A New Year's resolution is a world-wide tradition, most common in the Western Hemisphere but also found in the Eastern Hemisphere, in which a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement or something nice, such as opening doors for people beginning from New Year's Day.
Where did New Year’s resolutions come from? Depending on your religious beliefs, you could say New Year’s resolutions originated from ancient religious promises formed by many. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. Also, the Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the Medieval era, the knights took the "peacock vow" at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry. At watch night services, many Christians prepare for the year ahead by praying and making these resolutions.
Some popular goals for New Year’s resolutions include of losing weight, becoming more involved in one’s life and community, improving social skills/career, etc.
A 2007 study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study's participants were confident of success at the beginning.
I asked a few fellow students their opinion on New Year’s resolutions. Cameron Biddle, grade 12, said “I think they’re kind of dumb, you shouldn’t have one set day where you try to be a better person, you should be doing that all the time.” “I think they’re stupid because nobody actually goes through with them.” –Alex Mance, grade 9.
In conclusion, despite the unlikely-hood of actually being successful in your resolution, setting a goal for yourself, committing to it or not, is a great start to the new year.
Where did New Year’s resolutions come from? Depending on your religious beliefs, you could say New Year’s resolutions originated from ancient religious promises formed by many. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. Also, the Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the Medieval era, the knights took the "peacock vow" at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry. At watch night services, many Christians prepare for the year ahead by praying and making these resolutions.
Some popular goals for New Year’s resolutions include of losing weight, becoming more involved in one’s life and community, improving social skills/career, etc.
A 2007 study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study's participants were confident of success at the beginning.
I asked a few fellow students their opinion on New Year’s resolutions. Cameron Biddle, grade 12, said “I think they’re kind of dumb, you shouldn’t have one set day where you try to be a better person, you should be doing that all the time.” “I think they’re stupid because nobody actually goes through with them.” –Alex Mance, grade 9.
In conclusion, despite the unlikely-hood of actually being successful in your resolution, setting a goal for yourself, committing to it or not, is a great start to the new year.