“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” -Albert Einstein

In a way, 2022 is a new season of life. A blank page where individuals have a chance to reflect on the previous year by creating resolutions. Resolutions may have the potential to create positive change, and many Seattle Pacific students hope their goals for 2022 will change their lives for the better.

For some students, pinning up a new calendar is an opportunity to dive deeper into their faith. Student life is full of chaos and stress, so it is easy to postpone setting aside time for worship and reflection when there are ‘more urgent’ deadlines to meet.

Senior communications major and Residential Advisor Raven Vick is setting a resolution for herself to not only read the Bible more, but to read the entire Bible within the year.

“I feel like I only know a few stories and want to dive deeper in my faith and have a better understanding of the word of God by myself,” said Vick.

After turning the page on a new year, sophomore business administration major Jenna Gillam also wants to commit more of her time to reading.

“My New Year resolution is to read at least 10 books for fun,” said Gillam. “One of my high school English teachers set a reading goal every year, and I’ve always wanted to do it.”

Although reading books for a class is important, it keeps students busy. They may forget how relaxing it can be to get captivated by a riveting story of their choice.

“Reading is one of my favorite hobbies, and since coming to college, I’ve found that I don’t have as much time to read fun books. I want to be more intentional about reading for pleasure and not just for class,” said Gillam.

Enjoying the little joys in life is also a common theme for resolutions. The tiny bits of happiness throughout the day remind people to stop and smell the roses. For her resolution, sophomore biology major Felicity Young wants to focus on the positive tidbits of daily life.

“My resolution is to rise above the little things that bother me and pay attention to the small day-to-day joys,” said Young.

Junior business administration major Victoria Thornton also wants to strive to enjoy even the smallest rays of sunshine.

“In the new year, I hope to be mindful of the little things that make life beautiful. I want to enjoy each day and each moment of my life,” said Thornton. “In a college experience framed by COVID-19, I want to intentionally seek out fun things since two years of my time in college was restricted by the pandemic.”

Each day is important. For students, the pressure of getting assignments done can be overbearing. It can be much too easy for students to forget to make time for themselves. Patricia Sydenstricker, a senior majoring in social justice and cultural studies and psychology, hopes to live a more balanced lifestyle in 2022.

“My New Year’s resolution is to be more consistent and intentional in all aspects of life. Specifically friendships, self-care, fitness and pursuing my passions,” said Sydenstricker.

A new quarter at school and the overbearing reality of a pandemic can cause people’s lives to derail. It is hard to stay focused on the details of every single day.

“In the past, I go through phases where I am really excited about something in my life for about a month and work really hard at it,” said Sydenstricker. “And then all at once, [I] fall off the train. Consistency is important to me because it will help me live a more balanced life in 2022.”

No year is perfect. There will be bumps along the way, but resolutions can encourage people to get through the pivotal moments of life. When everything seems like it is about to implode, people can step aside and remember the promises they made to themselves.

“Sometimes we’re so caught up in the things we need to get done that we forget to stop and enjoy the things that bring us joy,” said Young.