I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to quit smoking. I’m going to exercise more. You’ve made at least one of those promises to yourself as a new year’s resolution, haven’t you? But did you keep your resolution? If you didn’t you’re not alone. New Year’s resolutions don’t have a high success rate. In fact, only about 40 to 45 percent of American adults set at least one resolution come New Year’s. And while we start off on January 1 determined to follow through on our goals, come February or even mid-January, the majority of us have abandoned our goals altogether.  One study found that 46 percent of individuals who made resolutions were successful, compared to four percent who wanted to achieve a certain goal and considered it but didn’t actually create a resolution.

So why do we continue to make resolutions every year even though so few of us follow through? Well, we can start from scratch, better ourselves and besides, it’s a tradition. Setting New Year’s resolutions go back to Babylonian times. In 2000 B.C., the Babylonians celebrated the New Year for 11 days (starting with the vernal equinox), and one of their most popular resolutions was the returning of borrowed farm equipment. The Babylonian New Year and making resolutions were then adopted by the Romans. The Romans named the first month “January,” in tribute to Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and the guardian of gates and doors. Janus was pictured as two-faced so that one face looked forward into the future while the other took a retrospective view. Janus presided over the temple of peace, where the doors were opened only during wartime. It was a place of safety, where new beginnings and new resolutions could be forged.

So how do you make a resolution you can actually keep? Here are a few tips:

• Keep it simple. Settle on one or two things that you really can accomplish.
• Define one goal: It should be measurable, doable, and specific. “I want to get in shape” is too vague. “I will walk 2 miles, 5 days a week” is concrete.
• If quitting smoking is one of your resolutions, take a sip of lemon juice whenever temptation strikes or nibble on sunflower seeds. Keep a pencil in your hand to keep it occupied, or play with a yo-yo.
• Resolved to lose 10 pounds by spring? Indulge in a cup of herbal tea to get you through a midday slump or the late-night munchies.
• Any regrets about the past year? To help focus on the future, write down your regrets on a scrap of paper and toss it into the fire. Janus, the two-faced symbol of the New Year, would approve.

Whether we resolve to return borrowed farm equipment (as did the Babylonians) or drop a few pounds, we’re tapping into an ancient and powerful longing for a fresh start. And like the Romans and Babylonians before us, we can do this.

Source: Psych Central, The Old Farmer’s Almanac