It’s that time of the year again where people are screaming “new year, new me.” But when people say that, what does it exactly mean? Did you not like the old you? Why does it have to be a new year in order for you to become something that you’ve always wanted to become? You had the entire year to do that. Sassiness aside, I think that the new year, new me mantra is for lazy people (like me) who give themselves a fresh start to creating personal goals for themselves. For me, I’m taking advantage of the beginning of the new year by practicing self-love, which everyone should do anyway. It feels amazing to treat yourself. Here’s a list of things that I’m doing to love myself and if you like them, you can steal this list from me.

1. Treat yo self.

I’m not saying to buy yourself everything and go broke, but treat yourself to that jacket that you’ve been lusting after for months or that candle you’ve been smelling every time you walk into Bath & Body Works that you never buy. You’ll thank yourself.

2. Moisturize everyday.

You MUST do this everyday. Your skin will thank you. At the beginning of the new year, I bought two bottles of cocoa butter and my skin has changed dramatically. According to DJ Khaled, a major key is to always stay nice and smooth.

3. Write more.

This is a big thing for me since I spent almost $30,000 on a degree in Journalism. When I don’t write, I feel useless. I like to express myself through writing in journals or on blogs. Writing for me increases my productivity and I feel good doing it. Even if you aren’t a writer, it’s good just to jot down your thoughts or little doodles.

4. Take yourself on a date.

I know it’s weird to sit at a booth alone surrounded by food, but you’ll appreciate yourself and your alone time. Just think about it. You don’t have to share your food with anyone. You can bring along your favorite books or just enjoy the 1000 pounds of cheese fries you ordered.

5. Read more.

Reading is great, it really is. It relaxes your mind and takes you to another world. Even though I have a busy schedule, I try to fit reading into it. So far I’ve been reading self-help books, cook books, and books about being a total bad ass girl boss through life. If I could recommend one book that everyone should read it would be "The Four Amendments." It will change your outlook on life.

5. Be nicer to people.

You’re supposed to be nice to people ANYWAY, but you know shit happens. I’ve learned not to take things personally. Words of advice: taking things personally is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about us. Basically nothing people do is because of you. By taking things personally, you set yourself up to suffer for NOTHING. NOTHING, PEOPLE. NO ONE LIKES TO SUFFER.

So that’s my list of my personal goals for this brand-spanking-new year. Hopefully I can follow up with this and end up being the smoothest, self-loving people lover that I was meant to be.