New Year Resolutions

A Very Old Tradition

The practice itself is not new. It dates back over 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. At the time, the new year was not defined by a fixed calendar date, but by the closing of one cycle and the beginning of another. The year began in mid March, when crops were planted and growth resumed.

The Babylonians are considered the first people to make New Year promises, and among the first to hold recorded celebrations marking the new year. During a twelve day religious festival known as Akitu, a new king was crowned or loyalty was reaffirmed to the reigning one. People also made promises to the gods, such as paying debts or returning borrowed goods. Keeping these promises was believed to ensure divine favor in the year ahead.

A more familiar understanding of the new year emerged during Roman times. When Julius Caesar reformed the calendar, he placed the start of the year in January. The month was named after Janus, a two faced god who looked both backward and forward. Janus was also associated with doorways and arches, spaces defined by transition rather than arrival.

This idea of January as a liminal period carried into early Christian thought. The turn of the year became a time for reflection on past actions and for resolving how one might move forward. While the framing evolved, the moment itself remained the same, a pause between what has ended and what has not yet begun.

Modern Meaning 

In modern times, the pressure to make and uphold a New Year’s resolution is often shaped by cultural ideals rather than necessity. What were once oaths tied to survival, stability, and obligation have become commitments driven by personal, social, or cultural expectation. Common examples include resolutions focused on productivity, body image, consumption, or self optimization, goals that reflect what is socially valued rather than what is required for one’s circumstances or season of life.

The difficulty is that what we want is often mistaken for what we need. Unlike earlier civilizations, where needs were immediate and visible, most people today live in relative security. As a result, needs become less obvious and more easily confused with wants. Consumer culture further blurs this line, constantly reinforcing the idea that fulfillment comes from improvement, acquisition, or correction.

This does not mean that modern people no longer have needs. It means those needs look different than they once did and require closer observation and greater scrutiny to identify. They are often internal, situational, or relational rather than material.

Someone may believe they need to diet in order to look a certain way, when what they may actually need is self acceptance, self compassion, and distance from unrealistic cultural standards. A single mother of three may feel she needs to do more, when what she truly needs is relief from the pressure to do everything. In a complex society, expectations multiply easily, and the weight of those expectations can take a quiet but significant toll.

From the Past to the Future

So perhaps a better approach is to consider how necessary a resolution actually is, and whether it is being approached from the right perspective. Taking a lesson from the past, resolutions may need to be shaped around timing, obligation, and alignment rather than ambition alone.

Seen through that lens, it becomes easier to recognize that the turning of the year marks only one liminal space among many. It becomes less about imposing change on a fixed date and more about noticing what is already shifting, and what may require more immediate attention. It allows for a pause, a recognition of what has reached its end, and a consideration of what, if anything, needs to be carried forward into what comes next.

This is where it becomes practical. When something is truly needed, it carries its own momentum. Effort comes more naturally, priorities rearrange, and persistence follows. When something is merely wanted, it must be forced, defended, and constantly renegotiated. Understanding the difference does not guarantee success, but it helps explain why some resolutions endure while others quietly fade away.