Each year thousands of people make the decision to change something about themselves when the new year rolls around. For many people, they choose to lose weight, cut our soda consumption, or to save more money, but I am choosing something that everyone should choose as well.

I am going to learn to choose kindness. Kindness to friends, strangers, and most importantly, myself.

I feel like as the years go on, everyone becomes more bitter and rude towards one another. I have seen so much hatred this past year passed from one human to another. Hatred is contagious, but kindness is as well. If we can turn this negativity into something positive, then we can make the world a better and nicer place to live.

When people are in a negative mood, that negativity can radiate towards others and turn others from having a good mood to having a bad one. Having a negative outlook on life is not healthy for your relationships or for yourself in general. Most people say that moods are contagious, and they are, but this is for all moods, negative and positive. Laughter is contagious, but so is a bad attitude.

This year I challenge you to find something positive about each day. Wake up knowing that it is a good day, smile and wave to people you know, and make sure that you are kind to yourself.

You are your biggest critique, and if you cannot accept and love yourself, do you really think other people are going to accept and love you too?

Kindness starts with yourself. When you learn to be kind to yourself, you learn how to be kind to others. Everyone should start with small steps of kindness to make 2018 a better, brighter, and happier year.