2022 New Year’s Resolutions

by Lhasa Posada

Did you know that the earliest documented New Year’s celebration dates back to 4,000 years ago? In ancient Babylon, people held an eleven-day religious festival called Akitu. They honored the victory of Marduk, their god of the sky, against the sea goddess, Tiamat. This time also marked when Babylon would crown their new ruler.

Is the past really so different from our modern festivities and traditions? At the beginning of each year, it’s common to make goals for ourselves and name things we want to accomplish or improve throughout the next twelve months. We know this as forming New Year’s resolutions.

A similarity can be drawn between the way in which Babylonians “renewed” the king and the ways people today attempt to “renew” themselves. A few simple modern resolutions are to be kinder, think positively, and create healthy habits. These are all great starting points, but those who get really into it can possibly succeed in creating a huge project or even get smart with their money.

Do we ever really stick to all our resolutions? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. Even if you’re someone who prefers to go with the flow, goal setting and envisioning the year you’d like to manifest for yourself can be beneficial. But, it’s important you start with things within your reach.

Resolutions can go a long way from being a silly, little New Year’s thing. When the year has nearly come to a close, you can reflect back on the year and appreciate how far you’ve come!