I rarely make New Year’s Resolutions and I know that I’m not alone. Research indicates that only about half of Americans make a resolution and with an average success rate of 8%, we can see why that is.
Though resolution making is found most in Western cultures now, the custom originated thousands of years ago in ancient Babylon complete with a 12 day rager to honor the new year. Babylonian resolutions were more about repaying debts than the current Western resolutions of organizing the garage, saving money, or losing weight with that 30 day detox cleanse you are absolutely going to start next week.
As a matter of fact, I’ve made only two New Year’s Resolutions in my entire life that ever stuck. The first was the 2009/2010 resolution to take up yoga. The second came two years later when I resolved to end my miserable suckfest of a marriage.
Anyone who does yoga knows that it was successful resolution #1 (yoga) that led to successful resolution #2 (divorce). But, let’s not blame yoga. Yoga is what gave me the clarity to see what needed to be done for everyone involved to achieve happiness and fulfillment and the strength and resolution to finally do it.
And here we all are, happy and fulfilled and I haven’t made a New Year’s Resolution since.
I’m having trouble getting to my point because I’m a little bit drunk right now. So here it is:
- If you need to make a change, don’t wait until January 1 or until the moment is just exactly right. Do it now because that exactly perfect moment will never arrive.
- If you simply must make a New Year’s Resolution, then make it a realistic resolution. Take the time to get specific about what you hope to achieve, how you are going to do it, and by when.
- If you aren’t making New Year’s resolutions, don’t sweat it, the other half of America isn’t either. The 2016 version of you is good enough for 2017.
This article originally published on www.groundingup.com
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