New Years Resolutions
2024 is nearly over. Where did the time go? It feels like it was just yesterday we were grilling outside and watching the sun set at 10:00 p.m. over Lake Michigan. And now, somehow, it is almost the end of December. Each year around this time many of us try to remember to do the things that we need or want to do before the year end. Perhaps that is visiting family or friends one more time, jogging 12 more miles to reach our fitness goal, or spending the leftover money in our HSA account so we don’t lose it. It is also a time when we look back on the year past and start to plan for the one upcoming. And, it is a time when almost half of Americans make their New Year’s resolutions.
New Year’s resolutions as they are understood today, have existed since the early 19th century, but the concept actually dates back to 2000 B.C. when the Babylonians celebrated the new year with a festival called Akitu where they would resolve to pay off their debts or return borrowed farm equipment in the new year. By the 19th century, resolutions shifted to being more religious, or spiritual in nature. Citizens of this time would vow to become better morally or have a stronger work ethic. Today, New Year’s resolutions tend not to be religious in nature, but instead focus more on self-improvement or time management.
As someone who overthinks everything, on New Year’s Eve, I tend to look back on mistakes that I made in the prior year and how I handled them. I then vow to do better and be better in the new year. Some years I make official resolutions but most years I do not.
If you have been reading my blogs over the past year, by now I am sure you have realized that I enjoy statistics, lists, and interesting facts (and am hoping that you, the reader, appreciates these things as well). So, I have for you the following:
According to a survey done by goskills.com, last year’s top 10 New Year’s resolutions were:
- Exercise more
- Lose weight
- Get organized
- Learn a new skill or hobby
- Live life to the fullest
- Save more money/spend less money
- Quit smoking
- Spend more time with family and friends
- Travel more
- Read more
A couple more interesting statistics:
- 79% of New Year’s resolutions involve improving health, although it could be argued that 100% of New Year’s resolutions if kept could potentially improve one’s health.
- It is estimated that just 9% of Americans actually keep their resolutions throughout the year, and 23% of adults quit their New Year’s goals by the end of the first week of January.
My New Year’s resolution for 2025 is to be more present in all that I do- to enjoy each moment that I have in that actual moment and not stress about the past or worry about the future. Whether or not you make resolutions this New Year’s Eve, and if you do, whether or not you follow through with your resolutions for the entire year or give up on January 3rd, cheers to you and yours this New Year’s Eve.
