With the new year comes New Year's resolutions that range anywhere from working out more to learning how to cook, or spending more quality time with family. Starting a new year is a great opportunity to be better than the people we were last year and to make new goals for ourselves. As this year started, I began to think of ways that I could be a better person than I was last year both emotionally and physically. I realized that to change my life I don't have to make major changes to notice an improvement. Rather, simple, small things can make a difference. Here are 19 things that you can do to change your life this year:

1. Spend an hour a day doing something that you enjoy whether it is exercising, reading, shopping, spending time with friends, or cooking.

2. Put away your cell phone when you go out to dinner with family, friends or significant other.

3. Say yes to every opportunity that gets thrown your way. If you get an offer for an internship, say yes, because you never know how it can change your future. If you get the opportunity to travel, do it while you have no other obligations.

4. Let go of the small stuff and learn to forgive.

5. Make a commitment to being healthy, but understand that some days it's OK to eat cupcakes and stay in bed while others you should eat a salad and workout. Life is all about balance.

6. Don't compete with other people; compete with yourself. You will start improving your life the second you realize that life isn't a competition. Instead it's about improving to be your best self.

7. Don't stick to a strict plan. Life changes so fast and sometimes it is better to make plans as you go along. Nobody's life ends up exactly as they plan.

8. Be humble.

9. Take pictures. Someday everything will be a memory and you'll value being able to look back.

10. Stick to your goals. The most important thing when trying to reach a goal is to be consistent. Realize that you have to work towards your goal every single day.

11. Work on improving your time-management skills. Starting that paper a few days before it is due will make your life way less stressful.

12. Don't stress about things that are out of your control.

13. Listen to your grandparents. They have a lifetime of experience to share with you and you can learn valuable life lessons from your grandparents.

14. Ask for advice when you need it.

15. Take a vacation and explore a new part of the world.

16. Volunteer for a cause that you care about. We all have causes that have touched our lives and we all can make a difference fighting against cancer, Alzheimer's, homelessness, etc.

17. Take chances.

18. No matter how many times you have been burned, never give up on looking for love.

18. Realize that it's OK not to be happy all of the time. Once in a while it is OK to have a bad day and spend the night watching Netflix and eating ice cream.

19. Embrace change. Change is hard for everybody but many great things can come with change.