The new year is here - and so are the "new year, new me", "time to better myself", "#f*ckyou2016" phrases. Which is fine and wonderful and I'm glad that with a new year, you are aiming to work towards a new you. For real. That's awesome!

However, I will not be participating in the resolution craze and if you want to know why keep reading.

In the past I have fallen into the "new years resolution" trap and it has ultimately made me feel worse as a person. Just before the new year, you begin to pick yourself apart and realize all the things wrong with you - and you become blind to what is right with you. I've had resolutions focusing on being more active, more organized, more patient, more kindhearted. Resolutions promising to visit with family more often, to eat better foods, to cut out pop from my "diet", to not having any regrets and so on and so on.

The problem with that, for me, was that I was so focused on those resolutions that I was missing out on life happening around me. What I mean is, I think it's important to go with the flow some times. To not stress out about how things are supposed to be or how you are supposed to look according to society's current standards. Stop saying "no, you can't have that - remember your body goals?" and start saying "sure, you can have that - but in moderation". Your goals are easier to obtain when you and every body else around you aren't stressed.

My only goal for 2017 is to invest more of my time to God and less of my time to social media, Netflix, and the negative energy around me.

If you read this all the way through, I encourage you to try to worry less about fitting into society's standards and start becoming whomever it is you want to be. Because the change starts with you - but only if you want it to.