Sarah Baker

The Ancient Babylonians are thought to be the first people to make the equivalent of what we think of as a New Year’s resolution. Four millennia ago, they would make promises to the gods that they would pay their debts in the upcoming year. This happened at the beginning of the Babylonian new year, in March, during an eleven-day festival called Akitu, or the Festival of the Sowing of Barley. The Babylonians believed that if they kept these promises, the gods would bless them with good luck throughout the year.

This trend persisted thousands of years later, picked up by individuals mostly for religious reasons, and ancient Romans and early Christians continued to make promises to their deities or deity on the first day of the new year, which became January 1 after Julius Casear moved it to this date to honor the Roman god of beginnings, Janus. People normally used this as an opportunity to promise that they would atone for past mistakes and be better in the future. Today, New Year’s resolutions are common in the Western world and are generally individual goals for self-improvement. About 45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, but the success rate for keeping these goals is a measly 8%, according to a poll conducted in December 2018.

Now, at the start of 2019, we have reached a time when we all reflect on what we have or have not accomplished in 2018 and how we would like to improve ourselves this upcoming year. My own resolutions include seriously starting to plan my wedding, running my first half marathon, and being able to do ten pull-ups in a row. Maybe writing it down for you all to see will make me feel more accountable, and I can be in that 8% of people who actually achieve their goals.

Here is a glimpse of the resolutions that other members of the Rockefeller community have for 2019:

“My resolution is to survive toward end of the year, while 1) raising three kids, 2) taking care of a house 3) commuting between New York and Richmond, 4) doing my Ph.D., and 5) running two businesses at the same time. Steps taken so far: I have tried to fill every minute of my day with something.”

– Du Cheng

“My resolution is to lose weight by eating less burgers and more chicken and to become an “Intermediate+” volleyball player so that I can play with the Tri-I on Wednesday nights.”

– Shigeru Kaneki

“My resolution is to figure out my career plan and to break out of this quarter-life crisis. I would also like to more seriously consider learning how to cook an adult meal.”

– Jyen Yiee Wong

“My resolution is to cook healthier and eat in more moderation!”

– Steven Cajamarca

“My New Year’s Resolution is to travel more. So I decided to start the year right and spent a day in Moscow on my way back to NYC. It was so cold, but so beautiful!”

– Anna Amelianchik