2018 marks a fresh start, a change of pace, or a chance to start over, depending on how you want to define it. So many opportunities present themselves, which should be a positive thing. As every new year begins, I find myself reflecting on all of the accomplishments or ambitions I didn't achieve or meet in the previous year instead of what I did accomplish. Anyone else do this? Though I enjoy the new year because it always feels like a fresh start, I tend to focus too much on the negative elements of the previous year. I think those of us that think this way need to have a radical shift in mindset when the new years begin.

In order to gain momentum to continue striving to be better in the new year and achieving our goals, we need to focus on the positive things that occurred in the previous year.

Maybe you didn't pay off your car, but perhaps you graduated college! Maybe you didn't find love, but maybe you started an incredible new job. By focusing on the positive changes, you give yourself a gift: belief in yourself.

Believing in yourself and recognizing what you've accomplished helps plant the seeds to continue achieving and pushing yourself toward conquering the next goal. This shouldn't be news to anyone- we are all our own worst critics, and we constantly hear those cliché sayings about how we should "believe in yourself and you're halfway there " or "believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable". Sometimes they just seem like empty and abstract language meant to tell us how to live life without actually telling us how to do it. At the end of the day, the best thing you can do for yourself this year is to have some things to work toward and ways you want to improve yourself - and only do the best you can.

My main advice is to continue striving to find ways to be better, contributing members of society. Figure out how you can treat those around you better. Find out ways that you can show love better. Find some goals you want to work toward and figure out which parts of daily life don't work for you. Make your relationships better, because every other facet of life will improve when you do. Be bold and make scary decisions. Continue to question and seek knowledge. I could go on and on with the cliche advice- but to some degree, I'm serious.

This article is no profound revelation or intense wisdom. Rather, it is the mere reminder that you are not perfect and you have so much to hope for and work toward. I hope and pray that this new year may be the best one yet. I'll end with an inspirational quote, as that seems to be an appropriate theme and ending to the article.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt