S2 E1: New Year Resolution

According to di look-look wey we look dis matter, New year resolution first start from olden days Babylon pipo, lik 4,000 years ago. History talk say na dis Babylon pipo be di first to celebrate for inside New Year.

New Year festival for Babylon wey dem dey call Akitu

Dia New Year dat time no be January, na around mid-March wey be their planting season as most of dem dat year na farmers. During this period, di pipo for Babylon dey celebrate 12-day religious festival wey dem dey call Akitu.

During this celebration dem dey either crown new king or dem go dey show dia reigning King sey dem dey him back gidigba. Also, Dem dey make some kin promises to dia gods or pay dia debts or return any thing wey dem be borrow. Dem believe say when dem do dis things dia gods go grant dem favour throughout di new year.

As many years pass, new year resolution come change small small from dat time of di Babylon pipo to di time of Julius Caesar (Romans). During dis time, di pipo of Rome dey celebrate dia own new year for January 1. Na dis time naim dem dey celebrate their god, Janus. Janus na god wey get two face, wey di pipo of Rome believe say dey look back into the past year and also dey look front into the future. Di pipo of Rome dey offer sacrifices to this their god and dem go come make plenty promises to dia god, so that dem go receive favour for dat year.

Di Roman god with 2 face wey dem dey call Janus

For di early Christians, na first day of di year naim dem dey celebrate the new year lik pipo of Rome. Na for 1740, John Wesley wey be English Fada, wey be the founder of Methodist church, naim con create wetin him call di covenant renewal service. Dis renewal service na every New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day dem dey celebrate am. Dis New Year’s Eve naim dem dey call watch night services.

With all Dis history and the religious roots of New Year’s resolutions, the practice still dey go on and instead wey people go make promises to gods, dem dey make promises to demsef, and focus purely on dia self-improvement.

Statistics tell us say na 50% of pipo naim dey make New Years resolution and less than 10% naim dey keep to the resolutions.

1. Exercise
2. Lose weight
3. Get organised
4. Learn new skill
5. Live life to the fullest
6. Save more money/spend less
7. Quit smoking
8. Spend more time with friends/family
9. Travel more
10. Read more

1. I go marry dis year
2. I go born pikin dis year
3. Carryover resolutions – di one wey yu neva fit achieve for 3 years
4. I wan get body like XYZ 
5. I wan improve my health or eating habit.

1. Too many resolutions
2. Unrealistic resolutions
3. Unwilling to make sacrifices (Pay the price)
4. Lack of flexibility
5. Lack of information
6. Procrastination
7. Not your resolution (Copy Copy)
8. Unwilling to fail (Fear of Failure)
9. All talk, no action
10. Giving up (Before the finish Line)

1. Prepare ursef mentally
2. Set di kin goals wey dey motivate yu
3. Limit goals to sensible amounts – no turn all ur problems to goals wey yu wan achieve in one year
4. Be specific – know exactly wetin yu wan do, pinpoint all di nitty gritty
5. Break di big big goals to small small ones.