Happy New Year to all. May this year bring bountiful prosperity, good health, fulfillment and joy in your lives. And when the talk is of the New Year, can new year resolu-tions be far behind?
Resolutions customarily, and even reluctantly, accompany the onset of a new year. Note here the word ‘onset’. As commonly noted, these resolutions are effective from the 2nd until the 6th of January. On 31st December 2024 I too was given the impetus to announce my New Year resolutions. I politely (and wisely?) declined. More on my reasons later.
The custom of making resolutions for good deeds and habits to carry forward in the new year isn’t some new age fad. The North American Old Farmer’s Almanac proves this. Even 4,000 years ago Ancient Romans pledged good behavior at the begining of their year, while Ancient Babylonians swore to pay off their debt, following the new farming season after the harvest.
The question is should we make such resolutions in today’s time? Are they even effective anymore?
Well, according to research, not quite. A recent Forbes study stipulated that a mere 6% of all resolution makers actually stuck with their promises to themselves. An alarming 94% gave up. This is a significant cause for deliberation.
Why do we make resolutions in the first place? Perhaps the trigger is a need for closure of the past and hope for a portentous journey ahead. New Year, new me, is the phrase often touted. Is it quite realistic though? The start of a New Year sure is a trigger for renewed effort at self-improvement, often tied to our health and social relationships. After all, the calendar year, signifies everything fresh. Fresh crops, updated financial decisions, new dates. We too then dream of a blank slate and a fresh start.
And this is exactly why we fail. We give way to magical thinking and declarative gestures, caught up in the fervor of our fresh calendar showing 1/1—. We set unrealistic goals that involve turning our life around. But how do you change all your habits that your body is used to in one week, let alone a day. It is kind of foolish or simplistic to think that you will become a different person by just declaring so. Perhaps it veers on a sort of denial. Ultimately we are who we are and our innate disposition remains so.
So, do we continue with bad, undesirable, unhelpful, damaging habits under the guise of being real? Are we saying that we cant change, or that we shouldnt make New Year resolutions.
Of course not. But we have to work with who we are. Understand yourself and take baby steps according to what works for you.
In fact, why wait for the first of January to make a resolve and act upon it- make a change each day, or let that day also be 1st January. If we fail at first, let us turn our failure into feedback instead of a setback. After all, everyday adds up to 365 times of any new habit resolution.
So, what have you done to make your resolution come true today?
