New Year Resolution: What You need To Know

Making decisions is a daily human action. We all make choices as it affects us in small areas like what to wear to a party to bigger ones like whom to marry. All these are necessary and at time inevitable. But when it comes to New Year resolution special meaning seem to be attached.

A New Year resolution is a tradition
, according to Wikipedia, when a person makes a promise to improve or do something nice from New Year’s Day. It is common in the Western and Eastern culture and was introduced to Africa by the colonial reign. You now have to understand why the practice is not common down here.

History

The practice of New Year resolution dates back as far as 4000 years ago when the Babylonians began their new year with an 11-day festival in March. Within this period they will make promises to their gods that they will return borrowed objects and pay their debts.

By 46 B.C the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar had moved the first day of the year to 1st January in honour of the Roman God of Newness, Janus. The Romans also began each year by making promises to this god.  However, while the idea took time to gel, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII brought the January 1 New Year back in vogue with the Gregorian Calendar.

Statistics

With all the noise and expectations surrounding such popular tradition, research has shown that 35% people who make such resolutions break them before the end of January. Only 23% of everyone who makes a resolution will see it through to completion. 

So why do people still make resolutions? Isn't it time to stop this culture?

Well, a New Year resolution is basically a decision. And you know people hardly keep to decisions over long period of time.

Why Resolutions Fail

There are tons of reasons why resolutions fail. Here though are the most basic reasons.

Just a Tradition, Nothing more

First of all is the fact it is taken as simply a tradition. One normal thing with observing traditions is the tendency to lose the value and real significance along the line as the years wear on. So people go about it as a yearly routine, not because they are in for any change in their life.

Unrealistic Goals

People tend to make too much resolution than they would accomplish.  They feel safe taking just the beginning of the New Year to arrange their life for the entire 12 months ahead. It has to be understood that a resolution is basically a decision to achieve a set goal. Making unrealistic and too many resolutions wears you down and prevents you from achieving even the realistic ones.

Limited Knowledge

What of making decisions without taking care to know the steps to achieve such? You want to achieve something meaningful then know that every endeavour runs on principles. Read books, listen to audios and talk to professionals in that area and you help will not be far-fetched.

Keeping Secret

Decisions to improve yourself should not be kept to oneself. The tendency to achieve your dream is high when someone else knows about it. That’s a kind of checking on you from time to time by someone who you trust.

The reason is simple; sustained self-motivation is difficult to maintain. And since the year is always a long one, someone needs to keep you on your toes to achieve what you’ve promised to do. And how will they know if you didn’t tell them? So you have to tell someone about your resolution.

Refusing to Change the Mind-set

The last reason is that people tend to make more resolutions on what they will do than on who they will be. For instance the research shows that losing weight is the highest resolution by Americans in…. The point is simple: you cannot consistently ‘do’ what you’ve not become.

You have to change your attitude to life and alter your mind-set to be able to make a successful resolution.

Now, what do you plan to do? Have another ritual or you deeply feel you need to change something in your life come this New Year? The ball is in your court. Remember the points you need to consider and keep in order for your resolutions to be achieved.

If you are able to get it rightly that New Year resolution is simply a decision and does not differ in any way from other decisions you’ve taken, then you focus more on how to make them come through.

Meanwhile, as a New Year Special, you will receive articles on key areas to work on and how to go about them for the year. Do not miss out.

Happy New Year In Advance!!