New Years Resolutions

Right now, I'm bracing myself.  I go back to work tomorrow after the Christmas break. Doubtless I will be asked one question at least half a dozen times: "Have you made any New Years Resolutions?" Erm ... no, I haven't. And this is why

As a society, we place far too much value on New Year as the time to make personal change. We can make change whenever we want to, we don't need a specific day to do it. Instead we choose to put ourselves under immense pressure by making a very public effort to change (an effort which, by my experience, fails around 90-95% of the time).
The failure rate is important because many people, having failed once, will not try and implement the same change again for a long time. If the change was something to benefit health (quitting smoking, cutting down junk food etc) where does that leave them? In a pit of misery thinking they can't help themselves.
Why do they fail? Because their awareness of their need to change has not yet moved into intrinsic motivation to change. Without motivation, change will invariably fail to be long term or permanent. But, because they know they should change, and New Year, new start mentality  is looming, they give it a try. In the genuinely unmotivated, the change may not last until Twelfth Night (around 25% of resolutions are broken in the first week), while others may hang grimly onto the wagon for anywhere up to a month. Under half of all resolvers are still keeping up their self promises after 6 months.

And at the end of it all, why is New Year special? It is only a numerically significant day because around 450 years ago a Pope decided 11 minutes was important and so designed his own calendar. Fancying himself as a wallpaper designer, he took a step back, reviewed the dates and decided the repeat would fall between December and January.

If we genuinely want to change, and are motivated to do it, great, a new year's resolution may work for you. For the rest of us, wait, don't give in to social pressure. Your time will come, and waiting to find it may make the rewards that much longer lasting.