The New Year has begun! If you make a New Year’s resolution for 2015, you have until 31 Dec 2015 to finish or achieve your goal. Though some of us won’t keep these resolutions until the following year, they’re still fun to make to see how long we can keep them. Now the question is: what kind of resolution should you make? Has anything been missing in your life, or is there something you want to improve? While you may want to give up that extra cookie or go to the gym every weekend, you should make a resolution that’s realistic and something your personality really needs.
1. What is your schedule like?
A) Packed. I want to make sure I take all the classes I want, join all the clubs I’m interested in, and hold at least a part-time job while I’m here.
B) Pretty busy. I’m never bored, but I make sure I have some down time here and there for friends who matter.
C) Besides classes, I might do one or two other things.
D) Other than classes, I don’t have anything else planned. So, I have lots of free time.
2. What do you do in your free time?
A) I don’t have any free time. I need to make sure I get to do everything I want to do before I graduate.
B) I like to hang out with friends or my significant other. I always make time for them.
C) Depends. Sometimes I like to try something new, other times I like doing my own thing.
D) I tend to keep to myself in my free time.
3. What is your favorite activity?
A) Too many to name. I make sure to include at least one (maybe two, or three) activities in my schedule that I really like.
B) Anything as long as there’s other people, so I have at least someone to talk with.
C) I don’t really have a favorite. Whatever I happen to be doing this week, I guess.
D) Whatever I can do on my own.
4. What are your study habits like?
A) I cram it in whenever I find a minute. Or I do it on the bus. Sometimes in class.
B) I like doing study groups.
C) It depends on the amount of homework and if there are tests or not.
D) I prefer studying in my room or my apartment.
5. What do you usually do for New Year’s?
A) I host the party, which means I have to get the decorations, get the snacks, plan the games…
B) All my friends and I gather together at someone’s place.
C) I do whatever I feel like doing.
D) I stay home and watch the ball drop on TV.
If you answered mostly As: You are on-the-go a lot, so your New Year’s resolution should involve relaxation. For some, that may mean taking a bubble bath every now and then, getting a massage at the spa or the Health Center, or even just taking a nap every other day. Or, you might just need a little something to de-stress you after a busy week, like sharing a cup of tea with some friends or going to the bowling alley. Make sure you get some time in for relaxation and recreation, even if it means dropping your classload to 12 units or missing a club meeting one week.
If you answered mostly Bs: You are a social person, and your New Year’s resolution should involve people. Whether you work as a math tutor or a dance instructor, or you just want to show some extra love to the people who matter to you, you are at your best around people. The best New Year’s resolution for you should involve spending time with others in some way.
If you answered mostly Cs: You’re pretty easygoing and open to change. This year’s New Year’s resolution for you should be to try something new. Is there a place you’ve been wanting to visit for a while, like Napa or Ashland, or even a foreign country? Or maybe you’ve been dying to pick up a new sport, whether it’s softball, snowboarding, or swimming. Some of you may decide it’s time to finally try that one dish in the cafeteria that you weren’t so sure about before. You may end up liking it. Whatever you choose to do this year, let it be something new or different.
If you answered mostly Ds: You don’t mind being on your own, and you tend to keep to yourself most of the time. For your New Year’s resolution, you should break out of that shell of sameness and put yourself out there. You don’t have to try a new activity, just talk to more people or speak up more often. Are you walking into class with someone you haven’t met yet? Introduce yourself. Even if you don’t end up chatting away until class starts, you’re letting the other person know that you want to talk to them. Make it your resolution to meet more people this year.