On a whole – the general public seems to believe that 2016 was a pretty awful year. And you know what? That is okay. There was death, destruction, dementia and a whole host of other words starting with the letter “d” that mean some bad sh*t went down. However, there were also some kick ass things that happened this year. Here are a few highlights:

Child mortality is down everywhere and it keeps going down. RIGHT ON!

Scientists discovered a way to link the brain with robotic limbs so that all a person has to do is think about moving their arm and it will happen. They no longer need to think about how they need to go about moving their arm.

A solar powered plane flew around the world.

We have seen measurable population grow in pandas and tigers.

Volunteers in India planted 50 million trees in 24 hours.

Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the twenty dollar bill.

The Nigerian Army rescued more than 800 Boko Harem hostages.

A new Harry Potter book came out.

Michael Jordan donated two million dollars towards finding a solution between police and troubled communities.

Leonardo Dicaprio won an Oscar…FINALLY!!!

Now that you are in a positive mind frame, think about your New Year’s Resolutions for 2017. They do not have to be outrageous unattainable goals. You do not need to lose 50 pounds in three weeks or win the lottery twice to find happiness. Recently, I caught up, over coffee, with a friend I had not seen in awhile. They expressed to me their negative feelings toward New Year’s Resolutions. They said they had not stuck to a single one they had ever made. That forced me to take a step back. Had I ever fully accomplished a goal I had set for myself at the start of the new year? Honestly, I am not sure that I have. However, I do firmly believe that the new year brings everyone a clean slate.

Instead of coming up with finite goals for 2017, I have come up with a new mantra to live by. I have the ability to create the change I want to see in my own life. By this I mean that if I want to get fit, I will go to the gym. If I want to be healthier, I will order less burgers and more salads. If I want to learn how to play the guitar that has sat in the corner of my room for eight years, I will sit down and apply myself to it. If I want to read all of War and Peace, then I will apply myself to accomplishing such a feat. If I want to bike across the country to support charity efforts, then I will train to do so. If I want to make a change, I will do everything within my own power to actualize it for myself. There is no need for the “new year, new me” bs that you have preached for the past few years. As long as you recognize that you have the ability to accomplish your goals, you do not need an entirely new you, just the old you with a renewed sense of self-confidence.