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Resolutions!

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Making annual resolutions with celebration was first recorded roughly 4000 years ago. Grant it, it happened during the Spring when crops were planted, but the theme of welcoming a new year of fruitful wonder was born. We here at the Worth of Words were asking why do we still carry on this tradition? Our answer was simple. Why not? It’s the one time of the year the entire world decides on closing out the past year of accomplishments, troubles, good times and bad, and resolve to star anew.

In 1740, the early Christians were responsible for shifting the celebrations to the first of the year. If you really want to learn about the history of resolutions, then head on over to the History website https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions. I’d rather use the rest of my words in other ways. We continue to set high goals for ourselves once a year, but why not just set goals for ourselves throughout the year? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of a resolution is “the act of determining” (among other definitions offered) . So, I suppose we are “determined” to accomplish A-B-C in the coming months. I suppose if we make major resolutions mid-year, you do it on your own without the momentum of the world behind you. I feel like that really does make a difference!

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolutions

I was thinking about resolutions people tend to chose every year. The number 1 resolution is weight loss (my own stat, based on me). How many of you joined a gym in the new year because this is THE year it’s going to happen. The gyms all know this too, so memberships are at rock bottom prices and the deals are way too hard to pass up. The gym is packed the entire month of January, come February the wait for the treadmill is pretty non-existent, and by March the best parking spaces are free once again! I’m sure you’ve all heard it only takes 21 days to create a new habit, but not many of us even make it past the first 3 weeks. I did very little research to find out if 21 days is truly accurate, and I did find at least one source that said it’s closer to 66 days https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-happiness-project/200910/stop-expecting-change-your-habit-in-21-days . Hey, at least I even bothered to look it up. Science is important.

If I were to guess the number 2 annual resolution most people claim, I would suspect, since number 1 is weight loss, it would be to have healthier food choices and moderate junk foods and alcohol. While we’re at it, how about to smoke less, vape more (or less if you don’t want your lungs to collapse), and be overall more active. On news sites or other blogs, they developed official lists with survey backed results supporting their top 10 or more new year’s resolutions. But really, we all know what they are. To look official, I just now decided to list them all numerically:

  1. Lose weight
  2. move more
  3. better diet
  4. quit smoking
  5. make smarter financial decisions
  6. pay off debts
  7. learn a new hobby or skill
  8. go to church regularly
  9. spend more time with family and friends
  10. read a real book (or two)

I would love to hear what was your most interesting New Year’s Resolution. Since I used to make resolutions but never followed through with any of them, I decided one year to make one I KNEW I could do! I resolved to EAT MORE DONUTS! I’m not kidding. And you know what? I STILL didn’t do it! But that was several years ago. Luckily, I work in an environment where we all thrive on coffee and carbs, and I have since achieved that resolution, even if it did take a few years to get there. Sometimes, it just takes time to meet those goals!

Short and sweet this is, as you are all very busy deciding on your own New Year’s Resolutions! I hope they last more than 21 days and maybe even up to 66 to make ’em stick! Best wishes to you all and I’ll see ya next week!

Feel free to leave a comment about any topic you would like us to loosely research, exploit, or write about as if it were our own. Challenge us with serious or fun topics, and we’ll do your proverbial homework for you.

Anita Beeta

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