When I look back on 2016, I think it’s fair to say there were some highs and there were some lows. Definitely more lows than highs, but it was a year of surprises nonetheless. 2016 was a year for the books. Leo finally won an Oscar. The Flint Water Crisis began. The Bronco’s won the Super Bowl ending Peyton Manning’s career with a bang. There was a Zika outbreak. Britain left the EU, coining the term “Brexit”. There was a mass shooting at the Orlando nightclub, PULSE. The Summer Olympics took place in Rio. The European Refugee crisis continued. Alan Rickman died—and every Harry Potter fan’s heart broke. Beyoncé slayed the charts with her album, Lemonade. Antonin Scalia died, leaving a historic spot open on the Supreme Court. We lost Arnold Palmer. “Bradgelina” came to an end. Harper Lee died—leaving a legacy of groundbreaking literature such as To Kill a Mockingbird. The Cubs won the World Series. Donald Trump became our President-elect. Wake Forest won the Military Bowl. Like I said, a LOT happened in 2016, and these are just the tip of the iceberg.
After such an impactful year, I think it’s important to recognize what role we each play in all of this. Some things are completely out of our control, but some are within our grasp if we’re willing to reach for them. To distinguish between the two, I look to one of my favorite quotes: “Accept the things you cannot change, and change the things you cannot accept.” The trouble is sorting out which is which. It’s daunting to do this on a national level, but it becomes simpler when you just apply it to your own life.
At the end of each year I always seem to find myself reflecting on everything. I think about the lessons I’ve learned from things I’ve experienced and the people that have come into my life. I think about how I’ve changed, and how I still want to change. Basically I just think a lot, but that’s nothing new.
When it comes to a new year, my biggest goal is always to break bad habits. Of course, these bad habits tend to change form depending on the year, but they still exist all the same. I think bad habits are hard to break because they are usually something tempting, like sugar for example. You know it may not be the best idea to engage with it, but sometimes it’s hard not to. In the moment, it makes you happy and tastes delicious. But that moment is fleeting, and later it makes you feel lethargic and weak. Overtime, it makes you feel bad about yourself, and ultimately, you become really hard on yourself, and that’s never good. Basically, you should keep things in your life that make you happy, and sometimes you have to let go of the things that don’t.
So keeping that in mind, a new year is a time to cut bad habits from your life. And it’s hard. Some days you will crave sugar, because you remember the taste and the sugar high, but you also remember what follows. And you know it’s not good for you in the long run, so why stick with it? There’s a quote that I love that goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” That’s how I view bad habits.
I think it’s important to remember everything from the past year, but that doesn’t mean everything from 2016 should be automatically linked to 2017. Some things are meant to stay in the past. You learn from them and you grow, but then you move on to a new year, with new experiences and new people.
2016 was a year of beginnings and a year of endings. As we walk away from this one of a kind year, I hope we can learn from our experiences and grow as individuals, and as a country. Heck, as a world. I propose a toast to 2017. Here’s to a new chapter, new opportunities, and new experiences. Here’s to walking away from bad habits, and being kinder to ourselves in the process. Finally, here’s to 365 days of opportunities to become a better person, and make the world better at the same time.
Who knows what 2017 will bring? It might just suit us all.
