Another year passed. The world watched as the last number of the year changed from two to three – people welcomed 2023.
With families having their own superstitions from food and fruits to colors and numbers, children jumping as the clock strikes midnight, and of course, the not-eating-until-midnight-challenge-because-it's-New-Year are just few of the cultural traditions that make us Filipinos, truly Filipino.
People are also greeting the year optimistically, as they believe that it will bring them optimism for the rest of the year. Some view this celebration as a fresh start to change themselves, not only physically but also mentally.
It may be relatively easier to hold onto and linger on the past—with all the identity, addictions, bad habits, mistakes, regrets, and even pain—but how do we cut it short? As we welcome another year, let us also slowly accept the fact that the old has gone and it helped us to shape who we are today.
As we begin a new chapter, here is a guide in making your New Year’s Resolutions to better yourself, your academic journey, as well as the community you belong to.
Personal Resolutions: Tales of Self-Love
Find a new hobby. Learning new things seems challenging at the beginning of your journey, especially when you have no clue about what you should try or choose. However, the satisfaction of seeing your progress will make you feel so much better than what you may have initially imagined. When considering picking up a new hobby, it should be great for your creativity, cognitive ability, or physical capacity. In fact, there are actually quite a lot of choices out there. You are practically searching the ocean for suggestions–from crocheting to rock climbing. You name it, it is your choice.
Begin your path to a healthier lifestyle. It is high-time to know the right ways to live healthily. After all, a healthy body is with a healthy mind. And being in good condition physically would immensely increase your chances of experiencing a better year. Start by fixing your sleep schedule, followed by developing various habits for meals, exercise, and thoughts.
Enough with purchasing unnecessary items. Although spoiling ourselves is also good for us mentally, it is still better to learn to limit our spending and start learning how to save. A good way to change our thinking when shopping is to consider the variables carefully. Whether about the price, usefulness, or longevity of it. After learning how to defeat your buying impulsiveness, you will see the difference it makes for your savings every year.
Face some of your fears. You do not need to get rid of your fears completely, rather, you can take them one step at a time. Most of the time, our worries about the things that scare us are our biggest hindrances to experiencing various things. Needless to say, us being frightful of something is well-founded, nothing is wrong, however, would it not make us feel better to finally face our fears? May it be your fear of heights, clowns, insects, or something else, let us try facing them one by one.
Academic Resolutions: Good Grades, Great Year!
Plan ahead. Make a schedule. I know, “bahala na” is a Filipino thing. But planning ahead of time and making a schedule will make your life different, especially in academics. Grab that notebook and make a calendar. Or just use the calendar application on your phone, and start it out! Planning right now will save you from ending up with piled tasks while juggling unexpected meetings or even with the two-to-three-hour webinar situations. Although a full-time schedule may be exhausting, it is somehow satisfying (for others), realizing that they became productive on that day. Still, it is not too late to start and make plans.
Say no to procrastination. Undeniably, we all have been and may still be at this stage. Procrastinating is a difficult habit to detach from, and it may take months or even years to entirely destroy the concept. It becomes a blockage, and it does not really prevent you from what will come next. As you keep saying no to procrastination, you learn to adapt the “suffer now, enjoy later” concept. It is a brand-new year to slowly put it to an end by shifting your routine and habits, along with some determination and self-discipline. Trust me, the outcome is much more than you ever think it will be.
Get that life, not just grades. We often focus on our academics and tend to forget how big our world is. Without knowing, it wholly consumes our identity. Yet, looking at the other side, we have our blockmates and orgmates. We have contests, seminars, and events to come across. We have people we haven’t met. Enjoy the weekends. Go to your most-awaited place. Or grab your comfort food. As Taylor Swift said, “You’re on your own.” Your comfort is what makes you, you. But getting that life, seeing the other side of university life, and being the main character of your life is what will make you, you.
Reward yourself. In every sleepless battle and unfocused self, at the end of the day, you did your best. People may not know how much you struggle in every class, how much you sacrifice and put effort into your work and numerous tasks—but it is you who deserves a pat on your back. And when no one else is there to support you, remember that you have you. Rewarding yourself means being aware of your accomplishments, small wins, and progress. With that, it gives you a reason to keep going and growing. The best validation sometimes, if not often, comes from within!
Community Resolutions: Connect, Belong, & Live!
Volunteer more! 2022 taught everyone the value of helping and lifting each other up, especially during the campaign season when the Pink Movement started. The campaign was successful, fun, and peaceful for everyone, and thus, it did not end there. Thanks to that movement, people knew that changing the world and the community altogether was not impossible. Start to volunteer more on different NGOs, and community projects. You can also start creating a charity that will help people. Volunteering does not mean giving financial donations only, what matters more is giving your time, effort, and yourself to an initiative because you will be the person who starts the flame of the change that everyone hopes for.
Initiate a change on environmental issues. Global warming is starting to ruin people’s lives, especially when an unannounced storm hits a certain city and wipes away everything. Thus, different disasters may also arise, such as landslides that can kill an entire village. So, considering that your community is your home and the people around you are your family, initiate a talk or a seminar about the environmental issues that the local government continues to shrug off. Aside from the seminars, youth are also active in cleaning the community—such as starting a weekly general cleaning, including clogged waterways that cause flooding in the community. Through these small acts, everyone can inspire other communities to do it until it creates a ripple effect for a change!
Perform a random act of kindness each day. There are countless ways to perform acts of kindness every day. You can initiate a talk with your neighbor by simply waving or greeting, donate to different charities, give your seat in a bus to an old person, the disabled, or even a pregnant woman, let the senior at your back lead the line, compliment someone, listen to a person who’s talking, especially the kids, and focus on what they say. Make everyone feel that there is someone who supports them and listens to their stories. These acts may be small, but they can make someone’s day or make them smile. Even people who have different battles inside will find beauty in this cruel world. Kindness costs nothing, but it can have a huge effect on someone.
Write a letter to the elderly, someone having a tough time, a widow, an orphan, or someone who lives alone. Anyone. Writing doesn't only mean posting a status on Facebook, Twitter, or even a blog post. But it is also the idea of holding your pen and paper, starting to write every word that you think can make someone feel they are not alone and someone loves them, and they matter every day! Send it to someone you know or a stranger you think that needs to be accompanied by someone. This little act for them may touch their heart and make them realize that they are not alone, that the community is open whenever they need someone to talk to or someone to have coffee with. Our existence should be shared with them in order to change not only ourselves but also the people inside the community to have a more peaceful life.
As years peel off from the calendar annually, we list our resolutions, and we would either keep them or not. Regardless of its context, we set our goals for improvement. Despite the possible setbacks we may experience for a whole dozen months, these could be our reminders or even our motivation to upgrade. It might also be remembered that even though you cannot complete everything on your list, your efforts to check them off are also your self-improvement. At the end of the day, there is so much to life waiting to be celebrated, so go on and live!
Article: Franchesca Grace Adriano, Glaiza Chavez, and Gerie Marie Consolacion
Graphics: Yuko Shimomura
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