As 2016 is winding down, and thankfully so, I have become more and more eager to start a new year, because a new year equals new goals. I have accomplished quite a bit this year, but I know 2017 will be the year when I really start my life and career, so here are my goals for the new year.

1. Find a J-O-B.

I have two right now, but let's be real: I'm not trying to serve or tutor for the rest of my life. I'll have a degree if not by the end of December, then definitely by the end of May, and I need to utilize it. I have considered teaching, and many of the jobs I have already applied for are for administrative positions.

At this point, anything that includes benefits is salaried and gives me consecutive weekends off, something that I haven't had in about 4 years, sounds tempting. I'm not picky, honestly, but of course, I want a job I won't dread waking up for every morning. So the hunt will continue, and I will make it my main goal to start my career sometime next year.

2. Move out. FINALLY.

I long for the day I finally move into my own place. I love being alone, and even though I do not entirely mind living with my mom because we rarely see each other, something about having my own living space that I am solely responsible for makes me feel like I will finally grasp some sense of adulthood. But unfortunately, I won't be able to do this until #1 on my list is fulfilled, because rent is expensive and I'm not trying to use up most of my paycheck on rent. Not with my spending habits at least.

3. Read more.

I've been slacking on my reading, and I have noticed that the less I read, the less inspired I am to actually write. I just can't find the time during the semester, but since I'll be finished with school, and homework will finally be a thing of the past, I'll have plenty of free time in 2017 to read as much as I want to, without worrying about essays, and studying for midterms and finals. As soon as I graduate, I'm going on a Barnes and Noble shopping spree.

4. Buy less clothes.

This will probably be the hardest for me, but since I'll be moving out, not only will that mean less closet space, but less money to shop like I do now. The positive side to this, is that I will finally get around to wearing most of the items in my closet that I have not touched in a while, or have not touched at all. I guess the phrase "shop in my closet" applies here.

5. Improve my health and fitness.

For a very brief moment, I actually worked out regularly, but once the semester started last fall, I focused on schooling and work, so naturally I pushed gym time to the bottom of my list of priorities. This may be a cliche goal to have when the new year rolls around, but I will finally have the free time to actually go through with it.

6. Travel.

I'm not entirely sure that I'll be able to do this as much as I want to, but traveling could just mean driving to the coast for the day or spending the weekend in LA. California is a big state, and there are so many places I have yet to visit, so while I hope to travel around the state more, I would also like to take at least one trip out of state or perhaps out of the country.

While the latter doesn't seem too likely, especially since I'll barely be starting my career, AWP 2017, an annual literary conference, is taking place in Washington D.C. this spring, which seems quite doable.

7. Write more.

Self-explanatory. Let's keep this ball rolling.