The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year, though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted. They also made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed. These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. If the Babylonians kept to their word, their (pagan) gods would bestow favor on them for the coming year. If not, they would fall out of the gods’ favor, a place no one wanted to be.
A similar practice occurred in ancient Rome, after the reform-minded emperor Julius Caesar tinkered with the calendar and established January 1 as the beginning of the new year circa 46 B.C. Named for Janus, the two-faced god whose spirit inhabited doorways and arches, January had special significance for the Romans. Believing that Janus symbolically looked backwards into the previous year and ahead into the future, the Romans offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the coming year.
For early Christians, the first day of the new year became the traditional occasion for thinking about one’s past mistakes and resolving to do and be better in the future. Despite the tradition’s religious roots, New Year’s resolutions today are a mostly secular practice. Instead of making promises to the gods, most people make resolutions only to themselves, and focus purely on self-improvement (which may explain why such resolutions seem so hard to follow through on).
According to recent research, while as many as 45 percent of Americans say they usually make New Year’s resolutions, only 8 percent are successful in achieving their goals. But that dismal record probably won’t stop people from making resolutions anytime soon. So, rather than making the usual resolution this year to “lose weight”, “eat healthier”, or “save money”, why not consider …
Resolve to compliment three people each day.
Resolve to treat everyone the way you would like to be treated.
Resolve to never deprive anyone of hope – it may be all they have.
Resolve to keep your promises.
Resolve to leave everything better than you found it.
Resolve to watch the sunrise at least once this year.
Resolve to not pray for things but instead pray for courage and wisdom.
Resolve to be kinder than necessary.
Resolve to remember that winners do what losers don’t want to.
Resolve to remember that overnight success usually takes about 15 years.
Resolve to not rain on others’ parades.
Resolve to never waste the opportunity to tell someone that you appreciate them.
The Summit County Farm Bureau appreciates the support of their members.