New Year Resolutions

There is this cycle in human life which has a habit of occuring every year .. Mostly around the same time of year.. The cycle of the New Year Resolutions.. Every December each of us does a performance review of our life in general over the past 12 months, and sets goals which can be achieved during the next year.. We set forward that starting January 1, "I shall / shall not xxxxxxxx.." (Fill in the x's) .. Goals include go on a diet, stop smoking, eat less, be more pro-active at work, stop drinking .. January 1 comes along, and we begin our resolution with full gusto.. Come December however, we find ourselves making the same resolutions again .. Why is it so tough to stick to our resolutions?? Are resolutions made to be broken?? Then, why do we call them resolutions???

One question has always struck me.. Why do we need to wait till Jan 1st to start a change in lifestyle.. Why can't we just say, "I shall / shall not xxxxx starting right now" .. Somehow, that statement is made only when you are in deep introspection after your 4th tequilla shot, around the same time that you remember that you forgot to return the library book when you were in 7th grade and you are repenting .. Point is, that there is no way you are going to remember this resolution when you wake up next morning..

Is there some wannabe psycho-analyst out there, who can clarify as to why the human mind works that way?? Why are we so weak, and more so, what is it that makes up give in to temptation?? Is there a gene in us, which makes us this way?? According to TIME, there is a gene in us, that makes us religious / agnostic, so there should be a gene for temptation also .. Or as the religious would say, is there a devil inside us that makes us so susceptible?

Those are the thoughts for the new year .. This year I decided not to make any more New Year's resolutions.. Atleast that's something I shall have the least trouble keeping up to!!!

Cheers,
SG