HOW TO MAKE ( AND KEEP ) NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
AND WHY WE MAKE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
Brief History:
New Year's Resolutions have a long history.
The New Year's Resolution tradition actually goes back to ancient times. The new year is a natural time to reflect and resolve to change or improve how we live our lives.
In 2000 B.C., the Babylonians celebrated the New Year's for 11 days. One common resolution was the returning of borrowed farm equipment.
The Babylonian New Year was adopted by the Romans as was the tradition of resolutions.
HOW TO MAKE (AND KEEP) NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
Here are tips if you're taking on a New Year's resolution.
- Make time to pause and reflect. Decide on a morning to make a cup of tea and sit down with a pad of paper. Or, perhaps you think best while doing a mindless household chore.
- keep it simple. Settle on one or two things that you really can accomplish. Not a big list. For example, our founder Robert B. Thomas resolved to "being the new year square with every man." This meant he settled his debts. Of course, this saying could have a meaning beyond finances to relationships! Define a goal that is measurable, doable, and specific. "I want to lose weight" is too vague. "I will write out a week's meal plan and follow it for 10 days" is more concrete. Or, "I will spend 5 minutes praying every evening before bedtime for 3 weeks." Or, "I will not eat dessert or sugary treats for three weeks." Once you reach your short-term goal, you can reassess or moderate.
- Create a short list of diversions that could come up. For example, if quitting smoking is one of your resolutions, sip on lemon juice whenever temptation strikes or nibble on sunflower seeds. Keep a ✏️ in your hand to keep it occupied, or play with yo-yo.
- If losing weights is a goal, plan on making a cup of herbal tea (or a pitcher!) every afternoon to get you through a midday slump. Many people get tired and have less control late in the day; if you get late-night munchies, be sure to buy something healthy to chew on, such as a handful of almonds.
Here's another idea. If you're not fond of resolutions, how about talking a piece of paper and listing a few regrets about the past year? To help focus on the future, write down you regrets on a scarp of paper and toss it into the 🔥! Janus, the two-faced symbol of the new year, would approve!
Whether we resolve to return borrowed farm equipment (as did the Babylonians) or drop a few pounds, we're tapping into an ancient and power longing for a fresh start! We just have different ways of reflecting and resolving to do our best in life.