Every year, everyone says those cliché things about New Years, from “new year new me” to all the resolutions that will last only a week. Then of course, there are those people who say thank you to everyone and everything for how great they made the past year. I am all of these people, who will give every cliché of the new year in one post

Thank You to…

Thank you to my best friend for standing by me through every good and bad thing not just this year, but every year. Thank you to my parents for helping me get to where I am, driving 40+ hours to move me in to my dorm, and for buying my plane tickets home. Thank you to my younger sister for being my best friend, to my old sister for setting an example, and to my youngest siblings for reminding me to still be a kid. Thank you to my Big for being my best friend and sister all in one, making some of the best memories of the year with m, and for reminding me that I can do anything.

New Year, New Me

I don’t like the idea of a “new me.” I’d rather just be a better me (See Resolutions). Just the thought of completely reinventing yourself isn’t really worth it. Sure, there are some things you can (and probably should) change, but there are a lot of reasons to only be a better version of yourself. I’m sure your friends and family love you for who you were this year, and last year, and the year before that.

Resolutions

This year, I resolve to go to the gym, eat healthier, and stop procrastinating. What a joke that is.

While I won’t be making any of the typical resolutions, I do have a few things I want to be better at. I want to be more consistently organized. I want to get better at finding the good in people and loving them as God does. I want to build a better relationship with God.

There’s the flaw with resolutions. A lot of us simply say we WANT to be better. We instead need to decide that we WILL be better. There is no want, no grey area, no flimsy choice. There is a will, there is a black and white divide, and there is a way to get there.

I will be more organized by taking better care of my personal belongings and putting them away immediately after I am finished with them. I will keep my planner up to date on everything, and not put off every deadline until the night before.

I will get better at loving others by sincerely complimenting people. I will see their differences as positive attributes instead of reasons to not associate with them. I will remind myself that just as I am loved by God, so are they, and as such I need to show His love for them through my actions.

I will build my relationship with God by praying more, by loving more, and by giving him the reigns in my life. I will be more humble, more grateful, and more optimistic.

The new year will not cause a huge shift overnight and give me the perfect looks, perfect grades, or perfect heart, but it does give me a fresh start. However, each day is a fresh start. Should we forget to eat clean or be nice to the stranger on the bus, we can always try again. We don’t need to wait until January 1^st rolls around again. We just need to remember that we are human, we make mistakes, and every day is a chance to be a little better.

May 2017 bring you chances to laugh, cry, and celebrate, happiness beyond your wildest imagination, and another 365 days to be a little better.