NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS — Place Some Sure ‘Local’ Bets For 2019

It’s not too late to make New Year’s Resolutions

Beat the odds – make New Year’s resolutions that have a chance to succeed.

Ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. Today about half of adults will follow the tradition.  Many resolutions are common, such as losing weight, getting fit, saving money, spending more time with family or quitting smoking. About 8 percent of the people who make New Year’s resolutions will succeed.  Or, put another way, 92 percent will fail; many by February.

One poll reveals a few demographic differences for New Year’s resolutions. Millennials are more likely to make resolutions in the coming year compared to folks from generation X. Almost half of millennial respondents plan to make resolutions, while only 31 percent of those in the 36 to 55 age group will do so; just 16 percent of those in the 56+ age demographic said they will make New Year’s resolutions.

How can we make realistic resolutions that beat the odds and will actually succeed? To answer this question, it’s important to recognize that resolutions such as dieting, joining gyms and so on are doomed to fail if, other than your well-intentioned resolve to change, you’ve done nothing to insure success.  Unless you first change your mind, don’t expect your health goals to materialize.

Think small. Setting small goals and embracing the fact that you may occasionally fail at keeping them can make sticking to resolutions seem less daunting. To improve your likelihood of sticking to resolutions, it’s important to try to see them as a beginning point not an ultimatum or a race.  It’s also a good idea to have some resolutions that you actually enjoy.

For example, you may resolve to become more involved in the arts; Merced is the perfect place to do just that.  There’s a plethora of things to in Merced in all aspects of the arts – theater, music, painting, photography, dancing, Shakespeare and more.  You may resolve to improve yourself by attending plays at Playhouse Merced, attending concerts or the Merced Symphony at the iconic Merced Theatre, attending free plays by the classic Merced Shakes, or activities of all types sponsored by the newly formed Phoenix Creative Collective.

Or how about a “negative” resolution that should be easy to do?  Like I will spend less time on Facebook.  Instead I will use that time to study Spanish or French using Duolingo or Babbel.

Another way to make a resolution that you can do would be to support the arts by becoming members of various organizations such as the Merced Arts Council at the MAC or the Merced Theatre Foundation.  Try your hand at painting by attending an “Arts and Spirits” night at the MAC, sponsored and conducted by talented members of the Arbor Gallery.  Take a day or two per month by discovering downtown – the Merced Courthouse Museum, the zoo, or the bike paths. Travel a bit further by exploring the Castle Air Museum in Atwater.

Maybe the best resolution you could make is to support some disadvantaged of our area, especially the younger ones.  One way is to help them attend educational events such as the E&M Reptile show on January 25 at the Merced Theatre.  Tickets are as inexpensive at $10. Ask the box office (381-0500), you will be able to donate $10 so that a disadvantaged student can attend.  The Merced County Office of Education will match your $10, allowing a sibling or parent to attend as well.  Merced’s Court Appointed Special Advocates® (CASA) will also help by identifying foster students who will get your ticket(s). The show features live animals and has tons of “hands on” opportunities.  The kids will be happy, learn a lot and have fun.  And you will feel good about completing a New Year’s resolution.