I know it's hard to believe, but the first month of the year is almost over! I'm sure your Facebook or Instagram feed has been filled with people's New Year's resolutions; whether the resolution be eating healthier, exercising more, trying not to procrastinate, etc, from the outside it seems as if everyone is busy trying to be their best self. Seeing a Snapchat of your friends on a hike, or a picture of your sibling's gluten-free, vegan, low calorie, kale-infused dinner, it's hard not to compare yourself to people who's lives are "perfect".

This year, I decided not to make any New Year's resolutions. Instead, my goal was to all around make 2017 the best year yet.

I'm deciding to fight for what I want in life.

A lot of times, it's easy for me to go with what everyone else is doing since I hate conflict. Whether it be something as little as going out to dinner at a place I don't like with my friends, or something bigger like being afraid to speak up in class because I'm intimidated by other students. this year, I'm going to vocally express what I want. I'm going to do things that I find enjoyable for me, and if I don't want to go along with something, I won't. One of the best things about being in college is finding out what you like and don't like.

I'm going/will attempt to stop comparing.

One of the worst things about college: you're constantly surrounded by people who are better at things than you are, which can lead to comparing yourself. I am really hard on myself when something doesn't work out for me, but I see it working out for another person. I push myself to try and be better at everything humanly possible. While pushing yourself is a good thing in small amounts, trying to be the best at everything is exhausting.

I will be myself no matter where I am, who I'm with, or what I'm doing.

A lot of people (myself included) hide their true personalities when in unfamiliar situations to try and keep other people happy. But not being yourself is so boring. This year, I'm not going to change who I am to make other people happy. I will sing Taylor Swift at the top of my lungs whenever one of her songs comes on, I will drink as much coffee as I want, and I will have no shame in watching Netflix on a Friday night with my pillow pet and going to bed early.

I hate new beginnings. Change for me is scary and most of the time, I would rather keep things just the way they are. But alas, there's no way to escape the fact that once every 365 days, we have to start over again. That moment to start over can be either a blessing or a curse. Regardless, I am determined to make 2017 a good year.