Mark Twain had a particular view of the turn of the year. He defined New Year’s Day as the “accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual” and as “a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions”.
With a new start, there is hope to do things differently, even better. The Romans had a god for beginnings and endings – Janus (as in January) and they made vows to change. One of the first times such a promise was made in English was in Margaret Percival in America, a book published in 1850 by an American minister Edward Hale (who set up the Lend a Hand movement) where the heroine states that she is willing to submit herself to God’s will. In her words, “I am here, ready, from this moment, to obey. It shall be my New Year’s resolution.” It may well be that she succeeded in keeping the promise she made herself.
Most people do not. Just 3 weeks ago, the Journal of Clinical Psychology published by University of Scranton revealed that just under half of all Americans make resolutions for the new year. For 2014, key hopes are to lose weight and to get organised. However, the outlook is not too good. Last year, only a meagre 8% of those looking for improvement in the New Year actually achieved it.
Where will you be this time next year? The 92% in line with Twain, or the 8% according to Hale? Whatever it is good luck in the coming months.
