It’s that time again, when I like to set forth goals for the year to come. I’ve been making birthday resolutions (similar to, but legally distinct from New Year’s resolutions) for well over a decade, but the tradition is far, far older than me or you or anyone alive today.

The first recorded resolutions to mark the start of a new year were made by the Babylonians sometime around the year 2000 BCE. These pledges were made during a festival to mark the start of the planting season, a good time to start fresh. Festivities included oaths of loyalty to the king , vows to repay old debts, and even promises to return borrowed farm equipment. The Babylonians believed that fulfilling their promises would grant them the favor of the gods.¹ The glazed brick image of the lion above was one of several that guarded the road through Babylon’s Ishtar Gare where processions would travel to the temple of Bit Akitu, or “House of the New Year’s Festival.”²

The Romans took up the practice and resolutions continued to be a common practice throughout the Western World. Until the 20th century, resolutions had a decidedly religious flavor, with the most common resolutions being to live a more moral and spiritual life.³ Nowadays, resolutions tend to be about self-improvement. Whatever the motivation, I still find them to be helpful guideposts as I try to become a little better than I was last year.

Speaking of last year, I made some progress on my 2023 resolutions, though not as much as I’d hoped to. That’s not surprising. Resolutions aren’t supposed to be easy to fulfill. The good ones are aspirational—just ever so slightly out of reach. I’ll be carrying some of them forward and putting others on hold or reassessing how I want to tackle those aspects of my life. Here’s what I’ve chosen to focus on in 2024:

Slow Down and Make Space

The biggest change in my life this year will be the birth of our second child in a few short months. Having been through this experience once already, I have a sense of how things will unfold—and how quickly it will all be over. My biggest priority in the coming year is making space for our new arrival. Physically, it will mean moving/downsizing our home office to convert into a bedroom for our toddler so the new baby can have the nursery. But emotionally, I want to be intentional about how I make room for this other human and remind myself to savor the little moments.

I’ll also be taking time off from work thanks to our state’s generous paid family leave program and pressing pause on a few of my creative endeavors, including the podcast, blog, and newsletter, for the first few months.

Keep Moving

Perhaps its contradictory that while I want to slow down, I also want to keep moving. Last year, I sent an intention to get outside every day. The weather and illness didn’t always make that possible, so instead, I’m resolving to do something active to get my heart rate up as many days as I can. This could be as simple as walking the dog or it could be a full-on workout at home or at the gym. This is my version of the classic “exercise more” resolution and it’s one that I really, really want to be better about in 2024.

Finish What I Start

Ironic, isn’t it, that I set out to finish more projects last year and then didn’t follow-through on finishing that resolution? I have a serious case of Shiny New Idea Syndrome and have a hard time completing my creative projects because my subconscious is constantly bombarding me with exciting new ideas, making my old ideas seem, well, old. This year, I want to do better. I have several pieces of short fiction and one audio drama that I think I can wrap-up by this time next year, if I just devote the time to completing them. And once they’re done, I can share them with the world, which really is better than endlessly spinning out half-finished stories that no one will ever see.

Will I complete all of these resolutions before my next birthday? Only time will tell. What vows have you made to the gods of the new year? I’d love to hear them in comments—and good luck!

—30—

Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, and storyteller. He lives in Tacoma, WA with his family, a dog, and three adorable typewriters. His writing has been published in Creative Colloquy, Grit City Magazine, and All Worlds Wayfarer. You can listen to his audio drama, The Adventures of Captain Radio, and his writing podcast, Dispatches with Jonny Eberle, wherever you enjoy podcasts.

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Sources

1. From an article on the history of New Year’s resolutions by Joanne Dickson on The Conversation. ↩︎
2. Panel with striding lion, Processional Way, Babylon (c. 604-562 BCE). You can see a hi-res image at the Metropolitan Museum of Art website. It’s beautiful. ↩︎
3. From another article about the history of resolution making compiled by The Old Farmer’s Almanac. ↩︎