Where Did New Years Resolutions Come From?
On the 1st of January, millions of people around the globe start working on New Years resolutions. Chances are you have tried them yourself in one way or another. They are one of the fun things about the New Year. But have you ever wondered where they came from?
Who first started setting New Years Resolutions?
Well, here is a brief history of the origins of the New Years resolution for you:
The Babylonians
The first recorded New Years resolutions were made by the Babylonians around 4000 years ago. Most commonly, it revolved around returning any borrowed farm equipment, as their New Year coincided with the start of their farming season.
The Romans
Not long after, the Romans would start the new year by counting the stock of the previous year and setting a goal to accomplish more in the coming year.
It was not just western countries that set resolutions either.
The Chinese
The Chinese set a special New Years resolution - house cleaning. Most people nowadays would relate this to Spring-Cleaning. At the coming of the New Year, the Chinese would clean their house from top to bottom. What a great way to start the year, with a beautiful clean house!
The Modern World
Today we still set New Years resolutions, and try to achieve them. They are almost always based around self-improvement resolutions and goals. They are a way to mark the beginning of changes in our habits and lifestyle. The most common resolutions include losing weight, quitting smoking and/or drinking, and improving your finances.
As mentioned earlier, millions of people make these resolutions but unfortunately only 10% ever manage to achieve them. It is a sad fact, but many of these resolutions do not even last longer than a few weeks. By July, most have been completely forgotten and no real progress against the resolution has been made.
It is amazing what such a long history the New Years resolution has had. You may be thinking of creating one yourself this coming New Year. And why not? It is a tradition practiced around the entire globe. Above all though, we should remember that the most important aspect of a New Years resolution is to take action and stick to it.
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