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Day one, 2019, may be time for redirection

As best as history can tell us, the habit of New Year’s resolutions dates back approximately 4,000 years ago to the ancient Babylonians. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year–though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted.

Fast-forward to today and resolutions remain a holiday standard for many people. The intentions are great and there is a certain symmetry to making a change in conjunction with the launch of a new year.

One can’t wonder if the ancient Babylonians, though, had any better luck keeping their resolutions. After all, according to most reports, most people who make resolutions tend to fail. “Experts” (whatever an expert is for something like this) advise things to have a better shot at keeping your resolutions: setting realistic goals with tiered plans for progress so as to earn some encouragement; maybe share your resolution journey with someone on the same or similar path; perhaps even journal about it.

Perhaps it helps to think less in terms of resolutions than to think in terms of new directions, with the latter being broader and permit further defining as time goes by. Maybe that lack of rigidity will help. Maybe folks making changes can re-direct to incorporating a few new healthy habits into one’s diet instead of the resolution to lose 20 pounds? Or redirect to something emotionally fulfilling such as motivating yourself to be the man or woman co-workers most enjoy seeing first thing in the morning. Redirections might even become so second nature that one doesn’t even think much about them and they last for years. It’s just perspective perhaps, but given people’s success rate with resolutions, maybe a change in perspective is all it takes.

Here at Minot Daily News, we will be doing some redirects this year as we continue to evolve the newspaper, introduce new and enhanced products, continue to seek out new voices, etc. We look forward to seeing where these redirects take us in 2019 and as always, innovation is excitement.

Whether you resolve or redirect, or not, the Babylonians deserve credit for the inspiration they’ve provided for the past 4,000 years.

Happy New Year from Minot Daily News.

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