This is what I hope for myself this year:

I hope I finally wake up one morning and realize that this is my life and that I won’t get another. I am on this earth for a very short time and I should look at the positives and grow from the negatives. Life is too short to be unhappy; no matter the reason. There are too many people in this world who die young. There are too many people in this world who die old with regrets; I don’t want to regret not taking a chance on something simply because I was scared. A change will always be scary, no matter what age I am. Nothing gets easier, but I just learn as I go.

I am a human being: healthy, happy, and charged with this magic invisible fuel that for whatever reason, has decided to keep me going. This fuel is in everyone for different reasons. Everyone has a different purpose or calling in life. I’ve learned it’s not all about where you come from or where you are right now in life because you may not be so lucky tomorrow. It’s just about the journey.

2018 will be a selfish year. My time will be invested in me and improving myself. I want to be a better person physically and mentally. I want to live my life without stress and worries. I just want to be happy.

Whatever you do in life, don’t settle for an easy existence or an okay life because it won’t make you happy. Everyone deserves to be happy. Yes, every single one of us has our ups and downs but every day is a new day so why is it so difficult to understand this?

I hope I can look back to all of my yesterdays, proud of what I put out into this world, the way that I make people feel, and the legacy that I am building to leave behind. It’s worth losing people who didn’t truly care about me along the way. It was worth those moments filled with tears, fear, and anxiety of where I should go and what I should do next.

It’s worth every sacrifice. I hope I learn to raise the bar this year of how much I can accomplish, the respect that I keep for myself and the love that I have to offer. This is what will make me special as an elementary education teacher; my passions. I’m doing what I’m doing now because I was meant to be here. I matter. I am enough. The world needs more kindness, so what are you going to do today to make the world a better place?