The tradition of making New Year's resolutions goes back over 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonian festival of Akitu. During this 12 day celebration, the Babylonians would celebrate the rebirth of the natural world. They would plant crops, crown a new king (or reaffirm the power of the reigning king), make promises to their gods, and pay back their debts. Here's where the New Year's resolutions come in. The Babylonians believed if they kept their promises to the gods, they would stay on the gods' good side, and if not, they would fall out of favor.
In 153 B.C., the Roman Senate declared that January 1st would signal the start of the New Year honoring the god Janus. Because Janus was said to have two faces, he could look forwards and backwards at the same time, symbolizing the end of the previous year and the start of the New Year ahead. However, it took over 100 years for this to take effect. Julius Caesar made it official around 46 B.C.E. Romans would make promises to Janus about their behavior for the next year.
During the middle Ages, knights would renew their vows to chivalry by placing their hand on a live or roasted peacock. The "Peacock Vow" was an annual contract taken at the end of each year (a resolution to uphold the values of knighthood). Modern New Year’s resolutions became *a thing* in the 19th century. The first recorded use of the phrase "new year resolution" appeared in a Boston newspaper in 1813.
Each January, around 40% of the country makes New Year's resolutions. New Year's resolutions don't make much sense. You can make resolutions anytime during the year. So why has January 1st become the only day for official goal setting? Why are resolutions important? Consider the following reasons:
Goals give us meaning-Goals give life
meaning through purpose. Purpose
is the deeper reason for why we want to accomplish a goal. Behind the
stated goal ("I want to get a Ph.D. in psychology…") is our desire to
do something to
improve our lives and the lives of others ("…so that I can contribute to
the fight against mental illness."). Purpose is what motivates us and
moves us to take action.
Goals keep us connected-Goals keep people connected. Common
goals are the foundational block upon which we build communities. From
families to sports teams, from small start-ups to large corporations, and
from social movements to entire nations, the success of a group depends on how
much its members believe in a common goal.
Goals mean clarity-Goals provide you
with a vision and a direction. They give you a destination and enable you
to plan your course into your future. Without goals you risk wasting your
resources (time, money, energy) feeling confused and overwhelmed, and being
unprepared when opportunities arise.
Goals mean progress-In every aspect of
human life; we achieve progress through setting goals. Goals are what
drive advances in science, education, medicine, public policy, law, and
government. Progress in all these fields happens when people set, pursue,
and achieve goals. If there are no goals, there is confusion. Confusion
can delay progress.
It’s how things get done-From things like
getting up for work in the morning to once-in-a-lifetime dreams like seeing the
Great Wall of China, things get done because we treat them like goals that need
to be accomplished.
It’s the language of the
brain-One of the most
important functions of the brain—and the most recent in terms of our
evolution—is executive
function, a cluster of cognitive abilities that evolved to enable
us to set and achieve goals. This brain function is what sets us apart from all
other living things. Most other creatures react based on instinct; we take
action based on planning.
The alternative is the
default-Without suggesting
that we should plan out every minute of our lives, think about what your
default is: What do you do when you are not working toward getting something
done? Is it a productive or enjoyable default? Is it something that you
later regret like binge-watching a TV show and reading Facebook posts?
They make us feel good-They literally
do. As neuroscientists learn more and more about the emotional circuits of
the brain, they are discovering that one of our most basic emotional reactions
is happiness through pursuit. Being actively
engaged in the pursuit of a goal activates the brain’s pleasure centers,
independent of the outcome. It seems that we derive more pleasure from chasing our dreams than
from achieving them. Could that overused adage
about the journey and the destination have an actual biological substrate?
Anyone
who has ever set a New Year's resolution knows how hard they are to keep. No
matter how good your intentions are when you establish them, it's tough to get
changes to stick. Trouble keeping a New Year's resolution is a common
phenomenon. 23% of people quit their resolution after just one week. Only 19%
of individuals are able to stick to their goals long term (two years or longer).
Here's why many New Year's resolutions don't work:
Lack
of planning-A little planning ahead goes a
long way toward making good habits stick. You have to answer tough questions
like, "Will I have to wake up earlier to go to the gym?" or "How
am I going to stick to my budget when my friends invite me out for dinner
several nights per week?" Anticipating challenges and identifying
solutions is important to long-term success.
Mistakes are bound to happen when
you're working on a resolution. In fact, a study
from the University of Scranton
shows that people who are successful at sticking to their long-term resolutions
tend to slip up (defined as the re-emergence of unwanted behavior) at least 14
times. A whopping 71% of individuals said their mistakes actually strengthened
their desire to reach their goals. Planning ahead can help you figure out how
you'll recover from those mistakes. And that's an important part of preventing
a misstep from turning into a permanent failure.
No
self-monitoring-Monitoring your progress is important
to creating lasting change. Otherwise, how do you know if you're on target?
Simply assessing your improvements on a regular basis can be enough to keep you
motivated. For example, a 2015
study published in the Journal of Medical
Internet
Research found that fitness apps can motivate people to get more exercise.
Tracking activity levels can help people overcome perceived barriers to exercise. All those excuses you're tempted to make might go out the window when you're monitoring your progress. So whether you use an app that tracks your spending or how long your runs are, there are many ways you can monitor the steps you're taking.
Tracking activity levels can help people overcome perceived barriers to exercise. All those excuses you're tempted to make might go out the window when you're monitoring your progress. So whether you use an app that tracks your spending or how long your runs are, there are many ways you can monitor the steps you're taking.
Not
looking at what has to be given up-Everything
you add to your life means you have to give something up. We often only focus
on what we're gaining, and forget to look at the things you're leaving behind.
How are you going to handle these uncomfortable feelings (or the awkward
conversations when you have to say no to things you really want to do)?
Before you commit to changing
your habits, recognize what you will gain from the new habits. Think about what
you'll need to give up before you make the change. Simply acknowledging this
ahead of time — and developing a plan to deal with the change — can help remind
you that it is worth the price you're going to pay.
Not
ready to change-Those end-of-the-year activities
often bring pressure to declare how you're going to change your life. Many
people set a resolution based on what they think they should do rather than
what they actually want to do. You have to be ready to change your life if your
habit changes are going to stick.
While some people's readiness for change happens to coincide
with January 1st, most people will find the timing doesn't quite work out that
way. Just
because most resolutions fail doesn't mean your resolution can't last. If
you're prepared for the reality of the challenge and you're willing to put in
the hard work to make it happen, you can make your resolution stick this year.
Overconfidence-While many people worry that lack of confidence will kill their chances of reaching their goals, overconfidence can be even more detrimental. When you're convinced your goal is going to be easy — and you conclude you're overqualified for the job — you'll likely find yourself unprepared and ill-equipped to face the reality of the situation. Change is hard.
Acknowledge that it's tough to delay gratification and push yourself when
you're tired. Saying it's going to be difficult to stay on track doesn't mean you're
weak. It means you're being realistic. Recognize that you have weaknesses and
that you're going to struggle, and you'll be more emotionally prepared to meet
your goal.
“I don't believe
in New Year's resolutions. I think if you want to change something, change it
today and don't wait until the New Year.” (Georgina Bloomberg) [i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“5 reasons why most New Year's resolutions don't
stick, according to a psychotherapist” by Amy Morin
·
“8 Reasons We Really
Do Need to Make Resolutions” by Theo Tsaousides
· “The History of New Year's Resolutions” Kate Dwyer
This topic was suggested
by Jan Bahr, friend and blog member.
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