Episode 7: New Year’s Resolutions
[00:00:00] Welcome to English, please. The podcast where we explore captivating topics and under 10 minutes in clear intermediate English. I’m your host, Christopher. I live and work in New York City, and I’m a language enthusiast who was always been interested in the most effective ways to learn a new language. If you were learning English and find it difficult to discover intermediate level content that is interesting and is also designed for learning English, this podcast is made for you.
Happy New Year! I appreciate you joining me on this first episode of 2024. In this episode, I’m going to explore the idea of new year’s resolutions. As the new year begins, it’s customary for people around the world to embark on a journey of setting goals and making resolutions for the upcoming months. Let’s start though with a little history. When did this tradition start?
The [00:01:00] act of making new year’s resolutions can be traced back thousands of years to ancient Babylon, a civilization that actually celebrated the new year in March because it aligned with the spring Equinox. During March the Babylonians engaged in a sacred practice of making promises to their gods seeking prosperity in the year ahead. These promises were often things like commitments to settle debts or to return borrowed items. Yet, they did reflect a real desire for renewal and positive change. Sure the customs and the time of year have evolved over the centuries, but the essence of committing to self-improvement remains a timeless and universal tradition.
The Roman God, Janus also played a significant role in the history of new year’s resolutions. Janus, often depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions—one face looking forward and the other phase looking [00:02:00] backward—was the god of beginnings, transitions, and doorways. The Romans believed that by making promises and resolutions at the start of the year (which by the time of Caesar, was January), they could gain favor from Janus. His two faces looking in opposite directions, symbolized looking back at the past, and looking forward to the future. And the idea of looking at the past and looking to the future is a key part of setting resolutions.
Now, let’s transition to today’s practice of setting new year’s resolutions. Each year, millions of people around the world take this opportunity to engage in self-reflection and imagine a better future. Resolutions typically center around various aspects of life, such as health, personal development relationships, career. For example, there’s always a surge of memberships to gyms as the new year begins. You [00:03:00] might also notice that self-help books are best sellers. And social media is flooded with declarations of positive change.
The process of setting resolutions is a powerful exercise in looking inward and focusing on personal growth. Resolutions encourage us to assess our past, identify areas for improvement, and develop a plan for positive change. As we all know, however, despite the best intentions, a significant number of people encounter challenges in maintaining their resolutions throughout the year.
So how can we enhance our chances of success and adhering to our resolution? The first way is by setting realistic and achievable goals. Instead of aiming for drastic changes, it’s important to consider smaller, more manageable steps. For example, if your goal is to exercise more, start with a reasonable workout [00:04:00] routine that aligns with your daily schedule.
The second way to improve our chances at sticking to a resolution is accountability. If you share your goals with maybe a trusted friend or a family member, you can have support and encouragement throughout your journey. Sharing the highs and lows of your work can make the process more enjoyable and less overwhelming.
Additionally, it’s crucial to be patient and kind to ourselves. The path to change is a gradual one, and setbacks are part of the process. Rather than viewing them as failures, we should try to see setbacks as valuable opportunities to learn, adjust, and reinforce our commitments.
You know, learning a language is a popular new year’s resolution and maybe it’s one of yours. I know it’s always one of my resolutions because every year I’m working on learning or improving my skills at [00:05:00] this or that language. I’d like to share one thing I’ve learned that has helped me immensely in this process.
It’s vital to set goals. This is so important in language learning. That means instead of a broad resolution, like “Learn English,” it’s better to consider setting smaller goals such as, “Learn 50 new English words in a month” or, “Read three news articles in English each week.” Milestones like these create a sense of accomplishment and keep the learning process dynamic. You’ll stay on track and you really will see improvement.
So as we begin this new year, I hope your resolutions give you an opportunity for personal growth or positive transformation. Whether you’re working on improving your physical health or relationships, or you’re focused on your personal advancement… or, [00:06:00] yes, dedicated to improving your English, remember that every small step is an important part of the journey.
I hope you were able to understand most of this episode. And don’t forget as always. There’s a transcript available to help you with your understanding. You can find the link in the episode notes. I recommend listening again with the transcript to help with anything that wasn’t clear.
Again, I’m Christopher. And I want to invite you to join me in future episodes of English, please to hear about a variety of topics, all focused on helping you with your English. Subscribe now, wherever you listen to podcasts and let’s embark on an adventure together and clear, understandable English. I also encourage you to visit comullen.com/pod. For more information. That’s C-O-M-U-L-L-E-N dot com slash pod.[00:07:00]
I hope 2024 is amazing for you, and I wish you a year filled with growth and success.
Happy New Year!