Since the days of early Rome, 153 B.C. to be approximate, the start of a new year has brought with it the tradition of reflection and projection. Many of us will look upon the last 12 months searching for ways to make the next even better. This tradition of resolving to change was inspired by the mythical king Janus who, with two faces on his head, was able to look forward and backward. For the Romans, Janus was the god of beginnings and served as the inspiration in naming the first month of the year.
Making a New Year’s resolution can be helpful in focusing our attention, though a 2005 survey conducted by Goalfree.com revealed roughly half the number of people are making such commitments when compared to years past. In Forest Park, a random sampling of resolutions revealed a range of self-improvement promises, but many of the people we approached said they had not given the idea of making a New Year’s resolution much thought. Nonetheless, here’s a sampling of what people will strive to accomplish in 2008.
