2017 was a rough year. But for me it was a year of growth. It tested my limits, and made me grow stronger through the adversity. I know the past few years as a whole have been pretty challenging because lots of life changes have happened at this point in our lives, but it made it feel like we were all suffering together. Typically for the new year, everyone gets optimistic and wants to make drastic changes to their lifestyles with the start of the new year. “New year new me” give the impression that you’re going to become a different person, and we all know that isn’t the case. Instead of making wild life changes for the new year, I think it’s time we start making realistic goals that are easy to accomplish within the crazy lifestyles we’re already used to living.

For the end of 2017, I'm going to let go of as many grudges as I can. Holding grudges can be so detrimental to your wellbeing because you’re always thinking of ways to keep that person at a distance and always thinking of reasons to continue being mad at them. Now I'm NOT saying 2018 is the year to text your ex and tell them you’re sorry for things you shouldn’t be apologizing for, and I'm not saying you should text them period. But I am saying that for your own good, you should make a note to yourself to move past the grudges. And I am saying that you should forgive people who haven’t actually done anything wrong, and the grudge is being held by association or something stupid. Don’t start your year filled with hate and rage at things that happened in the past. Learn from them and move on, make it a better year of forgiveness and forward personal progress.

For the start of 2018, make new goals that are attainable and meaningful to YOU, not to anyone else. If normally you say you want to lose weight so other people will want to date you, screw that. Instead, make it a point to eat healthier and start small. If it means cutting back your sugar intake, instead of removing sugar from your diet entirely, then start there! If it means drinking soda less frequently, or buying food to cook instead of going out to eat all the time, that works too!

I think making personal achievement goals can go a long way too. For example, if you’re usually the person who says they’re going to be better at saving money in the new year, I think the best thing to tell yourself is that you’ll work on being more responsible in general, instead of putting the pressure on just being a better saver. If you typically say you’re going to get better grades, you may be lying to yourself because you can’t know what kind of classes the next calendar year will bring into your life. This could be alleviated by saying you’ll be more prepared, and spend less time procrastinating and more time doing work and studying.

I think it’s time we start trying to change who we are every year, because at this point in our lives we’re pretty set in our ways. We aren’t going to become drastically different people, we’re just going to learn how to better handle our mistakes and triumphs from the previous years. We’re going to learn how to take care of ourselves economically, physically, emotionally, etc. We’re going to live the same life we’re used to living, but make some attainable changes in order to feel a sense of accomplishment in the life we’re living. The older I get, the more I realize that making unattainable resolutions is a waste of my time, and it’s time I start making changes that will actually benefit me.

So for 2018, I will make personal goals that will reflect in other aspects of my life too. I will not be bitter about the years that have past, or the people I have lost. I will be grateful for the things I have, and the ability to work for the things I don’t yet have. I will be honest and upfront with people in my life, because why should we continue to be afraid to show our feelings? I will cherish the people in my life, and cherish the opportunities I have been given to better myself and the world I live in. I hope others can find the same kind of motivation for the new year. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2018, and that it’s the year you make changes that will make you happy.