Psychology of New Years Resolutions
At the beginning of the New Year, it is customary to make New Year’s Resolutions. Finding Health, Balance, Wealth, Happiness, or simply making effort to spend more time with loved ones, being more involved with family, community, or career-related goals, forces us to reflect on what we have and had accomplished during the year, allows us to be accountable for who we are and who we want to become, and acts a springboard from which we can formulate, plan, and move towards the ultimate aspects of our dreams.
Janus, the Roman God of transitions and new beginnings is the root of the word January, the month named in his honor. Like our logo, Janus is two-faced, one side looking back at the past, and the other looking toward the future. However, he, like the seasons is ever-present at the moment and reminds us to take firm hold of the here and the now.
As the Winter Solstice has occurred, and daylight begins to take back the long hours of the night, our planet is prepared for a time of new beginnings. Like the seasons, we too have the ability to open ourselves to new beginnings, a time when rebirth and spring can take hold of our psyche, and help us formulate new ways to view ourselves in order to realize our ultimate potential.
What are Your New Year’s Resolutions? Do they include finding Health, finding Wealth, or finding Happiness? Are you ready to shed the dying night of winter’s coldness to find a rebirth of Spring from within? During this time, reflect, think about the journey you embarked upon during the past year, and find solace in the accomplishments you have attained. As you see areas where you feel you can grow, do not fret. Instead, use them as a launching pad to begin the journey in the here and the now in order to realize your potential. Take hold of your mental health, set goals, plan their direction and trajectory, and begin to Advance Confidently in the Direction of your Dreams.
More from Dr. Tom
Are you being your best possible self? Dr. Thomas Maples explores our personal and collective journey to realize our ultimate potential through the lens of psychology, personal development, and the myths that drive our journey forward.
