As 2012 winds down, thoughts of 2013 and new beginnings begin to dominate. With this comes formulation of New Year’s resolutions. These commitments to personal goals might involve developing new behaviors or skills or reforming old habits.
New Year’s resolutions are not a new fad. They’ve been around for eons. At the beginning of each New Year, the ancient Babylonians promised the gods to return borrowed items and pay debts. As far back as 153 B.C., the Romans started every New Year by making vows to Janus, the two-faced goddess who looked back to the previous year and forward to the new one. Medieval knights made a “peacock vow” re-affirming their commitment to chivalry. Christians have always prepared for the year ahead by praying and making resolutions. Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is a time to reflect upon sins over the year, seeking and offering forgiveness.
Popular resolutions
In spite of differences in age, sex, culture and ethnicity, there is a surprising uniformity in resolutions. According to surveys conducted by General Nutrition, Quicken, Google and others, the top resolutions—regardless of geographic area—can be grouped as follows:
• Spending more time with those who are important.
• Adopting a healthier lifestyle including: become more fit, starting an exercise program, eating healthier, adopting a sport…
• Kicking a bad habit such as: smoking, drinking, nail biting, overeating, complaining….
• Seeking balance. Stopping to smell the roses. Enjoying life. Adopting a less stressful lifestyle…
• Financial resolutions: Getting out of debt. Starting to save money. Organizing financial records. Setting up a budget. Spending more sensibly…
• Self-improvement including: Learning new skill. Adopting a new hobby. Taking up a new sport. Signing up for a new class. Learning a foreign language.
• Helping others: Volunteering at an organization. Increasing donations to worthy causes.
• Becoming more organized: Reducing the clutter. Setting up a monthly calendar. Cleaning house. Discarding stuff you haven’t used in years. Donating items to Goodwill or Salvation Army, Diabetes Association, local hospital rummage sale, or other organization.
• Improving your work situation: Taking improvement courses. Getting a better job. Seeking a promotion…
• Social relationships: Getting along with difficult people at home, at work, in the community..
How Successful are Resolutions?
Richard Wiseman (2007) did a study at University of Bristol. Of the 3000 participants nearly 90% were unsuccessful at keeping their resolutions. If they had set goals and devised a plan they were 20% more likely to be successful.
How to Be Successful at Keeping New Year’s Resolutions
What steps can we take to make achieving those resolutions more likely? Writer, Gretchen Rubin, who authored The Happiness Project, states it simply: “You hit a goal, you achieve a goal. You keep a resolution.” Set specific goals. Be definite about what, when and how. Instead of making vague statements such as: “I’ll be healthier.” , “I’ll lead a more balanced life.”, “I’ll get along better with people” , “I’ll be more organized.” or “I’ll improve my finances.”, make your resolution specific, with a tangible, achievable outcome. Rather than saying, “I want to save money,” state, exactly how much you want to save, how you will go about this, and for what.
Devise tangible rewards along the way. Resolutions often fail because people get discouraged. Set up milestones with rewards for reaching them. For example, when I lose five pounds I will give myself a treat.
Write down your goals and the manageable steps you’ll need to take to achieve them. Post them where you will see them often: your bathroom miror or your fridge door. By planning and accomplishing one small thing at a time, you’ll stay on track, focused, and positive about your progress.
Give yourself time to achieve your goals. Track your progress. For example: If you want to exercise more, create a weekly schedule and an exercise plan. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You need time to reach your goals.
Get rid of self-defeating behaviors and self-talk. Instead of saying, “This is hard. I can’t do it.” Say, “I know this is tough but I’m up to it!” Develop a self-fulfiling mantra.
Don’t try to do it alone. You need cheerleaders in your family and friends. You need to associate with people who are making the journey with you. Join a group like Weight Watchers or TOPS. Join a gym. Join a running group. Hire a personal trainer. Sign up for an exercise class. Check in with a trusted ally about how you are doing. That’s one of the reasons Alcoholics Anonymous works! Frank Ra, author of the New Year’s resolution book, A Course in Happiness, offers this encouragement:
“Resolutions are more sustainable when shared, both in terms of with whom you share the benefits of your resolution, and with whom you share the path of maintaining your resolution. Peer-support makes a difference in success rate with new year’s resolutions.”
Why make resolutions? Whether we verbalize them, we all resolve to do something better, to refrain from some vice, or to do our bit to make the world a better place. New Year’s resolutions offer us an opportunity to exercise our optimism that we can improve our health, our relationships, or the world in which we live. So, when the ball drops, the streamers and balloons are released, and the strains of “Auld Lang Syne” begin, make your promise to yourself.
As Oprah Winfrey states: “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
Happy New Year, everyone!
