BRIONA SAAS
Special to The Leader
Welcome to the New Year, fellow students, and most importantly, welcome back to Fredonia! I hope you all have had some time to not only reflect on your break and how enjoyable it was, but to also bring this attitude into the new semester.
Let’s make it our goal to make this semester equally enjoyable. This is a great opportunity in front of us; a new semester means a fresh start, a time to form good relationships with our new professors and people we meet in our classrooms. Branch out of your normal friend groups and greet someone you normally wouldn’t. As part of this community, we all have something to contribute, expanding our knowledge of the world and each other.
This is also a time to set goals and have this “fresh start” mentality inspire us a little. Surround yourself with inspiration that you will look at everyday and remind yourself of your newfound goals. Write a list, change the background of your phone to something you want to achieve, and even share these dreams of yours with your friends! Having supporters cheer you on along the way makes the journey a lot easier.
This is a time like no other, and so as to not waste time, let’s approach it the right way. Don’t think “New Year, New Me,” — that automatically leads to failure. Why? Because our goal isn’t to become a different person, it’s to simply improve ourselves. Forcing ourselves to be something we’re not is pointless. What will lead us in the right direction is learning to accept who we are, but to also improve ourselves the right way. Make your goals achievable, not impossible.
Don’t let whatever obstacles you face along the way stop you; let it be the oxygen in your creative minds and soulful hearts. Let your passion to succeed this semester course through your veins, and don’t lose it! If we lack ambition, then do we really want what we’re trying to achieve? Your attitude towards your goals is just as important as what you’re trying to accomplish. Learn to look past the obstacles and turn them into something positive, like a learning experience. If you find yourself stuck, try something completely new — even if you’re uncomfortable at first. Learn from the mistakes you might make; strangely, it can ultimately help you. Try to apply these lessons to your homework habits, workout inspiration and just life in general. Just try something new. Sometimes that’s really all we’re looking for.
In regards to the new year, make every single day this year count, even if it’s in the smallest way possible. Live as if you can count every day, by making it memorable. Remember what you laughed at and what made you smile. Let’s quit saying “we will” and put our words into action. Cut back on the Netflix this semester, and go outside when it starts getting warmer out. Nothing will change unless we literally step out of our comfort zones.
Learn from others this semester, but don’t obsess over them. Especially make sure never to try to be them. Let’s make it a goal this semester to stop wasting our precious time by trying to accomplish things that are out of our control. This is a time to find ourselves, especially when we’re young. It’s a time for learning, exploring, making mistakes and making lifelong friends. Find yourself, and if you think you already have … dig deeper, and never stop growing.