When the clock strikes midnight tonight and the ball falls in New York’s Times Square, some of us will be thinking about what we’ve accomplished in 2014, or, what we haven’t accomplished.

Did we keep our New Year’s resolutions, or break them before February?

Whether vowing to eat healthier, get out of debt or quit smoking, choosing a New Year’s resolution has become a tradition that most of us seem to tackle with great fervor in the beginning.

But as the days, weeks and months pass, human nature overcomes us and we fall back into our routine.

So why can’t we hold on to that New Year’s dream? Maybe it’s because we only set these kinds of goals once a year. Or maybe we need some accountability from a friend or family member.

Maybe we are just too focused on ourselves.

This year, let’s try to do more for others, rather than ourselves — volunteer at an animal shelter, visit a nursing home or children’s hospital, pick up litter, maybe join a civic group or club that focuses on community improvement.

Here is a challenge: Each month of the New Year, pick one activity to complete which benefits another person or the community as a whole.

If you brighten just one person’s day or better your community in some small way, by the time 2016 rolls around, you can say with confidence that you met your New Year’s resolution.