It is now 2013, and everyone around me is making resolutions
to live by for the new year…or at least for a few days. I started to wonder why
we wait for New Years to “resolve” to improve ourselves. What is so significant
about the January 1st date that makes it a universal day of change?
Do we not need to do this on a daily basis?
I did a little research into the origins of New Year’s
resolutions, and here is what I found.
The earliest known resolutions were not resolutions at all,
but were promises made by the ancient Babylonians to return things they have
borrowed and to pay debts. The first known form of a New Year’s resolution came
during Roman times, when Romans would begin the new year by making promises to
Janus, the Roman god of gates and doorways (or simply a doorkeeper). It is
after Janus that January is named. In Medieval times, Christian knights would
take the “peacock vow” (a sort of romantic vow) at the end of Christmas
celebrations to reaffirm their chivalrous commitments.
Interestingly enough, the trend of New Year’s resolutions has
been on the rise. During the turn of the 20th century, about 25% of
American adults formed resolutions. Today, that number is more like 40%. The
source on this, for those who have a deeper interest, is a book called
Psychological Foundations of Success by Stephen J. Kraus.
I am breaking tradition. Not only will I set a path for self-improvement
daily from this day forward, but I will set forth a bucket list of 13 items I
want to accomplish in ’13. A bucket list? Yes, a bucket list. By the time 2013 “passes
away”, I will have the 13 things on my list checked off. I will post, over the
course of the next 13 days, one item each day. This will take me directly to
the moment I begin my journey towards Reiki attunement, which I will complete
exactly on my 40th birthday. Coincidence? There is no such thing…
