2009: A new year of opportunities
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Are you looking forward to what 2009 brings? Eager to look into the opportunities around you? Or have you already forgotten your New Year’s resolutions? (Many get lost somewhere between non-existent and unattainable.) Here are some ways to get going — or restarted — in the coming year.
Back to the basics: Why am I here?
Walking back onto campus after Christmas break may be the greatest feeling ever. Or it could fill you with dread. This classic article by Dr. John Alexander will help you get back to the basics: Why are you here, on this campus, right now? During his life, Dr. Alexander got to know the university world well — he was a professor at the UW–Madison and, later, a national president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. In this article he points out six reasons you exist and three directions you can choose to go in college. (We like options. But then, some are better than others.)
Plan for the summer now: Global opportunities
Rick Warren has called this generation of students the “Reformation Generation.” Get involved in moving the world in 2009! Your local InterVarsity chapter, area or region may be planning some projects for spring break. Or consider participating in a summer Global Project or Global Urban Trek. We’ve already featured three Trek cities and student blogs here on StudentSoul.org, and there are plenty more to read about. You can apply online; 2009 opportunities are now listed.
Better’n New Year’s resolutions: The Daily Examen
Most of us have a history of forgotten New Year’s resolutions. Part of the problem is that we set goals that are ideal rather than attainable. But there is something even better than New Year’s resolutions — taking time to reflect on each day you live. Enter the Daily Examen, part of the exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. For years, Protestants and Catholics alike have found the Examen helpful. While there are many sites that walk the reader through the exercises, we picked this site because it’s just one page long and gives both a brief history and the core questions you can use daily. Journaling your responses is highly recommended, because you can look back at your entries when you have time to do a more extended retreat. A slightly different process and set of questions can be found in this Jesuit Examen of Conciousness If you want something to keep in your journal or pin on your bulletin board, here’s a bookmark to print with an outline of the Examen and associated questions (yet a slightly different set of questions).
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