Why are New Year resolutions important

Why are New Year resolutions important?

Well, just yesterday I happened to come across this very interesting story about New Year resolutions. January, the first month was named after Janus who is a Roman God of beginnings, of time and transitions. Janus is usually depicted having two faces — one looking forward and the other one looking backward. Thus enabling him to be able to look back at the past and forward towards future.

In January, as the New Year began, the Romans imagined Janus looking back into the year gone by and forward towards the New Year. And this became a symbolic time for Romans to make resolutions for the New Year, strive for new beginnings and forgive enemies for any troubles in the past because they believed that Janus had the power to forgive them for their wrongdoings in the previous year and bless them for the year ahead.

Well, quite interesting, don’t you think? Taking a cue from this story, I started to think about the importance of New Year resolutions. And personally, I think, making a resolution at the beginning of a new year is important. Mostly for the reasons that

(a) It is a challenge you give yourself and train or maybe convince your mind to live up to the challenge. Even though for some, this may be quite short lived.
(b) It is also an acknowledgement of the fact that something needs to be changed/ improved upon. Accepting that something needs to change is the first and most important step towards a positive change.
(c) It is an important self-awareness exercise and can, at times help you to start the year with a positive mind set.
(d) And just in case you are unable to accomplish anything, it will at least give you a lesson in dealing with failure.