By Alexis Beach
Why wait to start a goal for yourself until the new year? Is it because it's easier to keep track of the dates? Does anyone commit to their new year resolutions AND complete them? Let’s start off with where and when the tradition of New Year’s Resolutions started. It's said that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s Resolutions around 4,000 years ago. They had a 12-day religious festival (Akitu) where they reaffirmed their loyalty to the king or crowned a new king. They then made promises to the gods they believed in, which were to pay their debts and return borrowed objects, and these promises are where the originality of New Year’s Resolutions came from. According to driveresearch.com, 38% of people make New Year’s Resolutions each year but ONLY 9% actually stick to them throughout the whole year. The two most common resolutions people make are fitness and diet. The age range of people making these resolutions are adults under the age of 30. Also, according to verywellmind.com, one of the biggest issues with New Year’s Resolutions and not being able to fulfill them is that the changes and goals are too big and can be unrealistic considering the other real-life factors that play into it. As humans we aren’t programmed to make life altering changes with such ease and succeed. A psychologist Terri Bly stated, “the pain of not changing has to be greater than the pain of changing for us to really… change.” Some people like to wait until the new year to start their goals because many feel that a new year means a clean and new slate, along with finding it possibly easier to track their progress if they successfully stay consistent in achieving such goals set for themselves. If you truly want to make meaningful change in your life, then don’t wait for the new year to start that transition. There's no reason to sit around and wait for another year to start making change. If anything, that just seems like procrastination which means you clearly aren't ready to alter your lifestyle. I asked a peer about his opinion on new year resolutions and if he thinks they could be useful for some people. He said, “My opinion on New Year's Resolutions is that I don't find them to be helpful, I believe that if you have a goal and a plan in mind then you should not wait for a new year to come but to put that goal and plan into action. So, to lead onto your next question, no I do not have a resolution myself, I believe that people can be without them as they provide no benefit to people and can often at times be a hindrance instead of a support.” At the end of the day certain things work for certain people; simply do what is best and the most helpful for you!
1 Comment
Lynn Girven
1/25/2024 09:13:41 am
I agree!
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