I have spent most of my life in the media, either directly or indirectly, and wish I had a dollar for every time a radio, tv, or print editor wheeled out “New Year resolutions” as a topic for discussion.
Such resolutions, 91% of which have disintegrated before January 31 according to research cited by Adeliade’s Professor Elaine Cox, date back to the Babylonians. You’d think with that long history, humankind would have worked out how to “crack the nut” of making resolutions stick.
Admittedly, Babylonians probably had more success than we do with our fantasy resolutions like “I will stop smoking today”, because as Professor Fox notes, theirs were grounded in achievable practicalities like pledging to pay their debts and return anything they had “borrowed” for longer than was decent.
However, it turns out we do have the knowledge about how to make resolutions work but we just don’t apply the evidence-based processes that Professor Fox and authors like James Clear (Atomic Habits), have laid out for us.
In her book, Switch Craft, Professor Fox highlights the steps involved in successfully crafting New Year’s resolutions that stick and, interestingly, the first step happens way before we boldly announce our intentions to the world. As you’ll hear in the bridge of the song, we improve our chances of success by firstly taking stock of what’s working, what’s not, what makes us feel good, what makes us miserable, and what needs to change.
This song then catalogues various good-intentions-turned-bad, mainly due to loss of focus, distractions, or inconveniences like the classic Adelaide car-stuck-on-the-Obahn, which derails his grand intentions of ditching the car and using public transport.
Amid these tales of woe and frustration, the song then centres on its ultimate “truth”: each passing year reminds us that things do not last on this planet. And that includes us.
If we can pause long enough to shake free of our unrelenting forward momentum and obsession with tasks, this song ponders, how would we like to be remembed, what impact will we like to have made on the world?
To me, this is the real treasure of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day: what legacy are you leaving from your time alive on this planet? Not happy with how that is shaping up? Fox and Clear have the framework ready to embrace.
Another New Year Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I started out in January
With every intention to train
But I didn’t count on Easter
Or the early Autumn rain
Mount Lofty will still be there
When the Earth comes ‘round, ‘til then
I’ll walk the City to Bay Fun Run
If I don’t forget again
[Chorus]
Another New Year
They come around fast
Each one reminds us
Things don’t last
So when you raise your glass
And when you raise your cheer
Ask yourself what legacy
Are you leaving here?
[Verse 2]
I bought a New Year journal
Filled out January 1
I didn’t write the next day
It was too hot in the Sun
So I tried again in Autumn
Sitting on the Brighton Pier
But seagulls pestered me for chips
And my focus disappeared
[Chorus]
Another New Year
They come around fast
Each one reminds us
Things don’t last
So when you raise your glass
And when you raise your cheer
Ask yourself what legacy
Are you leaving here?
[Verse 3]
I turned to public transport
Swore I’d leave the car at home
It’s better for the planet
With no need for parking zones
Then a person in a Mustang
And one in a Mercedes Benz
Got stuck and blocked the buses
Brought my project to an end
[Chorus]
Another New Year
They come around fast
Each one reminds us
Things don’t last
So when you raise your glass
And when you raise your cheer
Ask yourself what legacy
Are you leaving here?
[Bridge]
So if we follow Professor Fox
And listen to author James Clear
We’ll start making little changes
That will magnify by next year
But first check what makes you happy
And then check what makes you sad
Coz it comes down to moderation
Lots of good and a little bad
[Verse 4]
I bought a four wheel drive truck
A boat for our brand new shack
That was my resolution
Coz I needed some time off track
I know I use up two car parks
When I drive it into town
So what if I burn up the planet
When the whole thing is going down?
[Chorus]
Another New Year
They come around fast
Each one reminds us
Things don’t last
So when you raise your glass
And when you raise your cheer
Ask yourself what legacy
Are you leaving here?
Listen To Another New Year
Another New Year Scratchings
