I’ve always been the type of person to care about other people’s opinions of me and my actions. Looking back, it’s been hard to accept I didn’t do some things because I was worried about how others would judge me. What I should’ve cared about the most, was if it was going to make me happy and help me grow.

One of the best things about being human is the human interaction that is constantly happening. Although you should be putting your energy and love into the ones that you care about, you have to remember to take care of yourself. If you’ve recently been through a breakup, this is the time where you should be ecstatic to start doing things you haven’t in awhile. It’s time to get rid of toxic people who ask for you to put them before yourselves and choose you.

I hope that you can make a promise to yourself that you will work on something for the rest of the year. If this means that you want to work on your relationship with God, then do it. If you want to start a daily workout routine to improve your health and confidence, then do it. It can even be as simple as drinking an extra cup of water every day. All that I ask is for you to do it for yourself.

It’s easy to look around at other people and see all of their accomplishments. We sometimes overlook our own and that isn’t the point of essentially being happy. Every day, when you are faced with options and can’t decide what to do, do what will make you smile. The energy and joy that radiates from your smile will help others make these same decisions. Make this the year that you do things because you want to see yourself grow.

Some advice I have for you is to make a list of the things that you love to do. Some of these things might be something you do by yourself because you are afraid of other people's reactions. I challenge you to do these things in front of others because they make you special. One day, someone is going to find out you do these quirky things and fall in love with you for them. Don't be afraid to be yourself because in return you will find out who your real friends are.

At the end of every day, it’s all about if you’re happy and what is making you happy. Although I'm not saying to go wild and do things that you might regret one day, you should start to do things that scare you. You never know what can come out of a situation unless you do it, so go outside your comfort zone. You have so many people that support you and want the best for you. I can only hope that by the end of the year, you have done things that you haven't in awhile. Always remember that self love is so important.