FILLING a bin bag with empty bottles, discharged party poppers and abandoned cardboard plates of trifle as your head throbs to the uncertain beat of a new year welcomed with ill-advised gusto is probably not the best foundation for any sort of resolve.
The Hogmanay-Ne'erday debacle, however, remains our favourite and ever-optimistic launch pad for new sets of resolutions.
How many of these ritualised best intentions actually attain lift off, never mind achieving lasting and meaningful orbit, rem
ains questionable. It was Samuel Butler, the 18th-century English satirist who observed that: "Great actions are not always true sons / Of great and mighty resolutions", although it is not recorded whether he was recovering from a Hogmanay party at the time.
Indeed, people have been making and breaking New Year resolutions for at least 4,000 years. The ancient Babylonians' new year celebrations (which began according to their calendar with the first new moon after the vernal equinox) included vows to returned borrowed items – though whether overdue library tablets or misappropriated ziggurat-building tools, is likely to remain one of history's great secrets. The Romans, too, were inveterate makers of end-of-year vows, a common one being to seek forgiveness from enemies, which, one suspects, demands rather more strength of mind than cutting down on chocolates.
We are told by compilers of obscure statistics that as many as nine out of ten people who do make New Year's resolutions will fall by the wayside within a month. Mark Twain put it more pithily: "Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever."
There are numerous pieces of advice out there on how to be more successful in sticking to your resolutions. Tips include: reviewing previous year's resolutions and what happened to them before you make any fresh ones; being realistic; and, whatever you promise yourself this year, do it for yourself, because you want to, and not in response to peer pressure.
Even scientists have been moved to investigate to what extent our willpower can transcend the often less than auspicious circumstances amid which we embark on such ventures. At the beginning of 2007, Richard Wiseman, a professor of psychology at Hertfordshire University (well known to ghaisties and ghoulies in the haunted vaults and closes of Edinburgh as a sceptical investigator of the paranormal) recruited around 10,000 online volunteers in what was thought to be the first mass-participation inquiry into what makes or breaks a New Year resolution. We await, with baited breath, the results, due any day now, which promise new insights which may help strengthen our perennially faltering New Year resolve.
In the meantime, as our waistlines expand in indirect correlation to our diminishing willpower, and broken resolutions fall around us like spent rocket sticks, we speak to some well-known figures whose annual self-promises range from the predictable, such as getting fit or making more time for family, to winning a third Michelin star.
Tommy Smith, Jazz musician"AS 2007 blows its final cadence, 16.4 resonates as a huge failure. Three years ago, my doctor instructed me to walk once a day, so I took up golf. Each year I try and improve my game and I promise myself to make the sacrifices to lower my handicap to 9. Even with lessons and practice, nothing assists me to beat the course I hate and love. By the end of the 2007 season my handicap fell and rose from 16.2 to 15.5 and 16.4. Next year's resolution remains a determination to reach 9. At least my heath improves, whatever my score is."
Alexander McCall Smith, Author"I HAVE two resolutions for 2008. Like everybody who belongs to a gym, I am resolved that I shall be there more frequently. I have also made a resolution that I shall slow the world down a bit this year. That means addressing the problem of saying 'no'. That means that the next time I am asked to say something about New Year resolutions, I shall decline, but not this time! That's the problem…"
Karen Dunbar, Comedian"LAST YEAR, around the third of January I was fed-up with eating festive fare. I decided to give up junk food, not for the year, but just for the day. I thought: 'If I fancy some crud tomorrow I will have it.' So far I've kept to it every day and I feel miles better. I've lost weight, got lots more energy and don't have that horrible food hangover. I eat loads of fruit and veg and drink a lot more water. So, who knows, maybe one day I'll give up the fags!"
Alex Salmond, First Minister"MY RESOLUTION last year was to win the election in May, which I did. My resolution for this year is to keep Scotland moving forward and contribute to the mood of optimism sweeping the nation. In 2007 I won my first golf tournament for 17 years, but hope I don't have to wait for so long before winning another one. I might take up bowling to try and get into the Scotland team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, as a group of schoolchildren in Tranent told me it was the only sport I might have a chance at!"
Mary Contini, Director of Valvona & Crolla, and writer"I HAD no resolution for 2007 – I was too shattered! 2006 was the big resolution: I had to write Dear Olivia, a book about my family history. I did stick to it, but not from any willpower of my own – I had a deadline at the end of April and a contract with my publisher! It was a very emotional process. I discovered tragic details about my family I hadn't known. My resolution for 2008 is to start writing again, a weekly blog which will become the Valvona & Crolla 75th anniversary cookbook. I'll also resolve to eat less!"
Heather Suttie, Presenter of the drive-time show on Xfm Scotland"MY RESOLUTIONS are always to do something rather than not do something. On the eve of 2007 I promised myself I was going to try and be a bit more green – walk or take the tube rather than the car, reduce, reuse and recycle where possible, buy vintage clothing and think more about the environment in general. I'm thrilled that I've been very proactive and successful on this particular resolution: ten months in I set up
www.saynotoplastic.co.uk to encourage us all to stop
My resolution for 2008 is to reach my goals with the movement, then tackle the plastic bottle problem and then the plastic food packaging issue. That's 2009 and 2010 covered, then!"
