The new year of 2010 is still shiny and novel, yet filled with hopeful resolutions to improve people’s lives. As students at Seton Hill University (SHU), we again have the opportunity to promise ourselves that this semester we will accomplish academic heights, or at least satisfy our parents and guardians. Such lofty goals might include studying more, actually doing the assigned homework (or more of it), trying very hard to go to class rather than sleeping in, and the seemingly impossible: giving up Facebook to study!
By Maddie Gillespie
Editor-in-Chief
The new year of 2010 is still shiny and novel, yet filled with hopeful resolutions to improve people’s lives. As students at Seton Hill University (SHU), we again have the opportunity to promise ourselves that this semester we will accomplish academic heights, or at least satisfy our parents and guardians. Such lofty goals might include studying more, actually doing the assigned homework (or more of it), trying very hard to go to class rather than sleeping in, and the seemingly impossible: giving up Facebook to study!
However, just because the calendar has already changed and we now have to remember to write 2010 instead of 2009, it does not mean that yearly resolutions cannot still be made. New vows can be made on any day, at any time on the clock and at any time of the year. So if you have not made a new year’s resolution pertaining to your academic standards, or any other standards, it is perfectly okay to think one up while you are sitting in your first week of classes and wondering, “What did I get myself into this semester?”
According to http://www.squidoo.com and http://www.thesite.org, some of this year’s top resolutions for life include getting fit, losing weight, quit smoking, saving money, earning more money, spending extra time with family and being happy in general, or making yourself happy. The continuing list of resolutions all lead me to come face to face with the thought that it is seemingly impossible to pick a single goal and pursue it to the end without balancing the scales of fun and work. At least, not expecting to end up happy at the finish line.
Changing your body, quitting an addiction, or pushing to achieve better grades can take a lot out of a person if he or she ceases to have fun and forgets to be happy along the course of change. Last fall I tried my absolute best to raise my overall grade point average for the semester and ended up hysterically laughing for two hours nonstop while my roommates confiscated any substance containing sugar in it. Fun was had by me, but only after having virtually none for the better part of the semester. I also happened to scare my roommates pretty well in the process before we all ended up laughing about crazy stress-relieving antics.
I do not think that scientists have proven that being too happy is hazardous to your health, though there may be exceptions if you cannot stop for multiple hours. Resolving to be happy in your own way throughout the year is probably the best thing anyone can do. You may not be happy every minute of every day, but never forget that you can make a new year’s resolution to be happy each day, no matter the hour of that day or the underlining health factors.