These two New Year’s resolution postcards are from 1915, almost 100 years ago today. (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

 
At the end of 2013 and beginning of 2014, the University of Scranton, by way of the Journal of Clinical Psychology and Statistic Brain, reports that approximately 45 percent of us will make New Year’s resolutions.
 
Another 17 percent will consider making them, but 38 percent will “absolutely” not. Maybe only 8 percent of us will actually keep them.
 
As many as half have some success, albeit infrequent, but a full quarter report failing every year.
 

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  By Lesley Cissell

  lesley@kyforward.com
  
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Another interesting revelation about resolutions is that although the order of importance alters on a yearly basis, the content of the top 10 remain the same or very similar.
 
In 2014, those of us resolving to do better do so in the following order of Top 10 New Year’s resolutions:
 
1. Lose weight
2. Get organized
3. Spend less, Save more
4. Enjoy life to the fullest
5. Stay fit and healthy
6. Learn something exciting
7. Quit smoking
8. Help others achieve their dreams
9. Fall in love
10. Spend more time with family
 
Projected success at achieving these goals seems to be related in part to age. The percentage of people in their 20s who reach their annual goals is reported at 39 percent, while the percentage over 50 is a mere 14 percent.
 
At least 75 percent say they keep the resolution the first week with only a few less at 71 percent saying they keep them for two weeks. Some 64 percent keep it up for more than a month and 46 percent for more than six months. Statistics do show that those who “explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions.”
 
According to the website PolicyMic, these same resolutions were made in 2013, just placed in different order. The top 2013 resolution was to “eat healthy and exercise regularly,” which if kept would result in the top 2014 goal to “lose weight” and which Katherine Costello called in her online article “code” for sending the scales downward.
 
“We rationalize that extra helping of Christmas dinner with the thought that it will be our last bout of unhealthy eating, for it is certain we will be at the gym every week post-holidays,” wrote Costello on PolicyMic. “In fact, each January, gyms offer promotions and deals to those who want to take action on this resolution. However, according to Time Magazine, ’60 percent of gym memberships go unused and attendance is usually back to normal by mid-February.’ This statistic is undoubtedly due to the mere fact that we live in a world of lazy people.”
 
Last year we apparently lived in a world of drunk people, too, because our second 2013 resolution, says Costello, was to “drink less.” That didn’t make the list this year.
 
We did duplicate last year’s resolutions this year in the following areas: learning something new, quitting smoking, volunteering, saving money and getting organized. Some of the 2013 resolutions like achieving a better work/life balance, reading more and finishing those around the house “to-do” lists are just other ways of saying “enjoy life to the fullest” and “spend more time with family.”
 
This entire practice of making New Year’s resolutions may be a uniquely American phenomenon. Julia Greenberg writing for International Business Times in December 2011, wrote: “Americans across the country take this time to reflect on the past year and decide what parts of themselves they hope to change and improve for the upcoming year.” It’s interesting that she didn’t talk about Australians or Chinese or Germans, three of 10 other countries where the IBT has editions. Do their New Year traditions include these oft-broken promises to themselves?
 
It could be the indomitable American spirit we like to praise or the incessant naiveté for which other countries like to criticize. Either way, whether we admit to it to pollsters or not, we all at least think about changes we should make. In her article two years ago, Greenberg gave us seven tips “for how to keep them unlike years in the past:”
 
1. Start small and pick only one straightforward, simple resolution.
 
2. Make a very specific resolution like how much weight by when.
 
3. Make a clear plan for how to get to your goal and in what timeframe.
 
4. Don’t wait, start now.
 
5. Don’t fall back on old habits. Set new ones and stick to them.
 
6. Allow yourself the time to change. If you slip up, don’t give up. Stick to it at least 30 days which is long enough to make a new habit.
 
7. Make your resolution public by telling friends and family who can encourage you and gently tease you if you slip up in front of them.
 
If nothing else, imagine how leaner, smarter and friendlier you’ll be one year from now. They say charity begins at home and that we have to love ourselves before we can expect to love others or to have others love us. Look at 2014 like we’re all passengers on an airplane and the steward has just demonstrated how to place the oxygen mask over our own mouths first in case of a drop in cabin pressure.
 
Still not convinced? Try one more: Physician, Heal Thyself!

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