Resolutions

A New Year's resolution is a promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad on the first day of the year.

The ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named.

In the Medieval era, the knights took the "peacock vow" at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.

At watchnight services, many Christians prepare for the year ahead by praying and making these resolutions.

During Judaism's New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the High Holidays and culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).

Resolution Suggestions:

1. Develop goals and plans to get there.
2. Reduce stress.
3. Be more organized.
4. Look for more meaningful work.
5. Improve your work-life balance.
6. Network more effectively.
7. Improve your relationship with the boss/co-workers.
8. Develop your communication skills.
9. Get a degree.
10. Be better with e-mail and voicemail.
11. Have a better attitude.

Resolutions most often broken:

• Lose Weight and Get Fit
• Quit Smoking
• Learn Something New
• Eat Healthier and Diet
• Get Out of Debt and Save Money
• Spend More Time with Family
• Travel to New Places
• Be Less Stressed
• Volunteer
• Drink Less

People allege that most New Year Resolutions do not last more than a day. At the most, they extend to a few weeks. For the resolute hearts, they stay on for a couple of months.

But they are never adhered to for long. Most resolutions are lighthearted and fun.  New Year Resolution is the best chance to incorporate the changes you have been pining for in your life.

Research shows that people who believe that self-control is something dynamic, changing and unlimited, tend to set more resolutions.

Individuals with high self-efficacy attribute failure to insufficient effort, while individuals with low self-efficacy attribute failure to deficient ability. Higher self-efficacy generally is correlated with a greater likelihood of achieving one’s goals.

Research also showed that if you are made to believe that self-control is a fixed or limited resource that you can’t change, you will also set fewer goals and will give up on them sooner, regardless of your level of self-efficacy.

Miller & Marlatt (1998) also suggest the following:

To be successful with your 

own resolutions:

• Have a strong initial commitment to make a change.
• Have coping strategies to deal with problems that will come up.
• Keep track of your progress.
• The more monitoring you do and feedback you get, the better you will do.

Ingredients for setting yourself up 

for resolution failure include:

• Not thinking about making resolutions until the last minute.
• Reacting on New Year’s Eve and making your resolutions based on what’s bothering you or is on your mind at that time.
• Framing your resolutions as absolutes by saying, “I will never do X again.”