For many, the turn of a new year is seen not just as an indication of the passage of time, but also as a fresh start. The belief that a new year could symbolize an annual opportunity is most evident in the New Year’s Resolution, a goal set by those who see the concrete date of Jan. 1 as a marker from which to chase goals that often represent a shift in lifestyle or an effort towards self-improvement.
Though New Year’s Resolutions have become a pop culture phenomenon today, with people sharing their goals on social media or with friends and family, the origins of this practice can be traced back to the Ancient Babylonians. Though their resolutions occurred in May rather than January and were more of a religious ritual rather than a personal objective, the general structure has remained consistent over thousands of years, with the Babylonians seeking to keep goals like returning objects they had borrowed and paying off their debts in exchange for the favor of the gods.
Similar practices evolved throughout millennia, from the Ancient Romans to the Middle Ages, until they had become a common practice referred to as the “New Year Resolution” by the late 17th century.
However, as the practice has become more secular over time, the rate of a successful completion has dropped significantly. Research suggests that less than 10 percent of Americans that make resolutions ever successfully accomplish them. More startling, however, is that about 23 percent of Americans quit their resolution within a week, with another 43 percent quitting by the end of January. Effectively, by the end of the first month of the year, about two thirds of people will have abandoned their resolutions. Why is it that an activity meaningful for its upholding become something that very few participants succeed at?
Largely, from the rosy point of view that often accompanies the New Year, it can be easy to jump into setting ambitious goals that work towards improving oneself. But challenges and obstacles can be deceptively hidden such that when it comes to executing a resolution, many once-eager participants falter. Someone who resolved to eat less junk food may find themselves hungry, and craving the bag of chips on the counter. Someone who resolved to go on a morning jog once a week might find themselves far too tired, and their bed far too comfortable to leave so soon. From there, reneging on the resolution becomes easy: as with most repeated actions, the first time is always the hardest. Those who manage to stick with their resolutions all throughout the year tend to be those who understand the challenges of their goals, push through them nonetheless, and maintain ways to keep themselves accountable to their objectives.
New Year’s Resolutions have the potential to be widely successful agents of change. Many successful resolutions start from a designated “anchor point” and New Year’s Day is arguably the most fitting anchor point of the entire year. However, given the modern-day perception of New Year’s resolutions being more of a popular gimmick rather than a genuine goal meant to be upheld and followed, realistic resolutions are rare.
Therefore, it should be of little doubt that New Year’s Resolutions as an idea are excellent ways to achieve goals that would be out of mind at most other times of the year. The common and regrettably accurate notion that most resolutions are abandoned within weeks and even days are simply products of a culture that has devalued this practice into a well-intentioned but ineffective, often short-lived throwaway musing.
For those still seeking to maintain a resolution, the key is accountability. Ensuring that there is someone or something that will stick to their resolution, even when they may be unwilling to uphold it, is the first step to making a resolution work. Beyond that, keeping the goal realistic and truly wanting to achieve it are other necessary basic elements of a workable plan. Overall, New Year’s Resolutions should be here to stay, as they have for thousands of years. However, if they are to ever be taken seriously again, they might need to evolve just a little more.
