The Resolution Catalyst - Published December 2007
In a little over a week we will be closing the chapter on 2007. It's at this time of the year when social activities and ironically enough, a certain level of morality really seem to kick in. Parties to attend for some, the penance of overindulging for others. With the prospect of a fresh, new beginning and the feeling of being able to 'start over', people will naturally feel a bit sanguine and a little wistful. There will be wrongs that'll be righted and fences will get mended.Good thoughts, health, happiness and success will be wished on friends and loved ones. New Zealand and Tonga will probably once again argue over which country has bragging rights to be the first to greet the new year. A quagmire indeed. It's interesting to note however that the last countries on earth to celebrate New Year's Day will be Samoa, American Samoa and tiny Niue in the South Pacific Ocean, not all that far away from the first two in terms of geography.
And as seems to be the norm, millions worldwide will be making New Year's resolutions. A very common practice, this ; announcing them as the clock strikes 12 while poorly sung versions of Robert Burns's Auld Lang Syne are bleated out and varying degrees of affections exchanged.
The origin of the New Year's resolution is Babylonian in it's ancestry and dates back to 2000BC. Their new year was at the time of the Spring Equinox - that's December 22nd to you and me. It was a day that marked the beginning of spring and more importantly the new harvest. They too had their own interpretation of resolutions which required them to return farming tools borrowed from their neighbors on this day, and this task was treated with the utmost importance. Taking into account that this was 4,000 years ago, it could also be considered as the oldest known holiday in world history.
While Julius Caesar was credited with picking and fixing the actual date of January 1st as New Years Day in what we now know to be the Julian calendar, the Babylonians began the practice of having New Year's resolutions. After Caesar's handiwork, there was much tussling and jostling of dates as certain popes in the Middle Ages tried to remedy a problem. It turned out that the Julian calendar was 11 and a half minutes longer than the solar calendar, causing it to be out of sync with the seasons and severely antiquated even by their standards. January 1st was once again selected as the first day of the new year with the actualization of the proper Gregorian calendar by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, in which he canceled out the build-up of 11 and a half minutes over the years beginning at 46BC and introduced a clean slate, calendarwise.
To make a New Year's resolution is simple and is usually motivated by a desire for a little self-improvement. To stop smoking. Take better care of one's health. Spend more time with the family. Give up the junk food. Finally take that vacation. Contribute to charity.
I read somewhere that the most common New Year's resolution is to lose weight. It does make perfect sense seeing as how so few are comfortable and confident with their bodies to begin with. Almost all of us have things we consider imperfections, albeit usually inaccurately.
While the intentions of these declarations are indeed noble and would benefit the resolution maker greatly, it should be no surprise that they are so very often broken. Research has shown that up to 60% of New Years resolutions made have been broken within 3 months of being made.
Given these odds, it's safe to assume that one would be hard pressed to make a New Year's resolution with any hope of actually sticking to it. But it's not all bleak. A study done by the University of Washington's Addictive Behavior Research Center states that the following factors are essential in seeing your resolution through. Dr Alan Marlatt, Director of the Center, listed the following points :
• 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.
This suggests that there is indeed a high level of psychology behind the humble New Year's resolution. Paulin Wallin, Ph.D states that "during the month of December people tend to overindulge in eating, drinking, spending money and neglecting exercise. Rather than moderate these behaviors, we promise ourselves that after the holiday season is over, we will definitely take control. In the meantime, we give ourselves permission to overindulge without guilt.
And as seems to be the norm, millions worldwide will be making New Year's resolutions. A very common practice, this ; announcing them as the clock strikes 12 while poorly sung versions of Robert Burns's Auld Lang Syne are bleated out and varying degrees of affections exchanged.
The origin of the New Year's resolution is Babylonian in it's ancestry and dates back to 2000BC. Their new year was at the time of the Spring Equinox - that's December 22nd to you and me. It was a day that marked the beginning of spring and more importantly the new harvest. They too had their own interpretation of resolutions which required them to return farming tools borrowed from their neighbors on this day, and this task was treated with the utmost importance. Taking into account that this was 4,000 years ago, it could also be considered as the oldest known holiday in world history.
