As the clock strikes midnight on the last day of 2022, with it, comes a moment for celebration. After cheers-ing with friends and taking a sip of something sparkling, comes a chance to reflect. With the year drawing to an end, now is the perfect time to look back on all of the things that you have accomplished. Did you finally get that promotion at work you’ve been working toward? Lose some stubborn body weight thanks to that gym membership? Learn a new language? Complete a home improvement project? Or take that amazing vacation you’ve been dreaming of since last January? If there were some things you intended to do this year but didn’t quite get to, with the new year comes new opportunities for new resolutions.

The most common New Year’s resolutions are of those listed above. But before traveling more, reading more, or learning new skills to enhance your overall quality of life, resolutions were made as promises with hopes that luck would be returned tenfold.

Around 4,000 years ago, Babylonians can be said to start the tradition of making what could be seen as the first resolutions for the new year. Viewed, at the time, as prayers to their gods, if the Babylonians kept their word and fulfilled their promises, happiness and wealth would be bestowed unto them for the upcoming year. Now, saving money, losing weight, and getting organized are what majority of the population strive to work toward.

New Year’s resolutions are great ways to stop dreaming about all of the things you’d like to do and start actually doing them. But, researchers say only 46% of people are successful in following through or completing their New Year’s resolutions. If you have resolutions for this new upcoming year, here are a few ways you can kick your actions into high gear to be included in that 46%.

1. Limit resolutions to smaller or manageable amounts by breaking up big goals into smaller ones
2. Be specific and timely with the things you’d like to accomplish
3. Write your goals down & share your desires with others
4. Continue to check and track your progress as the year goes on

Although it may be sad to say goodbye to 2022, there is hope in the idea that, with the new year comes new possibilities of accomplishing the things that we desire. Desires that will make this year the most fulfilling one yet.

Can’t think of any New Year’s resolutions you’d like to make? The library offers handfuls of resources on travel insights, hobbies and craft books, weight loss strategies, money saving techniques, and many more ideas to help you make and achieve a resolution that’s just right for you!

Resources:

https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions

https://www.goskills.com/Soft-Skills/Resources/Top-10-new-years-resolutions

https://www.britannica.com/place/Babylonia

https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/happy-new-year-2023.html