Take up 'One Idea...'

We do Hereby Resolve… | II MA English

Towards the fag end of the calendar year, on 21st December 2022, I had asked our II MA students to write down on the White Marker Board in class, ‘That one quality that they would resolve to work on, in the New Year?’

One idea or one idée fixe!

So what, pray, is an idée fixe?

Well, the term is a 19th-century French coinage, which owes its currency to the renowned French writer Honoré de Balzac who had first used the term in his 1830 novella titled, Gobseck. Idée fixe would hence connote to mean, an obsessive idea, a persistent preoccupation that dominates a person’s mind. Although the word has gathered a pejorative label over the years, many still continue to use it in its original, positive connotation as well.

In this regard, the collective responses we received in class [on each of our idée fixes], were quite inspiring, and gave a lot of cues and clues to everyone present to collectively emulate the resolves of each and every one of us.

As Swami Vivekananda rightly says,

Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.

So here goes ours…

ARCHANA: To be expressive.

B PREETHI: Listen and Observe People.

BASILEA: Ignoring unwanted comments.

CATHLIN: Stop procrastinating.

FANNY: To master the art of saying ‘no’.

GAYATHRI: Stop expecting anything in return, work on yourself, and try to increase your potential.

JEAN: To take things as they are. To accept things as they are.

JENISHA: Not to stress over simple things and to be happy.

KAVYA R: Stop responding to toxicity / Shun toxicity.

LIZA: Improve patience-level.

PINKY: Cherish/Value whoever values me.

PREESHA: Faith over Fear

PREETHI M: Never lose hope

PRINCY: Make time for what/who matters. Setting ‘Priorities’

SANDHYALAKSHMI: To be more productive, and not neglect the ‘little steps’.

SRUTHI: Productive ‘me-time’ regularly.

SUNYOGITA: Love myself. Invest in myself.

TAMILKANI: Do things that I like/love.

ABISHEKH: Spend time with my parents.

ALAN: Don’t be a prisoner of the past. It was a lesson, not a life sentence.

ELANITHI: Love all the simple things in life.

GANESH: Stop Overthinking.

GLADSON: Be on time (punctual).

SANKEY: Being helpful to others as much as I can.

SOLOMON: MAKE A PLAN AND STICK TO IT. STOP WAVERING.

THE TEACHER: To try and read at least one good book every week! No excuses!

And well, here’s wishing us all godspeed in our idée fixes!