Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
EVERY YEAR, we make them. And then sure enough, we break them. We're talking about resolutions.
The tradition of the New Year's resolution goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of their calendar. With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future and so became the ancient symbol for resolutions. Whether the Romans were any better at keeping them is another matter.
Over time, as with some traditions, making resolutions doesn't top the 'to-do' list of many persons. Maybe it's because we rarely keep them or in some cases forget them completely, but either way, resolutions just don't cut it anymore.
"Last year, I was going to do some home improvement, lose weight, save money and spend more time with my family. After about the first six weeks of the year, I realised nothing was happening," jokes Nicola.
Some people think resolutions are for the more carefree among us.
BEEN THROUGH THAT PHASE
"Resolutions are for the younger folks but for older, more experienced people like me, we've been through that phase," says Klao, a 30-something mom. That makes sense since everything in life involves time and the more time you think you have, the more likely you'll say, "ok, I'll go jogging tomorrow" or "I'll quit smoking next week"; stuff like that. Still some people take a more philosophical look at resolutions.
"I prefer to call them goals. You shouldn't have to wait for a new year just to start something," says Everald. Others don't make resolutions yearly anymore because there's no need to; nothing in their lives have changed.
"I never made any last year. I'm still struggling with the old ones you know like start eating healthy, get to the gym (see what all the crowing is about), start taking better care of myself; that sort of thing," says Glenna.
When setting resolutions (or goals, whichever you prefer) make sure they're plausible. For example, don't say you're buying a car and you haven't done the first driving test. If you say you're trimming the waist, buy the skipping rope and running shoes as Christmas gifts to yourself.
But the key element when it comes to keeping any resolution, the mind is the greatest ally or deterrent. Where there is no willpower, the resolutions perish. And if you don't have any willpower, then go back to the head of the story; to hell with resolutions!
History taken from www.goalsguy.com
