A new year, a new you.  Who should I be this year?

Persona one:

Strut, strut, strut.

The hallway is my runway.  Spectators are all around, with their eyes glued on me.  The glamorous lighting is nothing short of spectacular.

Show a smile, do a shimmy, turn, turn and smize.

Persona two:

Pencil? Check.

Extra pencil? Check.

Peering through my spectacles, I get in a little bit of last minute studying that will really push me toward that A.

Oh shoot, did that boy just smile at me?  Play it cool.  Deep breaths.

“Hey.”

He likes me.

Persona three:

“Rahhh rah rah rarrr…”  — the noise from my very hip and stellar Bose headphones.

Let me check my calendar for the week.  Looks like I’m booked every night.  So many concerts, so little time.  You know what I mean?

Man.  They’re out of the concert T-shirt I wanted.

Oh well, I’m traveling to New York to see them in a month anyway.  I can just pick it up then.

Maybe a combination of all three? Perfect.

Say hello to the new me, 2010: a runway uber-nerd with a love of music.

A new year means being able to reinvent yourself, right?

Maybe I’m taking the phrase a little too literally.  You won’t be seeing me in fashion magazines anytime soon.  My motivation for school has dropped during my final semester.  And I am merely an average music junkie.

A new year doesn’t mean reinventing yourself; however, a new year does give you the perfect opportunity to set new goals.  And this year is even greater than the average — you can make goals for the next decade.

Don’t worry.  I’m not going to pass out a form asking you to write down three goals for education, three goals for your personal life and three other goals.

But really, goals aren’t as bad as your elementary teachers made them seem.  You’re not going to change over night, but setting goals will help you get to your destination eventually.

As I sat filling out scholarship application after scholarship application over my winter break, I decided I needed a goal.  

At the time I only needed a short term one — finish at least two applications by the time we returned to school.

Goal accomplished.

My next goal?

Decide which college I’m attending by spring break.

Those are both short term goals that will add up to helping me reach a long term goal for the future: graduate from a university with a degree in graphic design.

Ultimately, I use goals as deadlines to work toward.  They help keep me focused on my most important tasks.

“A new year, a new you” is not meant to be taken literally.  It merely gives you the opportunity to aspire to be better with the help of goals. 

by Stephanie Roche