When a new year is ushered in next week, many people will take that occurrence as a sign to find new ways to improve their lives.

There will be those who vow to lose weight. There will be those who vow to stop smoking. There will be those who vow to do more to help others.

Also in the upcoming new year, a new governor takes over in North Carolina. A different version of the N.C. General Assembly will begin a new legislative session.

Pat McCrory and his administration, the General Assembly and local elected leaders will have a new year in which to begin new efforts or renew past efforts to improve life in North Carolina. Bringing high-paying jobs to North Carolina, from the coast to the mountains, must be a priority for them. For far too long, the unemployment rate in Beaufort County and the state has been too high. The more people who are working, the better off the state will be. Working people pay taxes. Working people spend money, resulting in sales-tax revenue for the state and local governments. Working people are not a drain on the state’s welfare system.

North Carolina used to known as the “good roads” state. While our road system is better than road systems in other states, it is not as good as it used to be. The new governor, the new administration and the new Legislature need to address a variety of transportation issues.

For one, stop raiding the Highway Trust Fund to get money to pay for other projects. That money should be used for one thing and on thing only — highway improvements.

And if the new governor, new administration and new General Assembly could find ways to enhance the education our children receive while in public schools, all of us would be better off. It would behoove us to make sure our children are learning what they need to know to compete in a world that’s becoming more and more reliant on technology. More emphasis on science and technology needs to occur in the classroom.

The better our children are equipped to be productive in the coming years, the better their future and the state’s future likely will be. Let’s make sure our children are equipped so they can successfully compete in the global economy.

A word of advice to our leaders: use the upcoming new year as a platform from which to launch the changes this state and its residents need to improve their lives.