New Year's Day is a traditional time for people to make resolutions for improving their lives. One might wonder why? Other than campaign promises, these are probably the least honored statements people can make. Most of them even realize that they will not keep their resolutions -- it's almost like a game, but with no winners.
Psychologists tell us that people generally will not change deep-seated habits unless motivated to do so by extreme circumstances. While a fortunate few may find the start of a new year sufficiently motivational, the rest of us cannot carry out our resolutions for more than a few days. We do better with resolutions made during the year, when there's a more tangible reason for change (financial, social, or even life-threatening).
The only benefit I can see for compressing resolutions into one day is that it gives us a chance to take stock of ourselves. By comparing our current habits to our previous resolutions, we can tell whether we have improved (at least in our own eyes). But most people don't keep track of their resolutions with such consistency. Few notice if the yearly list includes mostly repeats.
There is a ceremony in which Jews participate during Yom Kippur, shortly after the start of the Hebrew New Year. It is called Kol Nidre, and its purpose is to nullify any unfulfilled vows made during the previous year, to God or to others. This is done not to excuse such behavior, but to alleviate the guilt that comes from such vows, so that each person may be free to make new vows with increased resolve to keep them. Perhaps the secular world should pick up on this concept. Instead of making new resolutions with little chance of success, we could free ourselves from old resolutions so that any new ones would be more meaningful. It certainly would help make the New Year more happy!