We have entered an all New Year two days ago. As the festivities are winding down, family slowly leaving to go back to their homes and as life slowly goes back to the so called ‘normal’ here are a few thoughts to ponder. As each year comes to a close we are confronted with decisions, one of which being, what is my resolution for the New Year going to be? It is this wonderful thought that we shall focus on today.
So what is a New Year’s resolution? It is a promise one makes to do an act of self-improvement, or to do something nice. The origins of this tradition can be traced as far back as to the period of the ancient Babylonians who made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. As the years have progressed, so have our resolutions. Being traditional, most of us attempt to make resolutions each year, however, the success rate of resolution keeping is quite low. Thirty five percent of individuals fail to keep their resolutions because their resolutions are unrealistic and twenty three percent of individuals forget about their resolutions all together.
We make resolutions like being nicer to people, getting a new hobby or giving up an old vice, settling down, fulfilling travel plans etc. to enrich our lives as we go along. They are goals we make for ourselves which push us to achieve the dreams we have. I remember this New Year’s Eve a few years ago, we had all made our resolutions and were there as a support to each other. One individual in the group had decided to quit smoking which was a huge deal as this individual had smoked for half of his well progressed life. The clock was nearing the stroke of midnight and we all waited with bated breaths to see history being made before our eyes. With all the festivities, fun and frolic going on, our smoke puffing hero sheepishly turned to us and went into technicalities… ‘Technically, the New Year ought to be celebrated when the first rays of the sun hits you’, ‘Technically, it is not New year’s day in America’, and technically thus, his goal was left unachieved. When these kinds of promises are made, they are made to appease others and hence the success rate would diminish the moment the plan leaves your tongue.
When setting these goals there are plenty of things to keep in mind. One, if you want to make a successful resolution, the goal you set should be important enough and mean something to you. Two, realistic goals are the only goals worth chasing. I once met a student who hated reading and his resolution was to finish twenty books before the end of the year, needless to say the books remained untouched and his next resolution went something like… clean the dust of the books I have not yet read. Three, your resolution should be one that makes you happy and not a performance for those around. Do something that makes sense to you. Four, one goal at a time, there are people who go overboard with the number of resolutions they make, lists and lists and scroll over scroll, by the time you are done processing one, the rest are long forgotten. Finally, once you have made a resolution, track it from time to time.
As we move gently into another 365 days in this case 366 being a leap year and all, we have a chance to make life a tad more enjoyable. The New Year tends to bring with it hope of a better tomorrow, new things, new experience and new opportunities. In a world caught in a race to the finish where we hardly have the opportunity to share time with those around us, stopping and making time for ourselves is paramount in helping us live a little better. For me, thinking up a resolution is just that, time for myself, with myself to reflect on the year gone by and to make sure I make up for the mistakes, to right a few wrongs and to move forward.
Making resolutions is not mandatory. It’s is just a fun way to create opportunity to make life better. We need not drive ourselves crazy trying to make the best resolution or to keep them. We just need to use the time to look within and be thankful for yet another chance to improve. Here’s wishing all our readers a wonderful year full of fun, achieved goals and new beginnings.
