The idea of New Year Resolutions goes all the way back to 153BC when Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. Janus had two faces, one that could look back on the past year and the other that looked forward towards the New Year.
It was believed that Janus could forgive transgressions so many Romans would give gifts and make promises at the beginning of the new calendar year. Their belief was that Janus would see this and then bless their life for the entire year. Between 153BC and 46BD the official date of the New Year switched between January and March many times. In 46BC Julius Caesar changed the calendar for the final time to align it with the seasons. He made 1st January the official New Year Day. A legend began that on the last day of December at midnight Janus could see the past year and the coming year at the same time. Romans began making promises to Janus on the last day of December in the hopes that he would see their sincerity and help them attain their goals.
After the Roman Empire dissolved middle age Christians tried to remove the Roman traditions and make 25th December the beginning of the New Year however in the sixteenth century Pope Gregory XIII revised the calendar bringing the New Year back to 1st January and with it all previous traditions of New Year Resolutions but without Janus.
Statistics show that nearly 97% of resolutions are not kept. Why?
Learn how to keep your resolutions
Some of us make resolutions that are just not possible. It is always important to make sure that any resolutions made are attainable. Decide that you will join a gym and go once a week. As the habit of going once a week kicks in you can step up the pace and begin going twice a week. Eventually you may be able to increase this to three times a week maybe four. It is not easy to begin a new routine therefore trying to add something in to your day every day will be difficult and hard to stick at. Once a week is much easier.
Get help with sticking to your resolution. Becoming a non smoker involves a lot of willpower. Have some hypnotherapy to remove the need for willpower. Losing weight is not always easy if you have some psychological blockers. Have a few hypnotherapy sessions can remove the emotional attachment with food allowing you to eat a healthy diet naturally. Take this action as soon as you decide on the resolution. Putting things off could result in them not happening.
Be specific about your goals. HOW MUCH weight do you want to lose? HOW MANY new leads do you want to get at work? WHEN will you achieve this? HOW will you achieve this? You must have a written plan to achieve these goals.
Within your written plan set yourself targets and reward yourself when you have reached them. For example:
Goal: Lose three stone this year
Target: Lose five pounds by the end of January
Reward: A massage
OR
Goal: Save £5000 this year
Target: Save £1000 by the end of March
Reward: £50 to spend on a new item of clothing
You can also reward yourself by finding a positive substitute for the old habit, for example if you are now a non smoker substitute cigarettes for a healthy snack that you really like. If you ever have a craving for a cigarette, eat your healthy snack instead. This helps you to take your mind off the old habit and rewards you for not reverting back.
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