Using Janus to Motivate

I often wondered why people make New Year’s Resolutions. What’s so different about January first compared to June first or October first or better yet, the beginning of spring planting – March 23rd ? Why aren’t there typically resolutions throughout the year? How did this tradition get started and why are these resolutions usually comprised of self improvement ideas? So I did a little research to determine if there’s any validity to this seemingly pointless midnight insanity.

Back in 153 BC, Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances, became the symbol for New Year’s Resolutions. He was a mythical Roman king with 2 faces – with one he could see backwards into the past year and with the other he was able to see forwards into the upcoming year. Romans celebrated the new year by looking for forgiveness from their enemies and good fortune the following year and passed around treasures bearing Janus’ resemblance.

I’ve been thinking about these resolutions a lot since we just rolled into 2010. I think we should all invoke the resolution concept in our daily lives. We should look to our family and friends for support just as the Romans did on New Year’s Eve.

Sometimes it’s really tough to make ourselves complete something that may be challenging or unpleasant. Whether that’s to lose 5 pounds, finish a project, start an exercise routine or develop an idea… We start out strong, hyped and motivated… but it’s so difficult to maintain that pace!

One of the hardest things to do is let people know the goals we’ve set for ourselves. Here’s the THEORY: if we put ourselves out there and let people know what we’re trying to accomplish, we can lean on their support and encouragement to keep us afloat when our motivation waivers. However, here’s the REALITY: sharing with others exposes our vulnerabilities and we know that once we say it out loud, if we fail it will be public knowledge. It’s different if we fail secretly.. shhh, no one needs to know! But failing in front of others exposes parts of ourselves that prefer to hide in the shadows.

Set yourself up with a group of friends or family that can be trusted with your secret ambitions. Share with them and get them involved as a support system for your goals – and do the same for them! Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to make a resolution. This is the month of Janus (January), why not today?