New Years Day has come and gone. How about the Resolutions?
Resolutions, in theory, originated with the Romans around 150 BC. When the Romans put together their calendar, they put the god “Janus” first. Janus had two faces, one looking forward and one looking back – Janus could see what worked in the past, and what was coming in the future so was in a unique position to offer guidance. They started as simple good deeds to make up for past indiscretions, but have obviously evolved since then.
Resolutions typically come in all shapes and sizes – but apparently the two most common are to stop drinking and to stop smoking. It would seem that most have to do with improving the individuals lot in life. And unsurprisingly, most fail miserably two months into the year.
I, for one, have a big problem with New Years Resolutions.
First, why New Years? I do not believe that one has to wait to change the circumstances of their life. If something isn’t working for a person, or they want to improve something, why wait until New Years? Seems to me that making the decision to change can, and should, be done on a regular basis.
Resolutions are typically of the “work harder” type. I will work harder to lose weight, work less, drink less, spend more time with my family, etc.. Even when they are measurable efforts – “lose 20 pounds by February 15” – they are still about working harder at something. I’m reminded of Einstein’s idea of insanity. So if working harder can’t or won’t produce results, what do we have left?
According to an article I read last year, we can “re-solve” the problem. That is, if one is trying to solve the weight problem above by eating less (and that has never worked before) – possibly they should consider exercise as an alternative solution.
I think that’s helpful, but still misses the mark. I prefer the idea of “resolving” the problem into constituent parts and then figuring out what the opportunity really is. Much like a prism resolves light into the spectrum, one must resolve their problem to see what is really happening. Maybe the person desperately trying to lose weight really has a self-esteem problem and therefore weight shouldn’t be the focus. I suspect that most challenges one faces are actually inner challenges which can only be addressed by focusing on the inner.
My every day wish, for you and for me, is to be able to see our challenges in a resolved light – one where we know what the problem is, and are able to focus our efforts on the issue. Simplify.
Happy New Year.