Rock and Roll Saved My Soul

Why making New Year’s resolutions is a bad way to start the year. Chances are your life doesn’t need a major overhaul. Tiny changes to make you slightly new and improved are probably best. It is natural to use landmarks to evaluate your life. Times like birthdays, New Year’s Day, and transitions like new jobs, divorces, or graduations are all times that lead people to think about what they have accomplished and what they have yet to do. But there is a cultural expectation that at the beginning of each new year, you’ll find something about yourself you want to change and dig in to make that change. Often, you ought to ignore the urge to commit to a big behavior change. The canary in the coal mine for big behavior change is systematic failure. When there is a goal that is really critical to you that you are systematically failing to achieve, that is the signal that you need to do something different if you want to succeed. The significant systematic failures i...

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 honor of the new year—though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted. During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king. They also made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed. These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. If the Babylonians kept to their word, their (pagan) gods would bestow favor on them for the coming year. If not, they would fall out of the gods’ favor—a place no one wanted to be. 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 honor of the new y...

Top New Year's Resolutions from 2017: 1. Lose Weight / Healthier Eating 21.4% 2. Life / Self Improvements 12.3% 3. Better Financial Decisions 8.5% 4. Quit Smoking 7.1% 5. Do more exciting things 6.3% 6. Spend More Time with Family / Close Friends 6.2% 7. Work out more often 5.5% 8. Learn something new on my own 5.3% 9. Do more good deeds for others 5.2% 10. Find the love of my life 4.3 11. Find a better job 4.1% Other 13.8% Percent of Americans who usually make New Year's Resolutions 41 % Percent of Americans who infrequently make New Year's Resolutions 17 % Percent of Americans who absolutely never make New Year's Resolutions 42 % Percent of people who felt they were successful in achieving their resolution 9.2 % Percent who have infrequent success 48.4 % Percent who never succeed and fail on their resolution each year 42.4 % Types of Resolutions: Self Improvement or education related resolutions ...

My new years resolution is to finish the first chapter of my novel. -Sid L. I'm going to write and read more. I've been doing a bad job at both the past couple years. -Heather K. Try to drink more water. -Lori M. 1. To try & read 6 books each month 2. To try & write 1,000 words a day 3. To set weekly goals that will help me stay on track towards my bigger goals 4. To drink more water 5. Cook more meals at home. -Aisling S. I would like to self publish at least one book in the first quarter of this year. -Michaelle M.

New year resolutions: good or bad idea? Sandy:  I think they are good if you can stick to them. Most of us don't though Sid:  It really depends on the type of person you are. If you like setting goals and meeting them, then go for it! If not… maybe skip the new year resolutions. Kate: I'm not necessarily against improving one's self, but you don't need the whole new year, new you attitude to do it. You can start any day, any time. Setting goals and working towards them are great. I just don't feel that you need to wait for a new year to go for your goals. Facebook weighs in:   I think they're a waste of time. I don't think you should wait to make a goal. You can start one on a Tuesday at 7:38 p.m. if you wanted to. If you have to wait for a new year to start a goal, to me it feels like you're just putting it off. -Colleen R. Most people break them after a few days. You can set a goal any day though, so why wait? -Joseph ...