New year, new you?

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. There was a time maybe I’d pretend and join the rest of the herd to come up with something but I simply don’t anymore. To me, the idea of starting afresh and turning over a new leaf, need not necessarily come at the start of the Gregorian calendar. At the stroke of midnight, neither will I turn into Cinderella nor beget a nation’s freedom. I would rather initiate changes into my life at a time that I wish. As per a 2021 report published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 64 per cent of people give up on their resolutions by the end of January. Hence, if my decisions should fail, let them crash grandly at any time of the year.

New year’s resolutions have become exceedingly popular and its tradition is as common as kissing your loved one or playing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ when the clock strikes 12. Reports suggest that the genesis of the modern day New Year Resolutions dates back 4,000 years to 2000 B.C., when Babylonians celebrated the 12-day spring festival called Akitu. Though the months don’t match, the culture of making new beginnings does. From crowning a new king or pledging loyalty to the current one to making vows to gods, clearing off old loans, and even returning borrowed objects — Akitu was the time to start everything anew.

Similarly, the Roman New Year, once shifted to January 1 by Julius Caesar, also marked the practice of propitiating gods and being polite to fellowmen, serving them figs, honey, and gracious greetings. January — named after the two-headed Roman god, Janus, who was symbolic of change — also heralded an introspection of the past with an eye to the future. And then there’s also the Latin custom of años viejos practised in Columbia, Venezuela, and Ecuador since the 19th century, wherein life-sized male dolls, stuffed with items from the old year, are burnt on New Year’s eve as a purging ritual.

17th-18th century puritans in colonial America had the Covenant Renewal Service to make way for more staid celebrations. Mentions of new year’s resolutions also started making appearances in writings of New England theologian Jonathan Edwards and Scottish memoirist and religious writer, Anne Halkett. As did the suggestions of breaking resolutions, found in the satirical write-ups in Walker’s Hibernian Magazine, a Boston newspaper, and Yenowine’s Illustrated News out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Understandably, the human brain requires an impetus and the birth of a new year (as with one’s own birthdays) can signify that much-needed pivot in life. This year, I will visit the gym, work on my body and mind, achieve work-life balance, save money, spend more time with family, quit smoking/drinking…the list of promises carries on. While the pressure to have a new year’s resolution seems untenable, keeping those commitments feels equally unachievable. Hence, the barrage of new year memes. Interestingly, most are about fitness and going to gyms! Because the reality is that enthusiasm fades, dedication totters, and resolve weakens. Falling off the wagon is so common that there is also a ‘Quitter’s Day’ (second Friday of January) and ‘Ditch New Year's Resolution Day’ (January 17). The challenge, at any given time (of the year), is to keep at it. Here’s how.

Not waiting for the new year obviously tops the chart but if you must, then keep your goals simple and attainable. Grandiose goals often have poor results; instead seek small changes that fit into your current schedule rather than upend it. For example, if you want a healthier life, add 10 mins of exercise instead of an hour. Once that 10 minutes becomes part of your lifestyle, increase the duration. Human beings are creatures of habit and anything that seamlessly inserts itself into our daily lives will be more effectively imbibed and sustained. Secondly, keep yourself accountable — some have a friend or partner who keeps a check, some post on social media to keep driving oneself to remain motivated. Finally, no change is quick; it takes effort and requires perseverance. Stick to the small shifts, make little improvements, get up if (and when) you fall, celebrate the wins, and most importantly, be kind to yourself.

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal