With only a few more days left in 2015, I'm sure some of you guys are thinking about your New Year's resolution for 2016. Maybe 2015 wasn't the best year for you, or maybe it was. With the promise of the fresh start that the new year will bring, I hope you cherish all the good moments and say goodbye to all the bad ones. Instead of fleeting resolutions and unreasonable changes, here is what I hope you find in 2016:
I hope you step out of your comfort zone.
I hope you try something new that is completely foreign to you. I hope you enjoy it even if you make the biggest fool of yourself. I hope you do something you would have never dreamed of doing because you were always too scared. Meet new people and go new places, and don't be so worried about being comfortable. The best things in life happen outside of your comfort zone.
I hope you don't lose hope
With all the horrible things going on in the world right now, we could all use a little hope. I hope the events you see on the news don't harden you. I hope you still notice all the beautiful things around you. I hope that in bad times you are able to look around and see all the love in your life and appreciate it that much more.
I hope you don't forget about the little things
I hope you don't get so caught up in life that you forget to appreciate the little moments that make life worthwhile. I hope you take time to do the things you love. I hope you have a year filled with good books and small adventures, with beautiful sunsets and Sunday morning pancakes, of big smiles and fresh strawberries. I hope you never fail to be wonderstruck by the amazing things around you like the sound of babies laughing and the way the leaves change in the fall. I hope you remember these little things and realize that they all add up to something great.
I hope you don't have it all together all the time.
I hope that your life isn't perfect, and I hope that you're OK with it. I hope that you don't find your worth in pretty Instagram pictures and having a 4.0 GPA. I hope you don't stress out over finding the perfect summer internship or a relationship that everyone thinks is "goals." I hope you realize that everything will work out in the end. I hope you remember to enjoy yourself. I hope their are days when the dishes pile up in your sink because you're too busy having fun to care. I hope you mess up and cry in the shower and drink a whole bottle of wine and then pick yourself up and keep going. A perfect life is a boring life.
I hope you don't compare yourself to others
I hope you don't waste your time wishing that you could have someone else's life or body or anything. I hope you love your own life so much that you wouldn't trade it for the most 'Instagram-worthy' life in the world. I hope you realize that the people that you compare yourself to have struggles and challenges that you know nothing about. I hope you know that someone out there wishes they had your life too. Comparison can make you forget about all the wonderful things that you already have in your life, and you're better than that.
I hope you find peace with your body
I hope you don't start your new year with some ridiculous diet where you only eat grapefruit for 14 days. I hope you realize how strong and capable your body is. I hope you look at your legs and remember all the wonderful things they allow you to do like run and jump and dance. I hope you never look in the mirror and cry because you don't like what you see. I hope you take care of yourself and be healthy because it makes you feel good. I hope you enjoy going out for ice cream with your friends without obsessing over every calorie. I hope you realize that your body is not the enemy.
I hope you meet people who change the way you think
I hope you meet new people who open your mind and show you new things. I hope you realize that every person in your life is there for a reason. I hope you appreciate everyone that comes into your life because they shape you into the person that you are, the person that you will be.
I hope you fall in love
I hope you fall in love, whether it be with another person, with yourself, with your family and friends, I hope your year is filled with love. I hope you fall in love with books and songs and the drive to school. I hope you fall in love with people and places and ideas. I hope you love so much and so deeply that you don't have any time for hatred.
A new year comes with a fresh start, and I hope you find the courage to put the past behind you. I hope you don't dwell on the good things that you no longer have. I hope you know that your mind makes them seem better than they really were. I hope you say goodbye to all the bad things. I hope you let go of all the times when you cried yourself to sleep and felt lost and lonely and confused. I hope you don't let the past define you.
I hope you change your mind about your resolutions that revolve around changing the things that you don't like about your life. I hope you consider all these things and head into the new year with a realistic idea of what 2016 will bring. I hope 2016 is the year when you stop trying to be perfect, and just try to be happy with your life, no matter what this year throws your way.
