Most of us probably made some resolutions to mark the dawning of the new year.
Some of us want to improve our levels of exercise or our diet. Maybe we want to quit a bad habit, or develop a good one. Your BRIGHT Run executive committee, for example, sets a fundraising goal every year. As a community, we’ve managed to reach that goal in each of our 17 years!
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, the options are endless. But for many of us, as individuals, those resolutions don’t stick.
A range of studies – mostly American – have shown that about 88 per cent of people who set New Year’s resolutions abandon them within the first two weeks of January. Why does that happen?’
In a January 2024 story on the Baylor College of Medicine website, Dr. Asim Shah, professor and executive vice chair of the college’s Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services, suggests that many resolutions fail because they simply aren’t achievable. Click here for more information
Shah says it’s important to take small steps when making New Year’s resolutions by setting realistic expectations, tracking your progress and encouraging a friend, partner or spouse to join you and keep you on track.
The concept of New Year’s resolutions has ancient roots, and for centuries resolutions were strongly connected to religion, with the stress on moral and spiritual commitments.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, resolutions had started to shift from religion-based to secular promises, focusing more on self-improvement. By the 19th century, newspapers and public influence caused resolutions to be more widely recognized in Western culture.
We see the beginning of each new year as a fresh start and it’s natural to set goals for the coming year by reflecting on the past and working towards improvement.
We do that each year as the BRIGHT Run community. Let’s work together to make it happen again in 2025!
