Illustration: James Gilmour
It’s as traditional as having a big party on NYE, singing “Auld Lang Syne” out of key and kissing someone you will probably regret in the morning – yes, it’s the new year’s resolution. Greg Page dons his party hat and party blower to ring out the old and ring in the new!
There’s one thing that you can rely on, year after year (and I don’t mean doing your tax return), it’s that come the stroke of 1 January, you’ll make a New Year’s resolution and come end of December that year you’ll think to yourself, “Now what exactly was it that I resolved to do this year?”
So in the spirit of “Auld Lang Syne”, let’s take a moment to gather our thoughts and ponder – what exactly are NYE resolutions good for?
Of course we all promise ourselves we’ll cut down on our drinking, smoking, cruising, chocolate intake, downloading internet porn, playing Bejewelled on Facebook, buying new iPhone aps and watching mindless reality TV shows on Foxtel. Resolutions, it would seem, are made to be not just forgotten, but more often than not broken.
So how can you actually make a resolution you can stick to? Perhaps, by re-setting your sites from the almost impossible to the readily achievable. Rather than thinking that if you go to the gym within three months you’re going to look like a cross between a DNA cover model and Brad Pitt, perhaps a more realistic aim is that you’ll feel healthier and will reassign some of those extra kilos wobbling around your tummy to firmer locales like your biceps, triceps and other ‘ceps’.
A good resolution is only a good one if it’s attainable and you really can achieve it in some way or another
Even cutting back on your cigarettes, slowly but surely, rather than deciding to give up from day one, is probably a better bet. Not only does it give your body time to adjust to the shock of being nicotine-reduced, but it’s more likely that you’ll keep to your resolution and actually achieve your aim.
That said, why not dream big? If you have something in the back of your mind that you’ve been thinking about for a long time – a trek through the Sahara, a new career as a porn star, finding a boyfriend in Sydney who really does know what the word ‘versatile’ means – then go give it a shot. Ever heard the saying ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’? What do you have to lose? Taking yourself away from the ordinary, mundane and routine and exposing yourself (in more ways than one) to new ideas, adventures and people will certainly help put some more pep into your everyday.
It was no less a mere mortal than the Dalai Lama who pontificated that “happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions”. In other words, take charge of your life, your situation and your compulsive need to watch The Real Housewives of Orange County on a daily basis. Get out there and make your mark, do what you always promised yourself you would, be the person you want to be. Hey, no one else is going to do it for you. Now that’s a resolution worth sticking to!
Other resolutions might not necessarily be about yourself, but about others; and not just those in your inner circle but in the wider world. Think of how random acts of kindness on your behalf can make a difference to people’s lives. What about sponsoring a child through World Vision, so you are making a visible difference in a poor child’s life? Or you could volunteer your time at the Positive Living Centre (PLC) if you have skills such as massage therapy or life coaching, or you’re a computer whiz. By helping to make the lives of others better, you only help enrich your own life.
The site KarmaSocial.me recently reported that new research from Harvard Medical School and the University of California suggests happiness is influenced not only by the people you know, but by the people that they in turn know. This effectively means that happiness is spread through your social networks (friends of friends of friends of friends etc). So what are you waiting for – go make someone happy today, even someone you don’t even know, by spreading some good karma!
Of course for HIV+ people the idea of making resolutions often takes on an even greater significance. It can relate to things like taking your medication on time and not skipping doses, exercising regularly to keep up body weight and mass, or eating more healthily so as not to give that nasty virus lurking somewhere deep inside, cause to rise up and create serious tissues ’n issues.
Remember that a good resolution is only a good one if it’s attainable and you really can achieve it in some way or another. So start small, but dream big. Maybe then next year you’ll really be able to pop out the fireworks and celebrate in fine style as your dreams become a reality in some way, shape or form. Happy new year!
The history of NYE resolutions
Apparently the tradition of making resolutions dates back to Roman times around 153 BC from King Janus (not with a silent ‘j’, I might point out). As a mythical figure, Janus had two heads – which means he could look back on the past, but also look ahead to the future – and so he became the ancient symbol for resolutions. The Romans look to forgiving their enemies and exchanging gifts even before the start of the new calendar year.
In more recent times the song “Auld Lang Syne” has become the traditional song to sing at the stroke of midnight on NYE and dates back to 1741 when Robert Burns wrote this perennial classic. The translation of the title actually means ‘the good old days’ and although no one is ever too sure about the words (especially after a few pre-NYE drinkie poos), it’s entrée to not forget old acquaintances still resonates strongly today. Just think how many text messages you get and send around that time, after all!
