New Year Cheer: What Changes Fellow Dukes Are Making and How You Can Be Inspired!

Every time the first of the year rolls around, millions of people across the globe decide that they want to start fresh and enhance their lives – and that is perfectly OK! It makes sense that at the beginning of a new year, you would want to bring a positive change into your life. Think about everything else that starts new after the first of the year: clothing sales, a new semester, a new season of “The Bachelor!” Her Campus JMU found out what changes JMU students were making in their lives this semester and compiled a list of our favorites to inspire you!

“I’m trying to go to the gym. I would like to take more UREC classes because they’re free and I like working out in a group!” – Luisa Contaifer, Class of 2014.

“For my New Year’s resolution, I want to meet more people. As a freshman, I do not know many people here at JMU and I want to change that.” – Hayley Fox, Class of 2016.

“Mine is to stop procrastinating with my homework. Last semester it was really stressful to try to get everything done at the last minute.” – Jena Frick, Class of 2014.

“My New Year’s resolution is to run 750 miles this year (less than two miles per day) and cut soda out of my diet completely.” – Travis Cole, Class of 2015.

“My resolution is to complete the Couch to 5k training program so I can run the autism 5k in the spring with the people in my grad program. I want to be able to keep up with all of the avid runners that I will be doing the 5k with!”  – Lauren Wine, Class of 2013.

“I’m a really picky eater so my New Year’s Resolution is to expand my diet, eat healthier, and not eat chips, fruit snacks, and an entire pizza in one sitting. Just to clarify, that’s a small pizza.”  – Sydney Meyer, Class of 2015.

“This year, I’m going to try to reach out to people in need because I feel like I’ve been selfish in years past. There are lots of homeless in Harrisonburg, and I really want to donate my time to the community. I’m focusing on giving time and reaching out to other students who may need a buddy.”  – Michael Zero, Class of 2013.

“For my New Year’s resolution, I deleted my Facebook to try to interact with people face-to-face, but then I had to reactivate it for extracurricular reasons. I also want to make Dean’s List.” – Caitlin Foley, Class of 2015.

“A few years ago, I started making myself go to the gym three days a week. I saw improvements, so I still go every week.” – Kevin Kang, Class of 2014.

“One of my New Year;s resolutions…is to be more perceptive of other people around me and to what they may be going through. So basically going about my day with more awareness of others…as oppose[d] to just thinking about problems I may be having.” – Mojan Nourbaksh, Class of 2013.

As is common with most people who make resolutions, they are typically about personal fitness or health – and that is fine too. We all want healthy Dukes walking around campus, don’t we?  Many JMU students also wanted to improve the way they do their schoolwork or the way they interact with fellow students on campus. The important thing is that they are committed to making a positive change in their lives and have found an outlet to do that.

If you’re inspired by any of these resolutions to create one of your own, or even if you have a resolution in mind but don’t quite know how to conquer it, Her Campus has some ideas!

First off, take a deep breath and congratulate yourself on making through another year and finding something you want to work on in the new one. Next, frame your goal so that it is attainable. We all want to look like Miss America, get straight A’s and save the whales, but the reality is that we’re just not meant to do that in a year. If your goal is to lose 20 pounds, focus on shedding the weight in 5-pound increments. If you want to eat healthy, start by subbing your bag of chips at market for a banana or apple. Baby steps are the key to building a new you in the bigger picture.

Finally, don’t be discouraged. So many of us break our resolutions after a week, but if you create small goals to build to your ideal resolutions, they should be easy to stick to. Remember that it takes a full two weeks of doing something every single day for it to become a habit! Good luck collegiettes – now go out there and make a change on campus and within yourself! 

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