Stuart Cassells, Bagpiper with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers"I MADE a fairly boring resolution last year but it was an important one. I resolved to get fit, and I've stuck with it all through 2007. I got a personal trainer, started going to the gym and lost two stone. In 2008 I'm going to try to play the piano more. When I've been playing the pipes all day, the last thing I want to do is pick up another instrument, but I want to play – not for work – just for me."
Andrew Fairlie, Head chef, Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles"I MADE a couple at the beginning of this year. The major one was that I said that after six years I was finally going to get my website done, which I did. Then I had silly little ones, like I was going to go to my bed earlier, which I failed miserably on. For this year I've vowed that I'm going to see more of my two daughters, Ilona and Leah. I'm going to desperately try to keep that. I tend to make personal and professional resolutions. My professional ones I've not been too bad at keeping. It's the personal ones I've failed at. It's quite a worry actually! I haven't made my professional resolution for next year yet, but my two-year resolution is to try desperately to get my third Michelin star. I know this year coming it's not going to happen, but, for 2009, that's what I'll be aiming for."
Vic Galloway, Radio 1 DJ"I ALWAYS make the same resolution: to drink more, smoke more, and be even more badly behaved. But I actually broke it this year – I seem to have been quite well-behaved! Seriously, I wanted to take on more challenges this year and that did happen. I wanted to do other kinds of work, open my horizons. I also moved house and decorated it, which was a new experience – I moved in with my girlfriend and started on the long road towards being an adult. I was nicer to my mum, too, and tried to be more respectful of my friends. My resolution for 2008 is to cut down on eating meat so that it's just an occasional treat – organic, proper meat, once every few months – then eventually I'll stop eating it completely. It'll be a slow process. I'm increasingly appalled by the way we get our meat. Matt Johnson from The The said: 'If you want to change the world, change yourself', and I firmly believe that. You have to lead by example, don't you?"
Phil Cunningham, Musician, composer and broadcaster"I DID make a serious promise to myself last year. I spotted a little snippet of wisdom which said something along the lines of, 'Some say the grass is always greener on the other side. In actual fact, the grass is greenest where it is tended – tend the grass wherever you are.' It was a very simple, profound piece of advice and I couldn't help smiling at the wisdom of it and I thought, 'OK, that's for me. I'm going to tend the grass from now on. In every aspect of my life. That'll sort it!' Did I stick to it? I didn't even start. The year got busy, my old habits stuck with me and I found myself saying at the end of every week, ' Monday. We'll start on Monday.' My tendency to procrastinate got the better of me again. I did everything in my mind, but not ever in reality. But I am making the exact same resolution again this year. I think it is such a great bit of philosophy. This year, I'm going to enlist the help of ' gardeners', who will help me tend the various grasslands of my life. I enjoyed this year gone by, and look forward to walking on a healthier lawn in the year to come. Oh yeah … I alsomade a resolution to watch Scotland winning the rugby grand slam!"
Harry Benson, Photographer"MY 2007 resolution was to be more thoughtful of others – I tried to stick to it, and hopefully succeeded, which was rewarding. For 2008, my resolution is to spend more time with my family: my wife, Gigi, our daughters, Wendy and Tessa, our son-in-law, Michael, and our two grandchildren Mimi and Dominic. I make this for the obvious reason: time is flying by."
Hannah McGill, Director, Edinburgh International Film Festival"I DON'T think I made any resolutions this past year, and, if I did, I've conveniently forgotten them! I'm quite bad at keeping resolutions because, by nature, I'm rebellious. If I tell myself I'm going to quit smoking in January, or if other people are giving up smoking, I then deliberately don't! So my trick was to quit smoking two months ago because otherwise everyone else is doing it. Next year? I haven't had a chance to think about it. I could say something terribly cheesy, if you want, like: 'My resolution is to make a fantastic film festival.' I've got a one-track mind at the moment, sorry…"
Malcolm Middleton, Singer/songwriter and founder of Arab Strap"I ALWAYS make a New Year's resolution, but it's never anything dramatic. I usually have time to think about things before New Year, and try and make sure I do things better and become a nicer person. That turned out to be a bit disappointment this year. There was a lot of room for improvement, I think. I didn't mess up so much, but I've got a lot of personal things I need to change. I think my resolutions will be the same for next year, although I might give myself a year off, and stop beating myself up mentally..."
Susan Rice, Head of Lloyds TSB Scotland"IN TODAY'S world we're moving from a supply-led society to a demand-led one. People have access to vast amounts of information which means that they tend to shop around and challenge more than ever. My resolution for 2008 is to ensure that all my staff at Lloyds TSB Scotland and I listen even more effectively to our customers."
Deryck Walker, Fashion designer"LAST year I resolved to take a nice long break, recharge and then do my first womenswear collection. I'm very pleased with myself because I did it all, but this year, rather than resolving to work hard, I'm going to try to do a bit less. I'm going to try to leave London more often and rediscover the weekends. I'm going to come back to Scotland more and spend my weekends in Brighton. I need to get the work/life balance more balanced!"
