With the new year upon us, we ultimately think of the word change.

Change how we look. Change how we eat. Change what we do. Change, change, change. It's all we seem to hear, but is it realistic to completely transform ourselves just because the year has changed? We often think that a new year means a "new me," but to what extent?

2017 may be about starting fresh, but you're not going to see drastic changes in yourself when the clock strikes midnight. After all, there is not much of a difference between December 31 at 11:59 pm and January 1 at 12:00 am. You won't suddenly become ten pounds lighter, or have a new wardrobe just because we have entered a new year. This change you want is something you will have to work on throughout the year...good things don't come out of a different day, they come out of hard work.

So, with all of these changes we want to happen, we have to trust that they will happen in their own time. They won't happen in a matter of minutes, days, or weeks. Just because we are entering a new year does not mean that you will change completely, either. So many people keep saying "new year, new me," but what's wrong with the person you were in 2016? Were they that awful where you feel the need to totally reinvent yourself and start from scratch? We need to take the redeeming qualities and characteristics of ourselves from the past year and build upon them throughout the new year, not just get rid of who we were last year.

This year isn't a time to completely change yourself, it's a time to grow from who you were last year.