2025 is going to be a year like no other. All of us are going to need new kinds of New Year’s resolutions.
Not just the usual “lose weight, eat healthier, walk more, start a hobby” kind of resolutions. You can include those, too, of course, although experts warn the more resolutions you make the less you’re likely to succeed.
The ancient Babylonians were the first people to make new year resolutions, about 4,000 years ago, although their new year began in March, not January. The holiday involved a 12-day religious festival as they planted crops, crowned a new king or declared their loyalty to a reigning monarch. They made promises to the gods to pay their debts and make amends for any misdeeds the previous year.
No one ever wanted the disfavor of the gods, so people strove to abide by each resolution to improve.
Just like we do.
A couple of centuries later the Romans undertook a similar practice, but on Jan. 1 when the god Janus symbolically looked backward into the past year and forward into the coming year. Worshippers promised to do better in the future.
Later, Christians vowed to do the same.
In 1740, the English clergyman John Wesley, who founded the Methodist church, created the Covenant Renewal Service, to be held each New Year’s Eve, instead of rowdier celebrations. Today, many Protestant churches throughout the world hold Watch Night services, which include the reading of scripture, reflections on past errors and vows to be better in the coming year.
But you don’t need to be in a church or any other formal setting to make resolutions. Sitting in the kitchen with a pen and pad and hanging your vows on the refrigerator is fine. Lounging on the sofa in your PJs with your iPad works just as well, as long as you remember to look at your list every now and then.
You don’t need to read scripture or even to reflect on past sins or misbehavior. No sense in lamenting past deeds. All you have to do is determine to do this better or more often and never again to do that.
Easy, right?
It’s keeping those resolutions that’s hard. Oh, you’ll be fine for the first few days, but then old habits creep back and willpower dissolves. You’ll need ways to remind yourself (and maybe reward yourself) for tiny steps toward a better you.
Let’s consider a few resolutions you might want to make for 2025:
- Bite your tongue. Often. When you hear people boasting about how their candidate won (or lost) the last election and they tell you their version of why it happened, don’t respond. Listen, maybe you’ll learn something, but don’t try to defend your opinion or change their minds. What’s done is done and perhaps in 2026 you can ask with a smirk, “And how’s that working out for you?”
- Stick to your principles. Always. When you hear others espousing opinions or policies you find offensive, don’t back down. Don’t go along to get along by smiling at racist or sexist comments, don’t engage in vulgar gossip, but state plainly and simply that you don’t agree. Then walk away.
- Don’t lose hope. Ever. No matter how bad your finances, your health, your marks, your job or your family situation, don’t give up Things always change. Take whatever steps you can to keep things from getting worse and try to make things better. Wonderful things, whether they happen to you or others, don’t last. Neither does misery. Always remember: This too shall pass.
And have a Happy New Year.
A former New Jersey state assemblywoman from Jersey City, Joan Quigley is the president and CEO of North Hudson Community Action Corp.
Send letters to the editor and guest columns for The Jersey Journal to jjletters@jjournal.com.
