NYE Traditions- History and a Map to Meaningful Improvement
New year’s resolution. New year, new you. Quitting, starting, more effort, stop chasing, discipline, commitment, success- The word resolution arrives in the English language from Latin origins meaning the process of reducing to simple form. As the years went by the word took a more figurative meaning, and around the 19th century the word resolution was identified as an intention, specifically for the approaching new year. Traditions for the new year date back further than I realized. Some worthwhile mentions are the Romans who started associating January with resolutions. For them January is ruled by Janus, a 2 faced God who represents beginnings and endings. The Romans celebrated the season with small gifts to loved ones. In the 1800’s knights would renew their chivalry vows in an end of the Christmas season celebration known as the Vow of the Peacock. The phrase “new year resolution” can be found in an 1813 Boston newspaper, according to Merriam-Webster, and around the 20th century New Year’s Day was celebrated as a holiday similar to modern times.
Today, the idea of renewal has taken a new form. Huge parties, sporting event traditions and small expectations are more common. The ball drop in New York City's Times Square, where approximately 1 million people gather to ring in the new year, is in my mind the most famous celebration. In 1999, the millennium celebration, close to 2 million people were in attendance. In Switzerland, 150 cyclists participate in a New Years Eve grand prix where participants ride their mountain bike down a snowy slop in the alps. College football has its bowl games and the Detroit Red Wings have played a New Years Eve game annually since 1927, and strictly home games since the 1950’s. Some simpler traditions involve a midnight toast, or kissing your partner at midnight, However you choose to acknowledge the start of a new year, it has come a long way from honoring the God Janus. In this thought journey I am exploring how society shapes our idea of New Year's resolutions and why that matters when we ask ourselves why can’t I remain accountable? What should a resolution look like and what matters to me.
As you know by now the premise of my blog is that society is fucked and that very situation contributes to the majority of human disappointment. We are set up to fail, so choose a better path, the one less traveled. So, how has society ruined New Year’s resolutions, you ask? I’ll start with my favorite example because I find it to be the most hilarious resolution, losing weight. First, losing weight is far more complex than wake up and start running. Sure you can do that, but can you do that consistently? Are you prepared to learn what a good workout looks like? Are you planning to invest time, money or both in equipment or gym memberships? What if anything, do you understand about human anatomy and do you know what stretching is? And most important, are you aware that an education in nutrition is probably more beneficial than an extra day in the gym? Most of us can not go from zero physical activity and a gut destroying diet to lifting, a high protein intake and green juice without struggle. This is a popular resolution for a few reasons. It plays on your guilt as to whether or not you met Americans beauty standards, by making it personal. YOU can have abs, YOU can have energy, YOU can feel good about yourself, IF, and here is the next reason, you buy (insert any fitness purchase). So, the messaging here is that you are not good enough, but the change you need requires a purchase. If you do buy the running shoes, or the Fitbit, or the equipment, you then run the risk of more guilt when you have given up on your resolution by March. You now have both zero ROI on your purchase and your body is still lumpy and weak at best. Historically, the average American spends between $60 and $700 per month on fitness related items. This increases by about 30% in January due to these very resolutions. In fact it is well known that the best time to buy equipment or gym memberships is January. Overall, that totals to 60 billion annually for our country in fitness spending. This same case can be made for most any other change made for the sake of wanting to fit in with the seasons traditions. Quit smoking, or drinking, become financially literate, make more money- whatever your desired change is, it is likely you are unaware of the planning, knowledge and patience required to do something better for yourself. No one but you cares if you hit your goals, so let's not set ourselves up for failure.
If you do choose to recognize January as a time for change, there are a few ways to better approach this task. And let me be clear, self change and improvement is easily the hardest thing you will do, because it's a game of you vs you. Get rid of the lazy basic version of yourself for good. First, January is a new beginning, but there are many new beginnings that we experience often. Why is a new season or month not as important to you as New Years Day?. Spring is seen as a time for renewal, why are you not starting something new on April 1st? How about a new week, a new job, a new relationship, or recovery after a surgery? Get a snowball effect going by adding to the ways you can improve after one of those victories. Hell, today is a new day and you woke up. You didn’t die. Shouldn’t that be more than enough motivation to put in the hard work for change? If January 1 still feels like the right time for you, ask yourself why. This day is more important than any other day because? Do not give into the hype surrounding this tradition of new beginnings for the sake of fitting in. Why does this day matter to you and your progress and is what you are asking of yourself sustainable?
Sustainability brings me to my next point. As I mentioned earlier, self work is not an easy switch to flip. It is heavy, gritty sweaty work that will NEVER sound better in comparison to your old bad habit. If you are actually ready to work for positive change it’s better to set small goals, a stepping stone to a big picture accomplishment. For example, one of my goals is to write more content for this blog in 2026. I’m not going to commit to 1 post a week as I did before. I will start with 1 post a month about something very important to me. This way, I can address the hobby and have time for others as well. To close the loop on this, I do not recommend stating that you will go to the gym 5 days a week for 1 hour when you both hate people and have not worked out consistently in over a year. Calling myself out here. Instead, an achievable goal looks like this,I will workout at home 3 days a week and take the dog or the kids for a long walk once a week. If you are looking to be more social, meet up with friends once a month rather than saying yes to every invite you get. Starting school? Study for 1-2 hours every day instead of cramming a week's worth of content into 1 day. You get the picture, right? Small changes lead to major shifts in lifestyle with time because you are building new routines, which requires your brain to be retrained on many levels. For something requiring so much thought, dedication and effort it floors me that many people make these abrupt goals with no plan in place, and probably during a drunken conversation the night before with a person they met at a New Year’s Eve party. Proper planning and preparation prevents piss poor results. The 6 P’s. If you make any resolution in 2026, it should be to integrate the 6 P’s into your thought process.
Not all resolutions are bad, that is not the take away. Small goals can help you build a happy fulfilling life that you are proud of. We all know that we feel better about ourselves when we are doing well. Here are some of my plans for 2026.
Juicing, meal prep, and working out consistently. These are all things that I began in the fall of 2025, but am ready to take to the next level. Ideas like tracking workouts, making bread, bagels and tortillas from scratch, growing fresh herbs and sharing juice with loved ones feels good to me on a creativity and physical health level. The second category that is very important to me is my education. Finishing my BS and MBA program requires more of my time than I realized. I will be prioritizing this work as the single most direct route to great and greater things for myself. And finally, I have been jonesing for a desperate old house that needs me. I think I have found one and my creative juices are boiling over with ideas. Nothing provides satisfaction and accomplishment like walking into a room that is now outstanding because of what I did. Salute to my Dad and Grandpa, because they are about to be so proud of me this year.
Let 2026 be a monumental year no matter what your goals are. At the end of the day, January 1st is the same thing as yesterday with a new number stamped on it. Every day is a time for renewal and change. Get up, get out there and make something happen for yourself. Only you care, only you can. What changes have you made in the past that worked? What failed? Do you understand why you experienced failure? What is your biggest dream or goal? Take the image of yourself at the finish line of your dream and imagine how good it feels to be there. Now walk it backward, what small changes can you make today to help you get there? Pick one change and tackle that. You don’t need an app subscription, new tech, or 1 million dollars to get there. You need you. Show up for you.
Trash the rules. Open your mind.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/31/nx-s1-5649767/new-years-resolutions-history
https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/28416366/weird-wonderful-new-year-sports-traditions
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/when-did-new-years-resolutions-start
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