit Judges Fred Tygart and Hal Taylor, and welcome to the bench new Circuit Judges Kevin Blazs, Tyrie Boyer and Harvey Jay and new County Judge Mose Floyd.
There also are physical changes in Jacksonville’s skyline that demonstrate Downtown’s continued progress toward becoming a vibrant city center, including the appearance of Wells Fargo’s trademark red-and-yellow sign on top of One Independent Drive, the state-of-the-art Wolfson Children’s Hospital tower being constructed on Baptist’s Downtown campus, the nearing completion of the Duval County Courthouse set for May and EverBank’s recently announced move to Bay Street planned to begin in June.
These changes mark new beginnings that touch almost all of us who live or work Downtown.
As we look forward to 2012, I invite you to consider the words of Winston Churchill, who said that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
To that end, I encourage you to make one resolution to preserve and enhance the Jacksonville legal and business community’s reputation as a great place to work.
Will you become an active participant in a JBA committee, or maybe decide to attend the Annual Meeting?
Will you volunteer your time to help a pro bono client or agree to spend a few hours a month mentoring a young lawyer?
Will you get involved in the JAX Chamber or some other civic or charitable organization?
If you’re unsure of where to start, please contact The Jacksonville Bar Association at 399-4486 or [email protected], or visit the excellent online database of organizations that need your help maintained by HandsOn Jacksonville.
I am not an expert on resolutions (I’ve been “training” for that first triathlon for about five years), but I have been told the resolutions easiest to keep are the ones that are “positive” in nature — for example, “I will make better food choices” instead of “no more desserts.”
Another mental trick is to focus on keeping your resolutions over shorter periods of time, which can seem less daunting. It’s hard to think of doing anything for a whole year, but doing the same thing for just a week or month seems more manageable. And chances are, if you keep up with something for a month, it will become a habit that you’re more likely to maintain.
Whatever your resolution, whether personal or professional, I hope you have a successful and prosperous year (especially if it involves improving the Jags’ offense) and I look forward to seeing you at the slate of upcoming JBA events.