"New year, new me."

That's the motto everyone repeats as the clocks strike midnight, and old calendars land in the trash. With a "fresh start" to life, many seem contempt, even motivated, to do better than they had the previous year. As I walk in the halls my first day back at school, I hear murmurs of exciting promises and vows for the months ahead: go vegan for two months, dump social media for good, workout every day, slash toxic relationships, bring up slacking grades.

While these plans may feasible at first, they soon lose their substance as people fall back into the same routine. 2019 will be just like 2018, and I can bet that going vegan will only last a couple days, and Instagram will be back and running in no time.

Every year, my resolutions always seem to be the same, yet by December, I never feel as if I am a changed person. The "satisfaction" of achieving a goal is absent, and I fall back into the endless cycle: I vow to the same promises, fail, feel ashamed and try again. I'm trapped.

So, as odd as it seems, I urge you to drop your resolutions, and embrace a different approach.

Real change should not be forced. The unrealistic goals that change the way you live, look or act is the reason why resolutions are never fulfilled. It's like drinking a Venti Nitro Cold Brew from Starbucks when you loathe the taste of bitter black coffee; you simply cannot achieve something when you don't want to achieve. Thus, what needs to be changed is your mentality, the way you look at the world and how resources can benefit you in the long run.

Make small resolutions throughout the year, one for every week. Thus, you can learn, shape and understand the mentality required to complete that task. This mindset shortens the amount of time you must complete your goal, which forces you to compensate for time and prevent you from putting it off. With a year, you have 52 weeks to say, "Oh, I'll just do it next time." With a week, you don't have much spare time.

Additionally, a temporary goal allows you to set realistic plans that you can see the result of; therefore, you can adjust your actions to improve. Once you improve, you see progress, and progress motivates you to do more, do better and do the best you can. You also presented with a variety of options every week. Maybe one week, you attempt a juice cleanse and another you set aside time for a night out with pasta and friends as a reward for your hard work.

Thus, this year, take it or leave it. It's your choice. It's your year, make the best of it. Good luck.