I don't usually write introspective pieces, probably because I am an aimless frat boy who cannot see past the collegiate glory of youth, rebellion, and a mildly alarming BAC, but every year around this time, everyone starts to piece together their New Year's resolution. 

Here are five of the most common resolutions, courtesy of USA.gov.

1. Lose weight. My girlfriend would probably approve of this one. 

2. Volunteer to help others. I forgot to schedule in philanthropy this year, last year, and the two before that.

Quit smoking. I am a social smoker one night and repulsed the next, so I don't need to put this one down.

Get a better education. Thought about grad school the other day, once, but that same day I thought about going to Chipotle, twice -- so where is my life going?

Get a better job. Does better mean I make more an hour? Because I did think about being a male stripper due to the pay raise. If I did that, I'd have to accomplish number one, above, but I could forget about numbers two, three and four. What happens if your resolutions actually resolve your other ones? 

What the heck is this all supposed to mean? Does life really have a metaphorical off-season where we can go to our mental whiteboard to set out goals?

First off, I am no Gandhi, but why do we need to wait for a ball to drop in New York to try and change our lives? Why do we procrastinate a whole year to set out personal goals? New Year's Eve should be a collective celebration of our accomplishments and failures of 2014, not rolling out a blueprint trying to re-invent ourselves. 

I, easily, made some of the worst decisions of my entire life this year, but if I didn't highlight my personal growth through them, then all I did was survive instead of acing a life lesson. So, at the same time I was being the personal curator of my accidental self-destruction over the course of this past year, I also made some of the best accomplishments, too. That's right, most people's day to day experiences have so much good and bad that the color of life would just be a shade of grey. 

"Life is a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must, in spite of personal consequences, n spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures. And that is the basis of all morality." John F. Kennedy 

In the end, you need to have a personal offseason when you collect yourself, make goals, and execute. However, that needs to happen at the correct time, when you are ready for a true relationship with your goals. What do I mean when I say relationship? Well, goals are not some checklist or recipe; they are a quenchable feat that requires time, effort, sometimes money; and even if you do everything correctly, it still might not work out. That's why I call it a relationship; some last, some don't, but you need to be internally ready to bring blood, sweat, and tears into reality.

I am not ready to make an honest New Year's resolution, but I will make a personal resolution as I build my own life framework to continue the work I have started. So, until then, I will be in Athens ridding 2014, welcoming 2015, and celebrating 365 days of triumph and tragedy.

Happy New Year. Cheers!