The New Year at CUE
By Issra Hussein
Welcome back to the New Year at Concordia! With 2023 here, many of you have probably started with your New Year's resolutions, goals to reach by 2024, and a new you! You should be proud to even set that up, however, if you are a perfectionist like me you may find yourself punishing yourself for taking too many “cheat” days, for not showing more discipline, for not writing every day, or finishing that pile of books you had gathering dust in the corner. To that, I say STOP! Stop and do the impossible, the one thing that so many of us find hard to do is being kind to ourselves. You have heard of treating others the way you want to be treated but also treating YOURSELF the way you would like to be treated, treat yourself like you would treat your best friend. If your best friend is going through a rough time or finding it hard to keep up with their goals or feeling like a failure would you tell them “Yea you suck, it's pretty bad that you couldn't do it” or would you comfort them and say the truth? “You are human, no one is perfect and life is pretty messy and chaotic and difficult, things are rarely in our control, sometimes it's hard to keep up and sometimes all you need to do is feel how you feel and be with the right people who help”? I am hoping your answer is the latter but everyone is different. Despite that my point does stand. Be kind to yourself this New Year! Appreciate the small things and celebrate even the small accomplishments!
You were feeling down but still got up, got dressed, and got out of the house this morning? That's awesome! Be proud of yourself. Be proud of even the smallest victories. Live every day to the fullest that you are capable of, even if it's just going out with a friend and laughing till your ribs hurt. Appreciate your old friends, and don't be afraid to make new ones! Most of all, don't be afraid to make new memories! Of course, it can be scary and most of all terrifying to even step a toe out of your comfort zone. But if you try, even just a toe, you may find the most amazing experiences are waiting for you just on the other side. Listen to that playlist and dance yourself silly whether on your own or with your friends. Go watch those movies you have been excited about and do not be afraid to nerd out hardcore! Never be ashamed to bring out your inner nerd. Appreciate the ones who have helped you make it to 2023 and look forward to making new memories and finding new amazing people leading you to the next year and more. Especially here at Concordia where I have had the privilege of being part of this fantastic community, I can honestly say everywhere you turn you will more than likely find an amazing person there to greet you!
And so my final statement allows me to thank everyone for reading this New Year's Issue and thank all the amazing people I have encountered throughout my academic career. Have an amazing 2023 all!
