New Year New Me! You either love or hate the saying. I happen to love it — but I didn't always feel that way. I use to think that making New Year's resolutions were overrated. If you want to change yourself you have the opportunity to do it every other day of the year. I thought that waiting till the New Year was just an excuse to procrastinate this change. Boy, was I wrong.

Protests against this common phrase are that you can change at any point during any day, not just on New Years, and this is very true. Change is good at any time. But it is always admirable to want to better yourself. This type of self-betterment can happen at any time. Although, I think New Year's is a unique opportunity. It's not every day that the calendar year changes, and it's not every day that the whole world is starting a new chapter with you. I am a big believer in changing yourself for the better, and yes — that can happen every day, but it is time to stop shaming people for using New Years as their motivation.

Changing aspects of your life, like being healthy, quitting an unhealthy habit, or working on a skill you have can be very difficult. Without determination and motivation, these goals can fizzle out quickly. Using the New Year as motivation is a great way to kick start the change you want to see. Everyone gets excited about the new year. Why not channel this excitement into some self-betterment?

It is also time to stop shaming people for their resolutions. While some resolution can be large and sometimes seem unreachable, it's important to support everyone on their endeavors as long as they are healthy goals. It's no secret that gyms because extremely crowded during January and February. Instead of complaining about the excess of people, it's time to get excited for anyone trying to better themselves. Likewise, when others are trying to become for organized or become more spiritual, it's time to be more supportive.

New Years in an exciting time, so it's time to get excited about our resolutions! Whether you have some or not, it's time to make the most out of our new year. So this new year, I asked that we all make the goal to be more supportive and compassionate, whether you want to better yourself the first week of 2017 or the last. Happy New Year!