Resolve to be better year-round

Quit smoking.\nQuit drinking.\nLose 20 pounds.\nForty to 50 percent of Americans make lists of New Year's resolutions every year, according to Acqyr.com. But only 20 percent of the Americans who make resolutions keep them. \nMost resolutions involve health and lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking or drinking and improving eating habits. Perhaps you have a list of resolutions to follow in 2006. Certainly this is encouraged in popular society. Like fitness centers nationwide, Bloomington SportsPlex membership rates increase at the beginning of the year and many how-to Web sites have instructions on how to make and keep resolutions, such as Google How-To, About.com and GoalsGuy.com. \nImproving yourself is a positive move in the right direction. But why does a changing year motivate us to change ourselves? Is it actually the new numerical year, the beginning of January or something greater? \nBusinesses are constantly advertising money-saving specials to entice new customers, but their target audience Jan. 1 is obviously someone trying to turn over a new leaf. Excessive holiday eating is probably a major motivator for customers signing up at a gym. \nBut it's not only advertisers who are using New Year's resolutions in their promotions. In the film "Bridget Jones' Diary", Renée Zellweger's character is prompted to make a list of New Year's resolutions when she is humiliated at a holiday party for her smoking, drinking and cursing. Nonetheless, she doesn't follow through with any of her goals -- including learning to program the VCR. \nHer resolutions begin Jan. 1, just as our culture dictates they should. New Year's resolutions date back to Rome in 153 B.C. when the Romans made the namesake for January, Janus, the ruler of the first month of the year, according to GoalsGuy.com. \nBecause this god could look forward and backward at the same time with his two heads, Romans used his month to ask for forgiveness from their enemies for their past transgressions. Although this is interesting history, I would imagine most of us do not look to Janus for spiritual guidance now. \nWhy does a yearly calendar change have to be the catalyst for our quests for self-improvement? Do people generally feel extra motivated on New Year's Day? I sure did not. I slept in, played around on my computer, watched the TBS comedy movie marathon and ate black-eyed peas for good luck, as the Southern superstition goes. The last thing on my mind was improving my inner poise, as Bridget Jones vowed to do. \nPerhaps birthdays would be a better day for making resolutions for a new year, as it is a personal new year. It makes sense to want your entire 22nd year to be better than your 21st. Even better, why wait for a specific event to improve yourself? \nIf you take the cynical, the-holiday-season-is-just-a-boost-for-the-economy route, you could argue that New Year's resolutions are just another way for our capitalistic society to gain profits during December and January. Considering New Year's resolutions don't have the best reputation for success, maybe we should ignore the media hype and just improve ourselves whenever we'd like. The first day you decide to lose 10 pounds, resolve to do it. The first day you decide to choose a better career, perk up your resume. Waiting until Jan. 1 to make a list that might not see the first signs of spring is silly. So next year, if in July you want to better yourself, don't wait -- join a health club as soon as you're inspired.