By Dr. Gerard Muraida
The Times Square ball has dropped, and memories of champagne toasts are fading. Yet, the tradition of making a new year’s resolution lingers. Why do we put ourselves through this annual agony?
Let’s go back 4,000 years to Mesopotamia where the ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make new year’s resolutions. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year, though, for them, the year began in mid-March, when they planted crops. They also made promises at this time to their gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed.
These promises could be considered the forerunners of our new year’s resolutions. Fulfilling their promises was believed to result in gods bestowing good fortune upon them for the year to come. If the Babylonians didn’t keep their word, they would fall out of the gods’ favor.
Around 46 BC, Julius Caesar established January 1 as the beginning of the new year. The Romans believed that Janus, the two-faced god whose spirit inhabited doorways and arches, was able to look backward into the previous year and ahead into the future. The Romans offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the coming year.
Since modern resolutions are a mostly secular practice, they typically focus on self-improvement, financial betterment, and stronger relations with family and friends.
It is estimated that by the end of this month, 80 percent of new year’s resolutions will be abandoned and that after two years, only 8 percent will remain on task.
Despite these dismal results, we continue making resolutions. After all, we’ve had thousands of years of practice!
This begs the question, “Why do we continue this practice despite four millennia of early failures?”
We see the new year as an opportunity to turn the page and start again. The notion of new beginnings starting January 1 is truly arbitrary, as we can change our lives at any time of the year.
Perhaps instead of asking what causes failure, we should examine ways to better ensure success. Here’s a few ideas:
- Don’t seek to reach extravagant goals immediately. We often think everything has to change right away, but incremental changes are more achievable and less likely to fail.
- The impetus to change must come from within, not from an extrinsic source. Whether the desired change is weight loss, improved finances, more diverse employment options, or to focus more on relationships, emotional buy-in is key.
- Be sure that the reason change is sought is worthwhile. If the “why” is justified, set a series of checkpoints to determine if you are remaining on track. Don’t be ambiguous with the goal. Be realistic and don’t punish yourself for any setbacks you may encounter along the way.
