CULTURE READS
New Year’s Resolutions: How it came to be and Ideas you can achieve
We have been actively participating in New Year’s Resolutions for who knows how long. Clean more, spend less, build a healthy habit. But who set that system up, and why do we follow it?
The History of New Year’s Resolutions
For a little bit of timeline appreciation, no, the concept of New Year’s Resolutions did not begin during the time of Thales or Plato; it began way earlier, during the time of the Ancient Babylonians over 4,000 years ago.
According to National Geographic, the Babylonians were among the first civilizations to celebrate the start of a new year, marking the occasion with festivals and rituals. “There is a lot of written documentation about New Year festivals in ancient Babylonia, Syria, and other places in Mesopotamia tied to the notion of the start of the new year,” says Eckart Frahm, a professor of Near Eastern languages and civilizations at Yale University.
These festivals are actually centered around expressing gratitude to the gods for a bountiful harvest and not resolution-making.
However, a Babylonian king once made a public pledge to “be a better ruler” in the latter part of the first millennium B.C. This act, sometimes called a "negative confession," was a public admission of accountability rather than just a private introspection. Academics debate as to whether the myth was shaped by dissension within the priestly elite or if this event truly happened. In any case, this custom established the foundation for what are now known as New Year's resolutions.
Even though the Babylonians may have originated the concept, the Romans since then has established January 1st as the start of the new year. Similar to the Babylonians, the Romans celebrated with festivals and ceremonies, but they also included useful aspects of renewal, such as vows of renewal and "supernatural spring cleaning." As stated by Candida Moss, a University of Birmingham professor in ancient history and early Christianity, “These traditions focused on starting the year on the right foot: cleaning homes, stocking the pantry, paying off debts, and returning borrowed items.”
3 Achievable New Year’s Resolutions for Self-Improvement
1. Make Learning a Habit
Being too occupied in adult life, one may neglect the importance of continuous learning as part of self-improvement or as a part of life in general. Lack of time or mental space can be a real and valid reason for delaying or even skipping learning, but it is a constant thing we must pursue.
There are ways to keep on learning even in a fast-paced world. Pick a focus, dedicate time, and set your mind. The surroundings are filled with things to discover, and search engines are free. Busyness should not be an excuse, nor should lack of resources be. If you’re really serious about shaping your mind better, learning new things, and making decisions that create positive results, this new year’s resolution should be easy!
But what makes this even more achievable is the existence of modern platforms where anyone can learn a thing of their choice, at their own pace. If you’re into food, beverage, or business, you can try enrolling in this online learning platform called The Bailiwick Academy. They have over 200 courses in baking, arts, cooking, business support, and lifestyle—some of which they offer for free and a P500 bonus for new members!
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2. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Ah, yes. The New Year’s resolution we all have after an indulgent holiday week of eating ham, pasta, and fruit salad. To have the urge to go on a diet and start living healthily is easy when you’ve eaten maybe 3 days' worth of food in one sitting, but this is not to discourage you.
While working out three days a week and munching on kale for lunch is widely adored, you can balance your health by simply being picky about your food intake. Swap that ice cream with frozen mangoes, swap the processed meat with eggs and chicken breast, swap those sugary juice boxes for healthy beverages; there are a million ways to make healthy food tasty and enjoyable. It’s 2026, let’s leave the mindset that healthy = unpalatable.
For starters, try incorporating a detox plan into your diet and watch such a subtle adjustment drastically improve your health. You do not even have to make your own detox meals for this; detox drinks have gotten popular for infusing the same benefits conveniently. Mary and Martha, for example, was able to incorporate 16 healthy components into a 1-day detox plan.
Read more: Benefits and Risks of a Full-Body Detox
3. Invest in Personal Care
True renewal starts from the self. A clear mind creates correct decisions, good food habits build bodily health, and attention to personal care results in a radiant, head-turning glow. What you feed your skin will eventually reflect, and if you’ve been wanting to achieve the New Year, New Me statement literally, you’re going to have to take your personal care to the next level.
Look into innovative skincare products in the market that go beyond the average. Specializing in formulations that focus on hydration and skin renewal through natural and science-backed processes, top K-beauty brand RIMAN is one of the most ideal brands you can explore for this resolution. They offer patented personal care products made from heritage-sourced ingredients and advanced growing methods in their own smart farm.
Learn more about RIMAN: RIMAN: Global K-Beauty Brand Built Through Nature and Science
If you want to improve your makeup skills instead, reach out to veteran professional hair and makeup artists who have long years of proven skills and credibility. If you’re serious about this, seeking personal advice is a better choice than relying on generic tutorials online, but it may be difficult to find a professional who allows such service or caters to personal needs. At Our Market, you can easily avail this and get professional advice from International Beauty Coach Dara Plan.
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