With the new year more than a month underway, The Channels editorial board reflected on all of our new year’s resolutions that we made when 2023 began. All of our perspectives are unique and perfectly exemplifies who we are and the personalities we have on the editorial board.
Yarrow Hogan, Editor-in- Chief
Breathing in the newness of the new year, many resolutions have come and go since the first day of January. However, one continuous feeling has stayed with me: I cannot grasp the fact that time moves faster than I can keep up with. All of my miscellaneous resolutions have fused into one, becoming a more introspective challenge rather than physical. I must adopt a healthy understanding of the basic fundamentals of time. In the world we live in, our structure of time consists of 365 days in a year, 168 hours in a week and 60 minutes within an hour. The scariest part about growing up, I have found, is that our perception of time changes drastically as you age. The most disheartening part of it all is that the illusion of time will only get faster. My resolution for 2023 is to accept this terrifying fact and use it to benefit my life instead of throwing it off its axis. There are 365 days in a year and some of them will be grand and some of them not. I can have dreams without expectations and good things often take time. There are 168 hours in a week, some filled with vexation, and some filled with joy. Every minute will be different from the last. Every phase of life that time will bring is unique. Now, I must remember this everyday for the rest of my life.
Bailey Schroerlucke, News Editor
For me 2023 is going to be a year of transition and change. This year I want to focus on being intentional in my life. I want to be more intentional with my time, the people I surround myself with, my actions, and the environment that I am in. In devoting my energy towards more intentional ways of living, I will think more introspectively, learn more about myself, and focus less on how I can shape myself to fit into the ways that others around me are living. I want to practice being intentional by journaling and writing more. I love writing because I can craft sentences in a way that is more particular than my words are when they are spoken, which helps me to identify how I actually feel. I’m able to organize my thoughts in a careful manner and can often write to the root of an issue. Breezing through life, just living day to day without actively thinking about how time is passing by, is a waste of the human experience to me, and I don’t want to look back at this year and wish that I dedicated more time to doing the things that I love.
Emma Welch, Opinion Editor
A New Year’s resolution has always helped me be motivated for the both wonderful and challenging things that year will have in store for me. Some people might think it is just another empty promise that will be forgotten in a matter of days. However, for me it is a way to keep myself accountable for my accomplishments and my mistakes. In the year of 2023, I have put everything from past years into perspective. I will go to the gym as much as I can, I will turn all of my assignments in on time, I will listen to others and be their positive outlet, I will love and not judge anyone who comes in my path, and I will love myself no matter what obstacles come in my way. By saying “I will,” it puts affirmations into my brain that I am expecting myself to do all of these things. Affirming what you want to be true and remaining consistent will lead you towards the direction you want to be in.
Sunny Silverstein, Engagement Editor
As you begin to see the results of your holiday binge eating and prepare to go back to work or school or the other dismal obligations of life, people everywhere begin to look to the future as they create goals for themselves for the upcoming year. As someone who has always been pessimistic, I used to say that “New Year’s resolutions are stupid and useless.” As I’ve matured, I’ve realized that it is a great opportunity for some goal setting which can push you farther in life. This year there are many things that I would like to improve and habits I would like to extinguish. My number one goal is to prioritize my health. To me, this means working out regularly, quitting nicotine, eating more and healthier, ridding my phone of social media, and becoming less stressed in general. I try to implement self love into my daily life by saying affirmations in the morning and by making conscious decisions to choose what is best for me even if it’s hard to tell at the moment. Taking it day by day and having patience with myself is essential to this process.
Allison Budde, Sports Editor
As 2023 kicks off, I have many goals I want to accomplish throughout the year. I want to continue my self-love journey and invest quality time for myself. I made many strides in the past couple months to find balance in life, and I hope to continue working on this and set aside time for all my wants and needs. I want to become stronger mentally and physically. I want to push myself just as hard in school as I do in the gym. Along with that, I want to give myself grace, forgiveness and more love. Reminding myself that it’s OK to take breaks and prioritize my happiness over success is something I want to be better at. As I work towards my future and set intentions for myself, being able to enjoy the journey I am on and appreciate all the good and bad that come along with it is the last goal of mine.
Delaney Newhouse, Feature Editor 
Theoretically, I should adore the idea of New Year’s resolutions. There is a magical, mystical quality to renewing oneself as the world passes through the barrier that marks the end and beginning of a cycle of time.
Despite all of their good, I no longer make New Year’s resolutions.
The reason is simple. In practice, resolutions don’t work for me.
I’ve tried many times. I’ve told myself to be a better student, a better writer, a better daughter, a better person. I’ve resolved consistency and I’ve tried to give up bad habits and I’ve often declared that I would stop procrastinating. Each attempt ended with disappointment.
My resolutions relied on perfection. I would say that I would write every day, that I would stop missing assignments, or that I’d keep myself from being frustrated with my relatives. I constructed my resolutions mercilessly, thoughtless of my own humanity, and then hated myself when I inevitably failed to keep them. It was a pattern I had to break.
Maybe someday I’ll be able to resolve again and plan a better me for the new year.
This year, however, I’m going to take things day by day.
Claire Geriak, Arts and Entertainment Editor
My new year resolution for 2023, I want to actively be wanting less. One of the leading causes of my stress is that I envy all of the materialistic things that I don’t have, but are constantly being promoted online. I’ve told myself that once I have the iPad, the matching cashmere set, and the 64-oz water bottle, I can be happy and be my best self. Although, time after time I’ve found that these serve as temporary happiness, and I want to teach myself I am just as happy without those things. I also want to utilize the opportunities I have at my fingertips, while I am still young and able to make mistakes. I was 17 years old when I started submitting college applications, and I felt so much pressure to know exactly what I wanted to do at such a young age. If I were to change my mind on a career path, my entire life savings would be washed away in a California State University drain in a single semester. I believe that a lot of students, including myself, are stressed about finding a perfect opportunity in school, but this time in our lives is about making mistakes and finding out what you want. City College has provided me with the opportunity to give me opportunities, let me make mistakes, and have a net for me to fall back on.
