Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Out with the old and in with the new! 'Twas the season to be merry but now the time has come to be miserable again, with millions of people around the world vowing to give up things that make them happy or start doing things that make then unhappy.
More often than not they fail and end up feeling even more miserable because they've failed to achieve their goal - despite the fact that they never really wanted to give it up in the first place. Oh the joys of the New Year's resolution!
The origin of the New Year's resolution goes back some 4,000 years to Babylonian times when the New Year was celebrated on March 23 and the most common resolution was to vow to give back tools borrowed from neighbours in the past year.
These days, resolutions are a little more self-seeking and a lot harder to keep, with the top ranking resolutions being all about health: Giving up smoking, going to the gym (or more exercise in general) and eating more healthily.
All admirable goals but the thought that somehow we're going to manage any of these things more easily just because we've started a new year is more than a little unrealistic.
We all start off with the best of intentions but within a couple of weeks all thoughts of a new year are gone and the realisation dawns that it's just another day, with all the same stresses - for which we need to spark up a cigarette to help us relax - and too few hours in the day - in which we still don't have the time or energy to set aside for exercise.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we're all wasting our time and shouldn't bother in the first place, I'm just saying it would be far wiser to make more realistic goals for ourselves.
Instead of deciding to go cold turkey and give up smoking - with all the bad mood and irritation that goes along with it - why not vow to cut down, wait an extra half hour before having the next cigarette.
With the average heavy smoker smoking a cigarette every half hour or so, it would mean cutting in half the amount smoked in a day.
Instead of wasting money on a gym membership - and only going for the first two weeks of the year - take the stairs instead of the lift or set aside half an hour a couple of times a week to go for a brisk walk.
Instead of cutting out all the foods we love in favour of a low carb high protein diet - and ending up miserable and hungry before giving up and binging on chocolate and fatty foods - decide to cut down out dessert and/ or add a healthy salad to your meals three or four times a week.
Make it manageable and easy to execute and you might well find at the end of 2008 that you've kept up your New Year's resolution and are feeling just that little bit healthier and prouder of yourself.
Or better still, follow my lead and don't bother with a resolution. No expectations equals NO failure!
