So with New Year's Day around the corner, I am sure you are hearing and thinking about resolutions for 2017. It's tradition! Go to the gym more, lose 20 lbs, go to church more, or save money, just to name a few. For me, I probably set at least one of those goals and forget about it by January 20th.
My friends and I would often cheers to the new year saying "this is our year!!"... our year for love, happiness, and fortune. Speaking for myself, I would cheers to that in hopes that it's the year to find someone special, do awesome in school, or land myself with some luck for a change. And then the year comes and goes and I can recall many reasons not to celebrate due to life's challenges. That's not to say I didn't have some great times this past year and a few reasons to celebrate, but I feel like I didn't reach my full worth. I did reach my full potential, however, because I know what I am capable of doing. I just didn't get my worth from the calendar year in return.
Now, I could go on and on by giving whoever is reading this a list of suggestions of how to make 2017 great by offering suggestions of resolutions to set for yourself, but I'm not going to. Neither should you think of those common kinds. To be honest, I think those resolutions are all perception. I have cared too much about what others think about me and how I can be perceived as the person they think I am. I don't need to set a goal weight for an appearance, I don't need to go to church more often for others think I'm religious, I don't need to get an A to be seen as smart, I don't need to save up and work my ass off to buy the latest styles to keep up with others.
What I do need is to be myself and to have a year dedicated to me.
On December 31, 2016, I will toast to "our year" and be thinking about myself and my friends as individuals - the people we are and hope to become, to be happy for the next 365 days and not stopping on the 366th day.
So, please take on 2017 for yourself. Put yourself first. Care about others, but don't worry about others and their opinion of you.
Care for others not so they do something in return or because it looks good. I think it should be our way of life, not a resolution.
I'm choosing me. I'm choosing happiness.
