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A New Year's resolution: To make better resolutions
EDITORIAL
A New Year’s Resolution: To Make Better Resolutions Judith Stoner Halpern, RN, MS, CEN
anuary 1 marks the start of the Julian Calendar’s new year, created by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. Caesar’s calendar was different from those of other ancient cultures, which were based on the movement of the sun or moon. The older cultures placed the new year at a time of new beginnings, such as spring (eg, Persia celebrated in March and the Chinese New Year and Vietnam’s Tet Nguyen Dan are celebrated in January or February) or fall (eg, Hindus in India, in October, or the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, celebrated in September). Although different cultures have used different dates, they all considered the new year to be an official time to start over. Of the many traditions that surround the new year, making resolutions is one of the most common.
J
Yet, for many, good intentions are lost and never materialize into significant changes.
Resolutions are a declaration, a commitment that we make to ourselves. They allow us a chance to look at the past and the present and think about the future. Many of us focus on improving ourselves and the lives of those around us. The early Babylonians vowed to return borrowed farm equipment. In 1970, there were people in the United States who resolved to never support President Nixon or be in a rock band again. Each year, parents promise to lecture less and listen Int J Trauma Nurs 2001;7:1-2. Copyright © 2001 by the Emergency Nurses Association. 1075-4210/2001/$35.00 + 0 65/1/112910 doi:10.1067/mtn.2001.112910 JANUARY-MARCH 2001
more. Internet junkies resolve to back up their work. Even pets have been credited with making new year resolutions. Yet for many, good intentions are lost and never materialize into significant changes. Researchers at the University of Washington conducted a survey to determine what type of person makes a successful New Year’s resolution.1,2 They found the following: (1) those persons who planned ahead were more successful than those who made impulsive decisions; (2) persons were more likely to adopt a new positive behavior than to stop a negative behavior; and (3) fewer than one half of those persons who reached their goals were successful on their first try—about 17% finally succeeded after more than 6 attempts! That means that we are not alone when our resolve starts to dissolve. Perhaps the best New Year’s resolution that we can make would be to learn how to make a better resolution. Why are some resolutions destined for failure? An easy answer is to blame January 1. For one half of the world, it falls in the middle of win-
We are not alone when our resolve starts to dissolve. ter, and for the other half, the middle of summer. This is not the most opportune time to enact a dramatic change. The middle of a season often causes us to feel a lack of commitment; this may be part of the reason that ancient cultures chose spring or fall as the time to start anew. For some, January 1 may feel like an artificial time for change. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAUMA NURSING/Editorial 1
Perhaps January would be a better time to reassess the health and prosperity of our nursing careers than focus on our personal lifestyles. As nurses, we should look to overcome the obstacles that will eventually lead to career advancement (eg, taking trauma courses, becoming certified, joining professional associations); instead of relying on old behaviors or attitudes that inhibit change, let’s try being a little creative. How often do we say “Where do I find the time?” Yet if we turned the television off 1 hour earlier each day, we would gain 7 hours in 1 week, 28 to 31 hours in a month. If the cost of a refresher course or membership in a professional association is divided into a monthly
or weekly amount, the money involved is likely to be less than the cost of 1 meal in a fast food restaurant or the cafeteria. By dividing the New Year’s resolution into smaller, easier-to-attain parts, the effort and sacrifice do not feel so intimidating. Most important, we learn that we can succeed. REFERENCES 1. Dye L. New year’s dissolutions. Available at: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DyeHard/dye36.html. Accessed November 13, 2000. 2. Hoover E. Study: well-planned resolutions will stick. Available at: http://www.oregonlive.com/todaysnews/1297/st12311.html. Accessed November 13, 2000.
Access to International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line is reserved for print subscribers! Full-text access to International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line is available for all print subscribers. To activate your individual online subscription, please visit International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line, point your browser to http://www.mosby.com/trauma, follow the prompts to activate your on-line access, and follow the instructions. To activate your account, you will need your subscriber account number, which you can find on your mailing label (note: the number of digits in your subscriber account number varies from 6 to 10). See the example below in which the subscriber account number has been circled: Sample mailing label
This is your subscription account number
**************************3-DIGIT 001 SJ P1 FEB00 J065 C: 1 1234567-89 U 05/00 Q: 1 J. H. DOE 531 MAIN ST CENTER CITY, NY 10001-001
Personal subscriptions to International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line are for individual use only and may not be transferred. Use of International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line is subject to agreement to the terms and conditions as indicated online.
