‘Some people don’t realise their New Year’s resolutions because they set unrealistic goals’

Another year has ended and many have planned their New Year’s resolutions. However, a large number of these resolutions are always broken in weeks, even days. This begs the question, how realistic are resolutions?

It is a usual practice for people to always make resolutions at the start of a new year. These resolutions range from saving more money and spending less than the previous year, finding a new job, making new friends, losing weight, learning a new skill or hobby, quitting smoking or drinking and others.

The question however is, what is the history of resolutions? Why do we make these promises to ourselves and why does this resolution tradition live on even when so many people fail to keep the resolutions they make?

According to history, the ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honour of their new year which began around mid-March, when the crops were planted.

During a massive 12-day religious festival known as ‘Akitu’ dedicated to the rebirth of the sun god ‘Marduk’, the Babylonians made promises in order to get on the right side of all their gods. They felt this would help them start the New Year off on the right foot.

Resolutions continued on with the Romans. When the early Roman calendar no longer synced up with the sun, Julius Caesar decided to make a change. He consulted with the best astronomers and introduced the Julian calendar, which represents the calendar we use today. Named for Janus, the two-faced god whose spirit inhabited doorways and arches, January had special significance for the Romans.

For early Christians as well, the first day of the New Year became the traditional occasion for thinking about one’s past mistakes and resolving to do better in the future.

This tradition has continued so much around the world that Google launched a resolution map in 2012, where people could add resolutions and see others adding theirs. Most of these resolutions are made to one’s self and they focus mainly on self-improvement, but only few actually stay true to them.

While some believe in the practice, and make plans to fulfil them, some others see it as impossible, because according to them, writing it down even makes it harder to fulfil.

Onayemi Adebukonla, Corps member, believes in resolutions, though she knows it may not be literally a new person from the last year but in a way, a season has changed and it is like a marker for one’s life.

“I have new year resolution and some of them is to re-draw my plans and schedule to become a better person. This new year, I support people around me more.I dance more. I read more books.

“To fulfill them, I have a daily marker I check at the end of the day and it helps me go back to doing those things if I didn’t do it during the day and I tick it if I did it.”

On why people don’t fulfil these resolutions at the end of the day, she says people get overwhelmed with activities and they stop doing what they should be doing every day. Also, not having a daily reminder of those things affect.

Adebiyi Adejoke, lawyer and entrepreneur also believes in resolutions. “It might sound cliché, but I do. A New Year does not mean a magic will happen or on January 1st or your whole life resets. However, something new means a fresh start or opportunity, so we all need new year resolutions to make use of the fresh opportunity given to us by a new year.

“My new year resolutions are, firstly to not give up and make sure I balance school and business together. Secondly, making a big name for my business and open a store before the end of the year and lastly go on a vacation to Bali.

“How I intend to achieve them, well, for my first resolution, its learning how to manage my time. I just need to adjust my time and balance it between school and work, then have to be disciplined about it. As regards the second one, I’ll just be consistent and push myself more. Concerning the vacation, I’ll just save more.

“Why I think some people do not achieve their resolutions is because of unforeseen circumstances. We all just try and make plans but we don’t know what is waiting for us in the future. There are some circumstances that will just come up and change our plans. Also, lack of discipline. It’s easy to talk but when it’s time to carry it out, it becomes a problem. We just need to have enough discipline to carry out our resolutions.”

On the contrary, Abiola Adebola, author and content writer says “I don’t believe in them, I don’t have any resolutions, I am still working on achieving the goals I have always had, nothing special about the new year. The same hustle, we keep moving.”

Also, Fadeyi Oluwabukunmi, Social media manager and content writer says; “as a rule, I don’t do New Year resolutions. I feel God has plans for me for the New Year and they are going to work out and they always do. Even without making concrete plans, I always get things done. Immediately I write things I intend to do down, I don’t end up doing them.”

Adepoju Opeyemi also added, “I have never had any resolutions before, but I think it might work for people. I have read it work for some. I just have goals and work towards them.

The people it doesn’t work for, they don’t back up written resolutions with needed actions, they keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.”

Olukitibi Mojola also believes in New Year Resolution. Hers is to be a better person than the previous year.

“In other to fulfil it, I must take steps I didn’t take last year; sign up for things that can impact me positively, read more and sometimes let nature decide things that I cannot control.”

Graduate student, Olaobaju Tejumoluwa believes New Year resolutions are only good if people stick with them.

“I won’t say I have a New Year resolutions but definitely have goals I would love  to achieve this year, in fact, it is compulsory I do. In order to achieve them, I have to make plans on how to go about them. I can’t sit at home and just expect my goals to be met without putting in the works.

“I think some people don’t end up fulfilling their resolutions because they set unrealistic goals. They feel there’s a magic or something special that comes with the New Year that will automatically make them get what they want or set out for.

“The truth is you can have a resolution at any time of the year, what matters is putting in the work.”