Once again, a new semester has begun, bringing with it the frenzy of new classes and new homework assignments.

There are those of you who are rather frazzled by classes starting back in and are wondering if Christmas break truly existed; right now it is hard to remember events that took place three hours ago, let alone three weeks. Rest assured, the break existed and contained within it Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Speaking of New Year's, how many of you made New Year's resolutions? Any of you finding that they're not panning out?

Most people, at finding themselves having trouble sticking with their resolutions, give up all for lost and mourn their dead resolutions by sitting at home eating large amounts of ice cream.

If this sounds like you, don't give up hope yet! There is still almost an entire year and it may be that all you need to do is reassess your New Year's resolution.

Many of us get caught up in the spirit of resolving to do some sort of self-improvement (diet, quit bad habits, exercise) and we can be so over-exuberant that we resolve to do things that are too much to handle all at once.

I could give you specific examples of what this looks like, but I'll leave it to your imagination (especially since it'd be boring to write about and probably even more boring to read).

There are a couple of ways you can look at your New Year's resolution.

First, consider the fact that you are not alone in your shortcomings in resolution-keeping, then buy stock in Ben and Jerry's.

Second, consider whether your goal is realistic in light of your ability to stick with things. It may be that you'll decide to start walking to class from the Taku Parking Lot as opposed to walking there from your house in North Pole.

Perhaps instead you'll find that your resolution is really not important in the grand scheme of things and ought to be discarded in favor of spending the time on schoolwork or other such important things.

It's tempting to take the option of giving up no matter whether you ought to, just because it is the easiest way out. My opinion? Stick with it, if at all possible. You'll be happier with yourself if you just put on your big boy pants (or big girl pants) and keep with your goal. If it's do-able, you'll feel more accomplished doing it.

Again, though, if it simply is not do-able, feel free by all means to discard your resolution, to dissolve what you have resolved.

Better than that, defenestrate it. (Look that word up in the dictionary; I dare you to use that word in a sentence today.)

But either way, whether sticking with old plans or making new ones, seize the day!

There's a whole new year in front of us, a whole world of opportunities in our hands.

If we take things one day at a time, we're bound to succeed.