F*ck New Year’s Resolutions

Around this time of the year, New Year’s resolutions is the topic of the day. Businesses leverage this for marketing campaigns. Radio shows highlight experts, studies, and everyday stories about resolutions. What are your resolutions? How to approach them, how to get better at keeping them, beyond January…statistically 80% are dropped by February.¹

So how did New Year’s resolutions become a thing? Apparently way back in the days of the Babylonians, some 4,000 years ago, people were already making New Year’s resolutions of sorts. They promised to pay back debts and loans.² To curry favour from their gods, to bring them abundant harvests. You know, to survive another year.

Even though today, making New Year’s resolutions is a secular practice, the religious aspect continued (not directly) on from the Babylonians to the Christian faith. Over the years, more and more people made New Year’s resolutions.

New Year’s Resolutions aren’t my thing. I don’t even remember when or even if I have made any. Probably in my younger days I did, when I felt pressured to, when I bought into the conditioning and overculture. Now I know myself better and playing with my Human Design, I know for certain New Year’s resolutions aren’t my gig. Maybe they aren’t for you either. Here’s the thing, making resolutions is not my Human Design strategy to a healthier and happier me. It’s time to unapologetically do only what’s aligned and supports us, right?

What I do like about the idea of resolutions is that people want to live their best lives, making a positive contribution to their own life and that of those around them and beyond. If these are your motivations, read on and let’s all level up in 2020.

In this two-part series, the first article will look at the timing of resolutions – this idea of the New Year, including when the beginning of a cycle is from the Human Design perspective. The second article will look at why New Year’s resolutions isn’t for everyone and their design.

When Is the New Year?

First off, January 1 is a rather arbitrary and political date for a new year, as a way to convert the masses the Romans conquered in their path. The eventual Gregorian calendar is now observed worldwide. Sure it’s made the global village easier to form (and run); it’s still colonization. Fun fact: Orthodox Christians celebrate New Year’s around January 14 (January 1 based on the Julian calendar).

Personally I celebrate many different cycles. Ethically Chinese, I celebrate Spring Festival or the Chinese New Year, marked by the second new moon after the winter solstice. It’s when the coldest of days are over.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins September 18 in 2020. July 26 marks a new galactic year.

So yes – stating the obvious – different cultures have their own celebrations.

Then there is the astrological new year, when the Sun moves into Aries, the first zodiac sign. I also celebrate my Solar Return, my birthday marking a new year for myself.

Human Design Rave New Year

Speaking of Human Design, the Rave New Year is when the sun enters the 41st Gate. This happens around January 22. There is a whole process that leads to this date, starting with Gate 38 on December 31 2019. This energy is about seeing if we’ve found purpose in this last cycle. On January 6 2020, the Sun enters Gate 54, when we start to look forward, this process of transformation. The Sun then moves into Gate 61, initiating a week of assessment, looking within for inspiration. Finally before the Sun is at Gate 41, it first moves to Gate 60 (Limitation). Letting go.

We tend to think of limitation as a negative aspect. The Human Design perspective, “limitation is something extraordinary because it’s all about transcendence. The moment you can accept limitation, it no longer exists. This is all about mind, and the way mind distorts things, keeping you uncomfortable in your life. If you can accept the limitation of who you are, the way it is, and live life as yourself, this is a beautiful thing.” ³

That 41st Gate is quite extraordinary. In its relationship to genetics, it is the only initiating codon. If you think about genetics as being written out as an alphabet, the very beginning of any genetic sentence, in fact every genetic sentence, would begin with the 41st Gate. It starts everything.

Jovian Archive

What does this mean? The history – and the intentions – of New Year’s resolutions is based on gaining favour of the gods. This is fear-based. Fear is contraction; so how do we expand and anchor into who we truly are when the energy is contrarian?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do better, being better at who we truly are. What are our real motivations? What drives us? Does it come from a less-than mentality or let’s quantum leap energy? Are we doing it for someone else? Were we scared into taking better care of ourselves? Are we still bartering, doing what we hope will keep us safe, rather than truly living our lives?

The question is – is the seed, the intention, the energy behind this desire based on love, joy, and ease.

Our reasons, the energy behind the resolutions, make a difference.

Then there is the question of which cycle you are looking at. We live in cycles within cycles. We are anchoring new intentions, new cycles, every moment. Which cycle do you feel most drawn to observe at this time? Perhaps January 1 isn’t it for you. Perhaps it is.

And we can always decide to be our authentic selves and live our best lives anytime, not just starting January 1.

2020 marks a monumentally pivotal year. It’s time we all let ourselves out of the prison we have built for ourselves and each other. Experiment, explore, and experience your own way of being. If you are curious about Human Design and why New Year’s resolutions are tough for many from the perspective of Human Design, check out the next article in this series.