News + Issues

Four things to know for the new year

Happy new year 2016
Happy New Year, fellow ASDA friends! Let me guess, you’re either at the gym tackling that New Year’s resolution, lying on the couch binging on Netflix or traveling back to dental school after a much-needed break. Whatever your situation, allow me to share with you some tips on how to maximize your New Year’s Day, and year for that matter.

Resolutions have no expiration date. Some people started 2015 with goals, resolutions and dreams. Maybe you didn’t quite reach them or accomplished what you had set forth for yourself 365 days ago. Well, you’re in luck. You can still work for it! Who’s to say time has limited you from achieving such accomplishments? What’s great about goals and resolutions is that you can still work for them and feel great. The moment you stop and feel sorry for yourself for not reaching them is the moment you throw out all the effort you’ve already put in. So KEEP GOING! Big shout out and congrats to those who have resolved their resolutions by year’s end!

Cook to live, live to cook. Nothing beats mom’s home-cooked meals. Now that you’re going to be away from home for a while, it’s time you learned how to cook. I’m no Gordon Ramsay or Wolfgang Puck, but I have discovered two new “chefs” who will probably save you not only money, but also from an empty stomach in 2016. Allow me to introduce to you Tasty and Tip Hero. Tasty is a video curator division of Buzzfeed, and Tip Hero is an online life tips and hacks site. Their Facebook sites (Tasty and Tip Hero) are chock-full of easy-to-make home meals and desserts that will surely turn you into a chef in no time. So, get your apron out and your chef game on, and get to cookin’!

Social media is your friend. If you know me, you know I love social media. You can find me on most platforms, posting photos, videos, tweeting, sharing videos, etc. Some say that social media is to blame for falsifying news or biased spread of incorrect information, but social media can also be the source for some of the most hilarious, belly-aching, feel-good videos and photos to get you out of your funk and back on the right happy track. I especially enjoy watching TED Talks, but there are also sites like Buzzfeed, Pinterest, and if you love cats (which is a given), you’ll love CATastrophes Youtube channel. It’s a web series about what happens when cats appear in humans’ lives. You should check it out right MEOW!

Happiness is the key to success. It’s a cliché, but it’s true. One of the reasons why I chose to become a dentist was because it made me happy. I don’t find myself regretting my career choice, and I’m sure you don’t either. We all share a passion and drive to serve our communities and improve their oral health. That passion comes from inside. Like my Jedi Master once told me, “You will find only what you bring in.” Close observation of the world you live in can help you narrow the things you can improve on in your life. If happiness is not filling your life, it could be because of the filter you’ve allowed to stay open for the world to influence you. Change begins with a personal choice, whether that’s happiness, emotional wellness, physical attributes or spirituality. Decide today what you want your 2016 legacy to end up.

There you have it. A quick foursome of tips to help jump-start your new year. If you haven’t already made a list of New Year’s resolutions, you can start here! Some say the best resolution is no resolution, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t accomplish them. Well, check out my first tip in this blog post. Deadlines, schmedlines. Constant improvement and proactive strides in the right direction in life defy all goal-reaching, resolution-beating New Year’s lists. So go forth, and may the Force be with you.

~Jay Banez, Marquette ’16, electronic editor

Jay Banez

Jay Banez is one of ASDA's electronic editors. Originally from Las Vegas, Jay is a D4 at Marquette School of Dentistry. Jay is also the Media & Communications Chair for #MarquetteASDA. You can catch him walking around school occasionally with his camera in hand, posting to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. These efforts helped lead Marquette to its Ideal ASDA Chapter title at the 2014 Gold Crown Awards.

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