While Julius Caesar was credited with picking and fixing the actual date of January 1st as New Years Day in what we now know to be the Julian calendar, the Babylonians began the practice of having New Year's resolutions. After Caesar's handiwork, there was much tussling and jostling of dates as certain popes in the Middle Ages tried to remedy a problem. It turned out that the Julian calendar was 11 and a half minutes longer than the solar calendar, causing it to be out of sync with the seasons and severely antiquated even by their standards. January 1st was once again selected as the first day of the new year with the actualization of the proper Gregorian calendar by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, in which he canceled out the build-up of 11 and a half minutes over the years beginning at 46BC and introduced a clean slate, calendarwise.
To make a New Year's resolution is simple and is usually motivated by a desire for a little self-improvement. To stop smoking. Take better care of one's health. Spend more time with the family. Give up the junk food. Finally take that vacation. Contribute to charity.
I read somewhere that the most common New Year's resolution is to lose weight. It does make perfect sense seeing as how so few are comfortable and confident with their bodies to begin with. Almost all of us have things we consider imperfections, albeit usually inaccurately.
While the intentions of these declarations are indeed noble and would benefit the resolution maker greatly, it should be no surprise that they are so very often broken. Research has shown that up to 60% of New Years resolutions made have been broken within 3 months of being made.
Given these odds, it's safe to assume that one would be hard pressed to make a New Year's resolution with any hope of actually sticking to it. But it's not all bleak. A study done by the University of Washington's Addictive Behavior Research Center states that the following factors are essential in seeing your resolution through. Dr Alan Marlatt, Director of the Center, listed the following points :
• 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.
This suggests that there is indeed a high level of psychology behind the humble New Year's resolution. Paulin Wallin, Ph.D states that "during the month of December people tend to overindulge in eating, drinking, spending money and neglecting exercise. Rather than moderate these behaviors, we promise ourselves that after the holiday season is over, we will definitely take control. In the meantime, we give ourselves permission to overindulge without guilt.
Our resolve is at its peak when we feel full, drunk, or broke. It's easy to think about going on a diet as we groan from a bloating holiday meal. It's no problem to plan to quit smoking when we've just had a cigarette and replenished our nicotine level. At this point we feel confident about our New Year's resolutions because we have not yet confronted any prolonged physical deprivation or discomfort."
As is human nature yet again we make deals with ourselves. We have inner dialogs about the pros and cons of getting up at 5am to go for that run we promised we'd do while having that extra slice of cake for dessert last night. And, as is in most of our natures to do, we comfortably reason that the cons are appropriate. It then becomes easier to abandon the commitments that were so easily made only a few short weeks prior.
Experts state that you should ask yourself 3 questions before even attempting to make a serious resolution.
1) Why Am I Making A Resolution?
People are usually able to identify things in their lives that they would like to amend or improve. Or maybe they'd like to see themselves as a totally different person in a year's time.Whatever your resolution is, only you will really be able to answer this question truthfully and honestly.
2) How Will I Keep This Resolution?
Intelligent goal-setting will go far. Realistic target levels and a measure of grabbing the proverbial bull by it's horns will help. A serious attitude and a healthy level of expectation are key. Don't feel demoralized simply because you're not seeing the results you want as quickly as you'd like.
3) What Will I Do If I Break The Resolution?
Keep at it. Everyone is allowed to make mistakes. Don't let the guilt at slipping hinder you from getting back on track.
I've been wondering about resolutions all week, mainly thinking if I should make any and publicly list them down here. I've already put my goals down in an earlier article regarding Life Lists. I then decided against it. Simply because if I ended up breaking any resolutions I'd probably be pretty upset with myself, and the main gist of it all is that I thoroughly enjoy my little vices coupled with what some would call a very healthy social life. I've had my life-altering catalyst already, handled the challenges it threw at me and I survived. I'm now looking forward to enjoying a bit of calm, some peace and quiet. I'd like to think of myself as a realist to a casual degree. And I've not made any New Year's resolutions for a very long time.
But something tells me that I should be having no such problem with that this year. Happy holidays everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment
No abuse, slander or hearsay. Play nice.