You are conditioned to believe at a very young age that you're meant to have a kiss at midnight to ring in the new year, but what if you don't get that kiss? What if it's just you standing there as the fireworks go off, and the cheers ring out? I've watched the ball drop in Times Square on television for years now. Never have I been disappointed that I didn't have someone to share that holiday tradition with, and that's because I'm ringing in the new year by myself.

People have an unrealistic expectation of what New Year's is. People see it as a fresh start, a chance to start anew. But that's not true. What happened in 2015 will still be there in 2016. Your mistakes and your shortcomings are still there. Who you are does not change overnight, and who you kiss at midnight does not determine how your upcoming year will turn out.

So instead of trying to give myself unrealistic expectations, I like to take the time to reflect—to reflect on the trials and tribulations of the year—to appreciate what I have learned and how I have grown. I am a better person at this moment than I was at the end of 2014, and I was a better person in 2014 than I was in 2013. I have grown. I have learned. I appreciate the opportunities I have received and those who have helped me get to where I am today. I recognize I am flawed. I am an irrevocably imperfect person, but New Year's is a time to appreciate yourself for who you are.

I have made it through another year, and I am going to go on to do bigger and better things in 2016. So no, I do not need someone to kiss me at midnight. Because, while everyone else is caught up in a moment, my eyes are wide open, taking in all the endless possibilities of the year to come.