Column by Rev. Stewart Rawson: Take the time to take care of yourself in 2025

When I was growing up, every classroom had a paper calendar hung on the wall. We would cross out days as they passed, and at the beginning of each month we would tear off the last month, revealing the new month. With the celebration of the new year in the past, it is now 2025, if you still have a paper one, it is time to hang up your new calendar.

The new year for many is a time of making resolutions. The tradition of making resolutions is not a strictly religious practice, though it certainly could be. Many of us commit that this is the year that we are going to work out more faithfully; some of us join the YMCA or find another gym, and we resolve that we are going to add a day or two each week to our workout schedule. Some of us resolve to read more, put our phones down and turn the pages of a book. The new year does seem like an appropriate time of the year and of our lives to take stock, to look at what we have been doing and to commit to "being better."

I really don't see a downside to committing to do things that are healthy for you. But as a glaring sign that we live in a world that is profoundly divided, there are some who make fun of New Years resolutions. If you Google it, you will find that there is a day in January, the second Friday of January to be precise, that is known as Quitters Day. It is the day in January "by this time, motivation for resolutions has declined and 80% of people have already given up." Did you know there was a Quitters Day?

If you drill down into the data about why our resolutions fail, researchers reveal that most resolutions are not turned into a habit. This same research points out that for many people, to create a habit you must perform the same activity for 30 days in a row (CBS News). The research suggests that for many people, we simply make too many resolutions, and when we don't see a change, we quit. Perhaps a better strategy would be to pick one new thing to focus on and work on that for the next few months. I, for one, find great motivation from my fitness watch. It tracks my daily activity and reminds me when I need to stand up and keep moving. This external motivation can be a powerful tool for helping me accomplish my fitness goals.

So ignore the naysayers, and forget about Quitters Day! Make this the year that you accomplish your resolutions. Maybe this will be the year that your resolution becomes a habit. Take the time to take care of yourself, and may 2025 be your best year yet!

Stewart Rawson is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in downtown Sumter.