Assuming no major disasters have occurred, I can say that the beginning of the new year is a time of hope and expectation. We hope the year will be better than the last—although in recent years the New Year has brought us COVID-19 and Russia’s special action in Ukraine, so maybe I am not feeling too optimistic about 2025 with the start of Trump’s second term in office.
New Year’s Resolutions
It is one of the customs connected to the beginning of the year, whereby people consider their situations, health, and habits and decide what they want to change. It is noticeable at the start of the year many choose to sign up for gym membership, only to realise after a few visits that perhaps it is not as easy to lose weight as they thought. It requires effort and commitment.
In my experience, British people will often talk about New Year’s resolutions—often a small-talk topic for Christmas parties. Even those people who have no intention of changing anything will perhaps talk about something they think they want to change without really committing themselves to any plan.
Polish people don’t make such resolutions. I have spoken to many people as part of my role as educator and I have yet to meet anyone who enthusiastically talked about what their resolution was for the coming year. Sure, some people say they want to travel more, change their job or do something different but these are never discussed as resolutions.
As I understand it, this relates to commitment—if a Polish person commits themselves to something then they will feel honour bound to follow it through. Maybe something of a generalisation, but once committed then their word is their bond.
As the majority of people who adopt a resolution fail, Poles won’t commit themselves to resolutions. If people know they won’t make any lasting change, then why say you will?
Popular Choices
If someone does admit to wanting to make changes, then there are some self-development aims that are more popular than others. According to a survey, spending more time with friends and family was rated as number one. Perhaps the survey was taken before the family Christmas and not after those fights about presents and what to watch on TV.
To have a more active lifestyle was at number two. My general impression is that Polish people are fairly active. Cycling is popular, so too is skiing or walking in the mountains. Obesity isn’t a major problem in Poland although this may be changing with the increase in fast-food consumption.
Reading more books, going to concerts and to the cinema more often, are also rated highly. More intellectual pursuits rather than simply vegetating on the sofa in front of a television. Saving more money, going on a diet, and quitting smoking are also popular choices.
Work-life Balance
If a British person says ‘Sure, I will give you a hand with that.’ It might well mean that they have no intention of giving you a hand… it is not insincerity, we just don’t like refusing to help or simply saying no. However, Poles won’t offer to help unless they are sure they can.
Interestingly over 5% of Poles surveyed stated that they wanted to spend less time working. I have spoken to many people who are hard-working, committed to their work and are aware that they are sacrificing themselves. Even when they know they should reevaluate their work-life balance, maybe aiming to live more and work less, then they still feel unable to do so. Once committed, they find it difficult to change or even break the habit!
In Poland, there is a presidential election in May, and this year is Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. We can expect plenty of political discussion.
Whatever the new year brings, I wish all our readers a happy, peaceful and prosperous year.
