Our dirty little secrets, the vices and habits that make us shame ourselves, are some of the greatest human equalizers.
As the new year picks up momentum, it’s prime time to take stock and resolve your sins with help from the power of seven — deadly sins, that is.
A staple in art, drama and pop culture, the seven deadly sins are rooted in early Christian tradition as simple categories to educate and lead people to more virtuous endeavors.
Here is a list of ways to take a nod from the seven as you say goodbye to your nasty habits and viral vices of 2007.
If you’re using the new year as an opportunity to curb your enthusiasm for excessive amounts of food or drink …
You could find healthy alternatives for your snack-time woes, such as noshing on frozen grapes instead of reaching for the chips. If your drinking habits have become toxic, transfer the time and funds you spend sipping (or bingeing) to other things, such as saving for a fun spring break trip. Just don’t let that hard-earned vacation make you revert back to your old ways.
If you’re ready to deny yourself overindulgence in wealth, power or the latest in puffy winter footwear …
You could shift your drive to more selfless pursuits such as volunteering your time or donating to a charity. The MSU Student Food Bank is a student-run organization that distributes nonperishable and perishable food items to students in need. If you’re interested in lending a hand, e-mail them at foodbank@msu.edu.
If you’re looking to jump-start your studying regiment or minimize time trolling celebrity gossip Web sites …
You could set study goals and display them prominently around your workspace to remind you to stay on task. Eliminate distractions, establish study periods and include short breaks to reward yourself. Finish the work that requires the most concentration during daylight hours and study actively by asking yourself questions, using flash cards and organizing study groups.
If your resolution is to have more protected sex or limit your number of sexual partners …
You could take a trip down to Olin Health Center and scoop up some free condoms. MSU’s campus health center offers free condoms in various locations throughout the building, making it unnecessary for you to make the often awkward (and slightly expensive) trip to purchase a box of condoms at the grocery store.
If you can’t make the trek over to Olin Health Center but live on campus, visit your resident mentor, who should also have a stock of free condoms.
If you’re facing the resolution of limiting your number of partners, stem your urge with something else physically satisfying — like exercising or making a craft. If you’re busy working out or focusing yourself on something creative, sex should be the last of your interests.
If you want to be a bit nicer in 2008 …
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Forgive and forget. Sure, we’ve all been burned in the past, but at some point, you just have to suck it up and get over it. Besides, think about how much better you’ll feel when you have one fewer grudge to worry about.
Another way to be a bit kinder in the new year is by reaching out to people in your new classes — people who you wouldn’t typically acknowledge. Finding study buddies won’t only brighten someone else’s day, but it will also broaden your own social horizons. You never know if that nerdy-looking kid in class throws the best parties!
If you vow to limit your jealousy this time around …
Try to put yourself in other people’s shoes — not just the ones of those you envy. If you have a habit of becoming jealous of people who have more than you, think about the population that doesn’t have the luxuries you possess. Instead of spending $500 to buy that new Marc Jacobs purse you saw a girl toting around campus, dash to your computer and visit the Web site www.freerice.com — for free. It allows you to match words with their correct definition, rewarding 20 grains of rice per answer to disadvantaged people in more than 75 countries. Voila, much cheaper and much better for your grade-point average. Too bad they never had this when we studied for the SAT!
If you’re ambitious enough to try and avoid Facebook.com this year …
You could realize there’s more to life than talking yourself up on Facebook. So your pride has gotten a little out of control with updating your status every 20 minutes — not to mention adding more than 35 albums of weekend escapades. Fortunately, you can attempt to limit your Facebook time by channeling your pride into something else, such as a sports team or your family heritage.
Attending a basketball game or hosting an ethnically themed dinner at your house will keep you from simply sitting on Facebook and reveling in yourself.
