New Year’s resolutions are a tradition dating back to the Babylonians. However, many of us fail to keep them as the year passes. Read to know what’s stopping you from sticking to them.
A short introduction to the history of New Year resolutions:
While the concept of New Year resolutions may seem like a modern idea, several sources point to the Babylonians who first started the trend. “In 2000 B.C., the Babylonians celebrated the New Year during a 12-day festival called Akitu… the start of the farming season to plant crops, crown their king, and make promises to pay their debts. One common resolution was the returning of borrowed farm equipment,” reveals the Almanac.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives an example from 1671. “A 1671 entry from the diaries of Anne Halkett, a writer and member of the Scottish gentry, contains several pledges, typically taken from biblical verses such as ‘I will not offend any more”. Halkett titled the page with the words Resolution on January 2nd, indicating the custom was in practice at the time.
The idea spread over time and became very common at the beginning of the 19th century. So common that people started joking about the tendency of giving up on them.
“The following personages have begun the year with a strong of resolutions, which they all solemnly pledged to keep. Statesmen have resolved to have no other object in view than the good of their country…the physicians have determined to follow nature in her operations, and to prescribe no more than is necessary, and to be very moderate in their fees,” states a satirical article in Walker’s Hibernian Magazine in 1802.
Why do people abandon their resolutions?
Studies reveal when it comes to keeping the resolution both success and failure are due to the same reason. It is human nature to plan elaborately and prepare complicated schedules which help in increasing excitement and motivation when eyeing the result. While it helps us initially kickstart, practicing it daily proves to be a difficult task. We get bogged down by the initial lack of progress and tend to give in to the temptation of giving up.
Psychologists suggest several methods to reward yourself to stay on track. Resolutions are usually made with a focus on the self. They are along the lines of “I will change X thing about my life” or “I will do Y”. However, they are detrimental to success as they create ideas and scenarios in our minds without helping create accountability. Instead, they suggest an approach involving close friends or family who will help each other in staying accountable. A popular acronym reminds people to make SMART resolutions.
With this, your New Years’ resolutions will be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.