Headlines
The Review Online
New Year resolution
19th January 2010
It's the time of year when we all vow to change our lives for the better. During this week, millions of people around the world will be formulating their New Year’s Resolution(s).
Needless to say, most people forget about the promise they make to themselves after a few months or even a few days. However, there are some who really do try to stick to their goals.
The tradition of the New Year's Resolution goes all the way back to 153 B.C.. Janus was a mythical king with two faces who could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions.
It seems that some of the most popular commitments include: losing weight, maintaining a diary, improving finances, getting better grades, quitting smoking or even learning something new. The possibilities are endless and even the celebrities are at it. They set to wear even more ridiculous outfits, smile more and inject more botox.
In a recent study, 52% of particiapnts who were confident they would achieve their New Year’s Resolution goal resulted in only 12% actually achieving what they set out to do. Generally, men are 22% more successful when they set a target, for example losing a pound a week, instead of just saying "lose weight". Whilst women’s success rate improves by 10% when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.