For over 4,000 years people have wished each other a HAPPY new year as they engaged in cultural rituals to invite prosperity into the year ahead. In our family, we eat Hopping John on New Year’s Day, a Southern tradition to invite prosperity in the new year. The black-eyed peas symbolize coins and good luck. We also place kadomatsu by the door. Composed of pine needles for longevity and health, and bamboo for vitality and prosperity, kadomatsu invites the Shinto god Toshigami-sama to bring good luck and blessings.
Making “New Year’s Resolutions” is a cultural ritual with long historical roots. Ancient Babylonians promised to repay their debts. Ancient Romans promised good behavior. Whether these resolutions were kept is unknown.
In more recent times, folk wisdom and statistics indicate that many resolutions are made, and most remain unfulfilled at the end of the year.
Making Resolutions
The top five resolutions in 2024 were: saving money; being happy; exercising more; improving physical health and eating a healthier diet. Items two and five are subsets of item three. Plus, it’s hard to tell if resolutions to improve one’s health are personal commitments, or a reflection of cultural messages, as in “I should improve my health.”
The key question is, just because we should do something, are we committed enough to do something about it? The state of “being happy,” is an immeasurable goal. And the commitment to saving more money is ambiguous at best. In 2023, 94 percent of people who made New Year Resolutions failed to keep them. In fact, so m any people abandon their resolutions before February, that National Quitters Day is acknowledged the second Friday in January. This year it falls on January 10th.
The most common resolution is to exercise more — whether that means more than never or more than three times weekly often remains unspecified. About 10 percent of gym membership sales are at the beginning of January. However, actual gym participation begins dropping off the third week in January.
SMART Goal Setting
The difference between a generic, fallible New Year Resolution and a successful achievement is setting SMART goals. A goal is more than a promise or resolution. It is a commitment. A SMART goal is a goal with an action plan.
SMART goals are:
• Specific – Defining what will be accomplished & how it will be achieved
• Measurable – Incorporating trackable benchmarks
• Achievable – Is the goal something that can be achieved?
• Relevant – The reason for the goal
• Time-Bound – When will the goal be achieved
My Goals for 2025
So, what am I resolved to do in 2025? My professional goals for 2025 are reasonably SMART.
At the top of my list is publishing Sea Tigers & Merchants as an audiobook. This goal is deferred from 2024, due to technical difficulties. At this point, it looks like a spring launch is reasonable.
My second goal is to complete the as yet untitled prequel to my Salem Stories series. Mention the word Salem, and people think of witches. Every Halloween we hear about the 17th century witch hysteria that took place. But, what happened before that first arrest? What changed between 1672 and 1692? These are my questions as I write the stories of a few of the people involved in the events that closed out 17th century Salem. I’m hoping to release this summer.
My personal goal is to reduce my stress points and remember that all things happen in their own time. I cannot hurry them or delay them. I can only follow Thich Nhat Hanh’s advice to “Smile, Breathe, & Go Slowly.”
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Sandra’s Books: Sea Tigers & Merchants. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.
Illustrations & A Few Sources
Kadomatsu by Author; New Year Postcard; Gym Cardio Area. Photo by www.localfitness.com.au; SMART poster by Author; Woman with Wax Tablet & Stylus. Linda Poon. “The Rise & Fall of New Year’s Fitness Resolutions.” Bloomberg. Jan. 16, 2019. Simon Bell. “SMART Goals.” Mindtools.
