2017 is just around the corner, and I know what you're thinking: it's time to make New Year's Resolutions. While the whole "new year, new me" idea is great on paper, it's not so great in reality. No matter how hard you try, life always seems to get in the way of our resolutions, leaving them for another time. Trust me, I've been there and done that. I've lost count of the amount of years I have told myself that I'll exercise more and eat better. This upcoming year, in particular, gives me another chance to make a more realistic resolution. It's nothing drastic in my life. In fact, it's more of a state of mind instead of a set of actions. This year, I want to better myself.

Now I know that seems like a cop out because there will be no concrete evidence at the end of 2017 to show whether or not I have achieved this, but it shouldn't matter if I can show off the success and progress of my resolution to others, it should only matter to me. Too many times, I have picked a resolution (such as exercising more) that I am not 100% passionate about (In this particular case, I was about 2% passionate about it since I try to avoid exercise like the plague), and therefore, I quit before January was even over. Not only did I not get healthier for my sake, but everyone who knew about my resolution knew I quit. It made failure that much more obvious and made it harder to get back up to try again.

That's why my resolution is to better myself. Now what does that include? Exercise? Yes, but also much much more. Sure, I want to live a healthy life, especially after seeing the negative effects of an unhealthy lifestyle on someone close to me. So will I exercise more and eat better? Yep, that's the plan, but I am not gonna start some crazy seven-days-at-the-gym-a-week exercise plan and cut out all unhealthy things from my diet immediately. I'll take it day by day. If I can just replace one unhealthy thing with an orange or a salad a day, I'm one step closer to reaching my goal and making my resolution into a lifestyle instead of a diet. Instead of going to the gym where I feel self-conscious and unmotivated, I'll try to walk more. Any time I know I can walk or bike instead of taking a car, I'll do it. Resolutions are all about taking life one step at a time (ha, excuse the pun).

Bettering myself, however, is about much more than living a physically healthier life. This year, I am mostly focused on bettering my state of mind. I'm going to try to be more patient and more kind even when a situation turns sour. I'm going to try to not let my own irritations affect my interactions with others. I'm going to make steps towards cutting out toxic people in my life. It's taken me a long time to realize it, but I don't owe anyone an explanation about why I'm cutting them off. That being said, however, I also need to realize that to some other people, I may have been a toxic person. From that realization, I can only accept the fact that they cut me off and learn from the experience in order to become a better person.

This new year, I get the opportunity to see much much more of the world through a study abroad opportunity, and with that comes betterment. I will be immersed in a totally new culture, and I could choose to be close-minded and ignorant, but instead, I'm making an active effort to learn and experience how different people live different lives. I'll be able to take this newfound open-mindedness and apply it to my everyday life back at my university, hopefully making my college experience that much better.

So do I know exactly what "bettering myself" entails? No, but that's the point. If I knew already how I could grow and be a better person, I would have already done so. I know that 2017 will be a year of growth, but I'll just have to wait and see what life throws at me!