Lana Altunashvili ’27 is a prospective biology major. She is a James Monroe Scholar and a member of Club Tennis. Contact her at laltunashvili@wm.edu.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
Whether you greet Jan. 1 with fireworks, a New Year’s kiss or simply look at the clock and go back to sleep, for some reason the end of December symbolizes the turning of a new page. It is exactly that time of the year when children believe in a sort of magic, parents are carefully preparing to make that magic happen and college students — well, we are somewhere in-between. Some really want to go back to their studies, others probably want to stay home but almost everyone expects things to be different in the new year. I, myself, have made a New Year’s Resolutions list this time around. Yet even without them, the beginning of January symbolizes a sort of anticipation as we hold our breath and wait for our lives to instantly improve. Are our New Year’s resolutions realistic, though? How likely is it that we will stick to them? And do we need New Year’s resolutions at all?
Full of bullet points like “drink more water,” “be more physically active” and “have more discipline,” annual resolutions are often discarded after a month or two at best. We’re all familiar with the gym craze on the first of January that steadily dies out most of the time as our responsibilities catch up to us. In fact, these sorts of goals rarely materialize themselves because we expect ourselves to jump right into them. We forget, however, that these are resolutions for 2024. A whole year, 12 months, 52 weeks, 366 days in 2024 to make our goals happen at some point and continue them consistently. Starting gradually would not only help us all stick to what we’re doing, but it’s also good to take it slow in any part of our lives if we have the chance to.
Honestly speaking, I haven’t started on almost any of my New Year’s resolutions. Not because I’m lazy or unwilling to make them happen, but simply because every other time I’ve walked straight into everything all at once, it was overwhelming and unmanageable. This hasty practice is what often leaves people believing that they are incapable of implementing new habits that aren’t already part of their daily routine. No wonder people dread the new year after that. They don’t want to have expectations for themselves that they undoubtedly will not meet. But it doesn’t always have to be this way, and hopefully in 2024, you see why.
Having only been here one semester, I have already noticed just how much stress students at the College of William and Mary experience on a daily basis. Whether it be overinvolvement in student clubs, exam preparation or personal issues, the view of Earl Gregg Swem Library alone during finals season is enough to make me want to travel 24 hours just to go back home again. As we enter 2024, it’s important I think that we all set small goals for ourselves. Nothing big but instead something we know we can do every day and still go on with our daily school duties. And, since everyone here likes being a “twamp”,’ do not connect those goals to school. Make it something personal, something that makes you, as a person, happy. Once you do something every day that makes you feel accomplished outside the context of academics, it will be much easier to motivate yourself. Trust me.
I think that most New Year’s resolutions can be looked at as bonus points anyway. Or even as cookies from the Sadler Center’s dining hall. Truthfully, your life will not change that much after you eat a cookie at Sadler. It would be a nice treat if you did, but overall, your life would be just the same. Let’s take the Dean’s List as an example. I’ve noticed most people dismiss it and say that they don’t know why freshmen make such a big deal out of being on it, even mocking those who are passionate about making the list. Personally, I think making the Dean’s List is something people should be proud of — but just as a good bonus point. Though making the Dean’s List can be a source of pride and accomplishment, it also doesn’t truly matter whether your name is listed amongst hundreds of others or not. Again, it’s only a bonus point, or in other words, ‘a cookie from Sadler.’ So keep that analogy in mind as you round up last year’s goals and create new ones for 2024; remember your resolutions should be nice extras, not the all-encompassing be-all and end-all.
Soon, spring 2024 will start, and we will likely forget all about what we wanted to accomplish for ourselves this semester. A good idea would be to put up resolutions somewhere visible in your room so that you can occasionally look at them and maybe decide to start working on them one day. Though you will have academic achievements on your mind as so many of us do, I truly hope you choose not to forget to also take care of yourself first as doing so should be the most important resolution of all. Everything else, well… it will come in time. And remember: it’s all just a cookie from Sadler.