Every January when the calendar turns over, we reflect on the past year and make resolutions to do things better: We are going to eat healthier, drive the speed limit, exercise more and give to charities. Year after year we make the same resolutions, and year after year most of us give up by March.
What is it about New Year’s Eve that causes this strange ritual to repeat itself? Nothing. If you really stop and think about it there is nothing special about New Year’s celebrations. The point in time we chose to let the calendar turnover could just as easily have been sandwiched between June and July. The Roman New Year was March 1 on a 10-month calendar, which is still reflected in the names of the months (October means “eighth month”). It seems a bit flimsy to rest healthy decision making on New Year’s when the holiday itself is arbitrary.
Another reason so many New Year’s resolutions taper off is because it is hard. No one said it is easy to be on a regimented workout schedule, and if it were easy you wouldn’t have waited until New Year’s to start.
I’m not suggesting everyone who makes a New Year’s resolution should call it quits because New Year’s is just another day. Instead I’d like to suggest a new solution. Every day from now on let’s have New Day celebrations.
Let’s celebrate the other 364 days in the calendar and resolve to be better tomorrow than we were today and better today than we were yesterday.
Everyone can make healthier decisions and there is nothing to stop today from being the day to start. We don’t need a new year to make fewer mistakes and better decisions, we only need today.
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,” (Psalm 118: 24).
Today is that day.
This year make a resolution to end resolutions. Instead, let today be the day you have resolve, and tomorrow and the next day. Let’s stop waiting for Jan. 1 to better ourselves and start bettering ourselves today. – See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Jan/13/make_a_resolution.html#sthash.JwxYMQgl.dpuf
What is it about New Year’s Eve that causes this strange ritual to repeat itself? Nothing. If you really stop and think about it there is nothing special about New Year’s celebrations. The point in time we chose to let the calendar turnover could just as easily have been sandwiched between June and July. The Roman New Year was March 1 on a 10-month calendar, which is still reflected in the names of the months (October means “eighth month”). It seems a bit flimsy to rest healthy decision making on New Year’s when the holiday itself is arbitrary.
Another reason so many New Year’s resolutions taper off is because it is hard. No one said it is easy to be on a regimented workout schedule, and if it were easy you wouldn’t have waited until New Year’s to start.
I’m not suggesting everyone who makes a New Year’s resolution should call it quits because New Year’s is just another day. Instead I’d like to suggest a new solution. Every day from now on let’s have New Day celebrations.
Let’s celebrate the other 364 days in the calendar and resolve to be better tomorrow than we were today and better today than we were yesterday.
Everyone can make healthier decisions and there is nothing to stop today from being the day to start. We don’t need a new year to make fewer mistakes and better decisions, we only need today.
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,” (Psalm 118: 24).
Today is that day.
This year make a resolution to end resolutions. Instead, let today be the day you have resolve, and tomorrow and the next day. Let’s stop waiting for Jan. 1 to better ourselves and start bettering ourselves today. – See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Jan/13/make_a_resolution.html#sthash.JwxYMQgl.dpuf