Happy 2017!

With the start of a new year comes the classic New Year resolutions, goals that people will set for themselves to accomplish within the new year. Here are some of the most common New Year resolutions we will hear.

1. "I want to lose weight."

Number one, BY FAR. People always say they will lose weight in the new year! Some are successful, some are not, but people always say they will on January 1st. Probably because it is right after a month of holiday sweets and treats.

2. "I want to travel."

Another one I hear very commonly, people wanting to go out and travel more. Take more time for themselves and have new experiences. I know this was one of my resolutions last year and I actually got to do it! I want to travel to a new state, which I did (Indiana) and to travel to a new country (Canada). It was really fun and I am so glad I was able to travel this year, and I know I hope to travel much more in 2017.

3. "I want to learn..."

Every year, people want to learn... something. It may be a language, it may be an instrument, it may be how to ride a bike or drive a car, but people always want to learn. This is one of my favorite resolutions because I love that some people are still interested in learning things, even when they are done with school and don't really need to learn new things.

4. "I want to be independent ."

Another one I hear constantly is people hoping to become independent in the new year. Whether it is moving out of their parent's house or finally ending a toxic relationship, people want to gain independence for themselves when a new year comes around. More power to them!

5. "I want to be a better friend/blank."

Another one I know I relate with a lot and I'm sure many others do as well is that they want to be a better friend or a better blank. The better blank could be many things. A better sister, brother, mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandma, anything. I would love to be a better friend this year and to keep my relationships strong this year. I hope to make time for my friends and family so that I never feel like I am losing contact with any of them.

6. "I want to eat better."

This one can kind of go along with losing weight, but last year especially, I heard a lot of resolutions about people wanting to try new eating habits and die like going Paleo or the Whole 30. This trend is definitely continuing into 2017 and I'm sure will be for years and years to come.

7. "I want to stop..."

Once again, one of those resolutions that can be up in the air. Some people may want to stop smoking, drinking, procrastinating, overspending, anything. The start of the new year comes the start of a new chapter which means the end of bad habits.

8. Money talk.

A lot of common resolutions have to do with money. Whether it's earning more money, spending less money, getting out of debt, paying off a house, or learning how to manage money, many people will make resolutions that have something to do with money.

9. Time management.

Some people are terrible about being late, being on time, procrastinating too much, not spending enough time on school or work, or spending too much time on school or work. Time management is a very common resolution, that I know I will be working on this year especially.

10. "I want to do better in school."

I can relate to this one greatly and I am sure a lot of people can as well. Especially college students! Everyone would love to improve their grades or work ethic, so this is definitely a common one when the holiday comes around.

11. Journaling or documentation.

I know for me, I would love to become better about journaling and documenting memories. I have a journal I supposedly write in every night, but sometimes I get really terrible about it and miss days or weeks at a time. I would personally love to get better about that.

12. Facing fears.

I may not personally have any fire in my body to face the small fears I have, but some people who have fears that impact their daily lives or that they know are irrational may want to change those fears. I'm not going to name any of those because I don't want to offend anyone, but facing fears is a great thing to try and start when the new year rolls around.

Happy New Year!