2 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAUMA NURSING/Editorial
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 1
A New Year’s Resolution: To Make Better Resolutions Judith Stoner Halpern, RN, MS, CEN
anuary 1 marks the start of the Julian Calendar’s new year, created by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. Caesar’s calendar was different from those of other ancient cultures, which were based on the movement of the sun or moon. The older cultures placed the new year at a time of new beginnings, such as spring (eg, Persia celebrated in March and the Chinese New Year and Vietnam’s Tet Nguyen Dan are celebrated in January or February) or fall (eg, Hindus in India, in October, or the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, celebrated in September). Although different cultures have used different dates, they all considered the new year to be an official time to start over. Of the many traditions that surround the new year, making resolutions is one of the most common.
J
Yet, for many, good intentions are lost and never materialize into significant changes.
Resolutions are a declaration, a commitment that we make to ourselves. They allow us a chance to look at the past and the present and think about the future. Many of us focus on improving ourselves and the lives of those around us. The early Babylonians vowed to return borrowed farm equipment. In 1970, there were people in the United States who resolved to never support President Nixon or be in a rock band again. Each year, parents promise to lecture less and listen Int J Trauma Nurs 2001;7:1-2. Copyright © 2001 by the Emergency Nurses Association. 1075-4210/2001/$35.00 + 0 65/1/112910 doi:10.1067/mtn.2001.112910 JANUARY-MARCH 2001
more. Internet junkies resolve to back up their work. Even pets have been credited with making new year resolutions. Yet for many, good intentions are lost and never materialize into significant changes. Researchers at the University of Washington conducted a survey to determine what type of person makes a successful New Year’s resolution.1,2 They found the following: (1) those persons who planned ahead were more successful than those who made impulsive decisions; (2) persons were more likely to adopt a new positive behavior than to stop a negative behavior; and (3) fewer than one half of those persons who reached their goals were successful on their first try—about 17% finally succeeded after more than 6 attempts! That means that we are not alone when our resolve starts to dissolve. Perhaps the best New Year’s resolution that we can make would be to learn how to make a better resolution. Why are some resolutions destined for failure? An easy answer is to blame January 1. For one half of the world, it falls in the middle of win-
We are not alone when our resolve starts to dissolve. ter, and for the other half, the middle of summer. This is not the most opportune time to enact a dramatic change. The middle of a season often causes us to feel a lack of commitment; this may be part of the reason that ancient cultures chose spring or fall as the time to start anew. For some, January 1 may feel like an artificial time for change. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAUMA NURSING/Editorial 1
Perhaps January would be a better time to reassess the health and prosperity of our nursing careers than focus on our personal lifestyles. As nurses, we should look to overcome the obstacles that will eventually lead to career advancement (eg, taking trauma courses, becoming certified, joining professional associations); instead of relying on old behaviors or attitudes that inhibit change, let’s try being a little creative. How often do we say “Where do I find the time?” Yet if we turned the television off 1 hour earlier each day, we would gain 7 hours in 1 week, 28 to 31 hours in a month. If the cost of a refresher course or membership in a professional association is divided into a monthly
or weekly amount, the money involved is likely to be less than the cost of 1 meal in a fast food restaurant or the cafeteria. By dividing the New Year’s resolution into smaller, easier-to-attain parts, the effort and sacrifice do not feel so intimidating. Most important, we learn that we can succeed. REFERENCES 1. Dye L. New year’s dissolutions. Available at: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DyeHard/dye36.html. Accessed November 13, 2000. 2. Hoover E. Study: well-planned resolutions will stick. Available at: http://www.oregonlive.com/todaysnews/1297/st12311.html. Accessed November 13, 2000.
Access to International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line is reserved for print subscribers! Full-text access to International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line is available for all print subscribers. To activate your individual online subscription, please visit International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line, point your browser to http://www.mosby.com/trauma, follow the prompts to activate your on-line access, and follow the instructions. To activate your account, you will need your subscriber account number, which you can find on your mailing label (note: the number of digits in your subscriber account number varies from 6 to 10). See the example below in which the subscriber account number has been circled: Sample mailing label
This is your subscription account number
**************************3-DIGIT 001 SJ P1 FEB00 J065 C: 1 1234567-89 U 05/00 Q: 1 J. H. DOE 531 MAIN ST CENTER CITY, NY 10001-001
Personal subscriptions to International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line are for individual use only and may not be transferred. Use of International Journal of Trauma Nursing On-line is subject to agreement to the terms and conditions as indicated online.
2 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAUMA NURSING/Editorial
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 1