You survived a tough 2009, congratulations!  Now that the hangover from the midnight Champagne toast has subsided, it is time for that introspective moment when you decide which element of your life you are going to half-heartedly attempt to improve this year, a.k.a. your New Year’s Resolution.  And no, your painful but well intentioned promise of “I’m never drinking again!” from the morning after does not count!

The tradition of New Year’s Resolutions has a rather long history that started with the Babylonians, around 2000 B.C. who celebrated the New Year in the beginning of spring.  Unlike the resolutions of today, for Babylonians the resolution was most always to return borrowed farm equipment or other items to friends and family members.  Around 153 B.C. the Romans began celebrating the New Year on January 1st which coincided with the new Julian calendar.  They traded sacred gifts of good fortune and made moral-based resolutions such as to ask an enemy’s forgiveness.  An exact explanation of the modern New Year’s Resolution tradition was difficult to track down, but by my best judgment appears to have stemmed from the early Christian belief that on the first day of a new year individuals should reflect on past mistakes and resolve to improve oneself throughout the year.

Since I’ve never personally had much luck with this, I decided to ask a few familiar faces of Old Town about New Year’s Resolutions and if they have any advice for attempting goals in this new year and new decade.  

Laura DeRisi, daytime bartender at King Street Blues, said, “New Year’s Resolutions have a different meaning for each person.  They are a good idea if you stick to them and it can be fun and exciting to share results with friends or work on a goal together as a couple.”  For 2010 DeRisi is planning to eat healthier and get into better shape for her wedding this summer, and she also plans to save some money to put toward buying a house.   In order to be most successful, she suggests that you should “set yourself up for success by making realistic and attainable goals and make the goal part of your daily routine. For me, running up and down the stairs while carrying trays here at King Street Blues will definitely help me achieve my goal!”

Robert Hannigan, General Manager of The Morrison House, stated, “Generally, I think New Years is a great time to evaluate your goals, but I wouldn’t recommend waiting for that one night a year to make a resolution to change your life.  Make changes when you need to and spend New Years figuring out if you’re on the right track or what you need to change to get there.”  Hannigan heads into 2010 planning to improve his musical abilities by learning to play the bagpipe. He has been learning to play the instrument for the last five years and so far has accomplished nothing but making noise and scaring his dogs.  “Fortunately,” says Hannigan, “no one can tell a good bagpiper from a lousy one, but this year I am going to take it seriously and actually learn how to play.” His suggestion for others, “Don’t make bagpiping a resolution.  It will only break your heart.”

Osval Sanchez, former Air Force Pilot and Government Contractor, believes that, “New Year’s Resolutions are a good way to motivate yourself to begin working on something you want to change, however, I think you are more likely to be successful if you do not give your goals that label.  Making your goal a New Year’s Resolution usually seems to diminish the seriousness of it because of their known success, or failure, rate.”  Going into 2010, Sanchez is focusing on finding a job he is passionate about within the aviation industry and encourages others to attempt their goals but advises them, “not to set a New Year’s Resolution, set a goal you are serious about and don’t stop until you achieve it! You can do anything if you make that goal a priority in your life.”

Rick Casey, Old Town Crier Contributor and Alexandria Living “Legend”, claims “I have resolved to not make anymore resolutions because over the years I’ve realized that I only end up lying to myself.”  Like others, Casey believes that New Year’s Resolutions are great if you can live up to them, but if you don’t plan on following through then you might as well not waste your time.  With that said, he revoked his previous claim of no more resolutions and decided that for 2010 he would start buying two cases of Dewars at a time instead of one, “it gets expensive when I run out when I’m down in Carolina.”  When it comes to words from the wise, Casey may have the best suggestion of all for helping others with their resolutions, “Drink more, it helps to ease the pain of failure.”

If you are of the mindset that New Year’s Resolutions are not worth making, you are not alone.  Statistics show that only 40-50% of people make resolutions and of those made only about 10% are successful.  Most resolutions are abandoned within the first month and the most common reasons people do not succeed are poor planning and vague or unrealistic goals.  Studies indicate that those who have been successful with their resolutions have done so by being part of an accountable group or organization, which requires regular participation and checkpoints.  In any case, I think we can all agree that individuals should have goals, whether you choose to call them resolutions or not.  So, cheers to a new decade and a happy and productive New Year for all!