With the new year quickly approaching, everyone is going to start making resolutions. For many, resolutions usually involve giving up a sweet, promising to run once a day, getting better grades. But this year I decided to rid my life of all of the things that keep me down. To just throw away every aspect of my life that makes me genuinely unhappy, to make room for more positivity, and I encourage you to do this with me. Here is a list of 11 things to let go of in 2016:

1. Let go of the things you can’t change

Stop complainingand worrying about things that happened in your past, you can't change them. Rather, learn from them and embrace the things you are good at and only make it better. We are not born to learn all the things in the world.

2. Let go of everyone's opinion of your life

There are always going to be those people who will try and tell you the "right" and "wrong" way to go about living your life. However, there is no universally ‘right’ way to live a life that is solely your own, no one else's. Everyone has their own views on what happiness is, there own goals, their very own life, and we all picture an ideal life differently. People are going to judge you, try to change you, but if you allow for that to alter your path you’re going to end up living someone else’s life. This year – make this life your own.

3. Let go of your opinion of everyone else’s life

No one has a perfect life. You see edited photos on Instagram, you see blissful accounts of seemingly faultless relationships, and hand picked reflections of those you follow on social media, but you never truly see someone in these situations. In an age where we are so easy to portray our lives as we want other's to view them, it is important to remind ourselves that those we envy, and those we compare ourselves to, are capable of doing the exact same thing. So let go of all of that because at the end of the day, we are not all that we are on social media.

4. Let go of that event in your life you are not proud of

Life is too short to dwell too much on the things that made you upset. Feeling bad about something is normal, but keeping this in your entire life is uncanny. Remember, you are a human being and always be a work in progress.

5. Let go of old thoughts and failed plans

If it is not working, or not making you happy, change it up. Start with you. Write it down of things you need to discard in life to make room for new ones. Bad influences, disorganization, or bad habits, can be taken care of one step at a time. Begin small— your closet? As you get into the spirit, the "keep" pile will shrink and that is okay because ridding your room of unnecessary clutter will make it easier for you to rid your life of the unnecessary aspects as well.

6. Let go of the unknown

You've heard it before, "Ignorance is bliss". Maybe you believe it, maybe you don't. But holding onto the false hope of learning every aspect that you are unsure of, is unhealthy. No one will ever know everything, so stop trying. Life nowadays is a game of he-said-she-said, and you do not need to play. Over thinking and constantly wondering about situations is time consuming and will take away from moments in your life that you can spend doing anything else that will benefit you. So, let go.

7. Let go of what you only tolerate

It is quite simple – life is not to be endured, life is to be enjoyed. If there is something that you want to change, you have the power to change it. It is your life, you can make it what you want. You do not have to keep toxic people in your circle or stay in an unfulfilled relationship. There is a certain courage in those who will not simply ‘put up’ with any aspect of your life. Rid your life of whatever makes you unhappy, or ungrateful, and focus on the things that do the opposite.

8. Let go of the promises you didn't keep

Timing is everything – you've heard that a million times but it is true. Sometimes people make promises in the heat of a moment, not knowing that when the time for that promise comes, something gets in the way. Life happens, and life gets in the way some time. Not everyone keeps every promise they make and that is they utter and complete truth. Because timing matters, and sometimes time get's in the way of important things. Forgive yourself for this.

9. Let go of the person who didn't miss you back

Eventually you will not miss them anymore, and you will learn that other people miss you more than you know. Time heals all wounds, and one day you will wake up and realize that feeling, that pain, is gone. You will realize that you no longer need to miss this person, because the harsh truth is they do not miss you – so they are not worth your time. Other people out there miss you, and those people are worth your time.

10. Let go of the people who no longer play a role in your life

Things change and people leave, and life doesn’t stop for anybody. That is growing up, it's the way the world works. If people want you in your life, they will make time for you, they will try as hard as you try. Time indeed ties people together, but if you feel something has changed and there is nothing keeping you connected, time is not a valid reason to hold on to something that is no longer worth holding to.

11. Let go of the idea that it is too late

It is truly never too late to change your life. It is never too late to become the person you always hoped you could always be, or to love the way you have always wanted to love. You live and you learn from your mistakes, they become teaching tools – simply lessons. We often forget that we are not bound by our past. We don’t have to be who we were a year ago, we don’t have to make the same mistakes we did when we were younger; we can want different things, we can seek different horizons. We are never too old, too broken, or too jaded to take a step in changing what we hope to change. We wake up every single day with the ability to start fresh – it is never too late to take advantage of that