I’ve never been one for a literal list of New Year’s resolutions, but on January 1, 2016, I decided to jot a few things down. The cliche of writing down things people rarely follow through will never appealed to me until then. If I was going to jump on the bandwagon of resolutions, I was going to take it seriously and follow through.

2016 was bound to be a year full of milestones and transitions: there was second semester of senior year, my last high school softball season, graduation, packing for college, leaving for college, college softball, college schoolwork, and the plethora of breaks I’d get to return home for. I figured that through it all, a few goals and words to live by couldn’t hurt.

While I won’t bore you with all the details the three things that ended up sticking with me the most were a quote and two mantras to live by:

1. “Someone told me not to bite off more than I can chew, I said I’d rather choke on greatness than nibble on mediocrity”

I have no interest in choking, but if I want to come within reasonable distance of any of my goals, I’d have to take risks, push myself every day, and not be afraid of the possibility of failure.

2. Always remember the people who helped you get to where you are. Thank them, love them, appreciate them.

In a time where there always seemed to be something big coming up, I wanted to make sure the people who helped me get there got the credit they deserved.

3., Work hard, but don’t forget to have fun.

The combination of athletics and academics never failed to provide me with constant challenges, and at times my work ethic wasn’t enough, but working hard and not having enough time to have fun don’t go hand in hand. With so many opportunities to make the most of the moment, it’d be sad to pass them up.

Quantitative resolutions will never be as beneficial as qualitative ones. Aiming to lose 15lbs or wanting to make a certain sum of money may be some of your goals, but they aren’t things to center the upcoming year on.

So, strive to focus on what you love and what you aspire to do, rather than things you can cross off a list. At some point throughout the 365 days you’ll probably forget some of your resolutions, but a reminder of what you wanted on January 1st never fails to bring you a couple steps closer to who you want to be and what you want to do.