- Zsuzsanna C.
- Thursday, December 30, 2021
Have You Set Any New Year's Resolutions?
Why Do We Make a New Year's Resolution?
The story began about 4,000 years ago in the city of Babylon. When the new year was celebrated, they praised the Sun God and vowed to please him.
Passing time was punctuated by cardinal dates on which people reflect on their lives. People want a better life thinking about a new year, wishing for new opportunities. We may wish to start with a clean slate, start trying to lose weight, to find a match for our lives, or perhaps to find the best version of ourselves. The desire to act is buzzing in us and we feel like we could even save the world.
We promise ourselves that we want to change something in our lives. We would like to modify or abandon one of our existing habits and introduce a new one instead. This is difficult to accomplish simply by impulse or one’s will. There is a need for resilience, support in our environment, and possibly responsibility. For example, if one doesn't give up smoking, it will have serious health consequences. If you are not following up on the vow systematically, the vow will not come to fruition. It will fail. The strong emotional charge of the festive mood gives the starting momentum, but change takes time. The result does not appear immediately and over time the driving force runs out and the vow is forgotten. We must constantly work to keep the driving force afloat and keep our vows.
In a nutshell, the little steps you really take every day really matter until you develop a new habit that makes the ultimate goal no longer seem daunting. Do you want to lose 10 pounds? Don’t try to run a half marathon right away, rather, start small and run locally for 10 minutes a day. It’s not a one-time act, but the success is in the process. You can form a habit that slowly brings you closer to your goal. To lose weight you want to change your eating habits. Your goal will be just to lose one pound in two weeks. Maybe, don’t eat bread. After you lose just a pound, you can make other changes in your life.
I hope everybody comes up with a good New Year’s Resolution, something that you really can keep!