New Year's Resolutions - Extinct?

I was having a conversation with my parents over the break regarding New Year's Resolutions and the point was made that there are "experts" who advise not to make New Year's Resolutions because of the high rate of failure, which can, of course, be discouraging to the rest of the year.

I get their point.  Many people make New Year's Resolutions about things like weight loss.  What could possibly be a worse time of the year than right after you have been on a five week binge that started at Thanksgiving and extended straight to New Year's Day.  

If you were to consult statisticsbrain.com, which of course I did, the University of Scranton states:

• 45% of Americans make New Year's Resolutions.
• 8% of those are ultimately successful.
• 46% maintain resolutions past six months
• 47% include self-improvements or education related resolutions

These statistics were found in every single article I researched regarding NOT making New Year's Resolutions.   The one stat that was never included was that people who explicitly make resolutions are TEN TIMES more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions.

I believe one hundred percent that setting New Year's Resolutions is an important ritual.  It signifies that you believe that there is hope that you can change your life for the better in the next year.  It signifies that there is a life that you believe in that is different, special, and worth working for.  New Year's Resolutions mean that you believe there are still exciting things to be achieved.

I, as with last year, by the way, want to be in better shape at the end of 2015 than when I started it.  So I went to yoga today.  After sweating my ass off and fervently believing that my shoulders would actually give out and I would fall and bust my head open in the middle of downward dog, we reached the end of the session and our instructor gave us our cold washcloth, scented with eucalyptus, and read a meditation by Melodie Beattie, very appropriate to the start of a new year:

Honor the Beginning

Beginnings can be delicate or explosive. They can start almost invisibly or arrive with a big bang. Beginnings hold the promise of new lessons to be learned, new territory to be explored, and old lessons to be recalled, practiced, and appreciated. Beginnings hold ambiguity, promise, fear, and hope.

Don't let the lessons, the experiences of the past, dampen your enthusiasm for beginnings. Just because it's been hard doesn't mean it will always be that difficult. Don't let the heartbreaks of the past cause you to become cynical, close you off to life's magic and promise. Open yourself wide to all that the universe has to say.

Let yourself begin anew. Pack your bags. Choose carefully what you bring, because packing is an important ritual. Take along some humility and the lessons of the past. Toss in some curiosity and excitement about what you haven’t yet learned. Say your goodbyes to those you're leaving behind. 

Don't worry who you will meet or where you will go. The way has been prepared. The people you are to meet will be expecting you. A new journey has begun. Let it be magical. Let it unfold.

All parts of the journey are sacred and holy.
Take time now to honor the beginning.

Happy New Year!  Take time to celebrate your new beginning.