Resolutions.

Farewell, 2010. A much better year than 2009
and a year that ends with hope and many promises for the next.

At the end of each year, everyone makes resolutions, most of which go unkept . The idea of becoming a “new person” or starting over at the beginning of the year seems like such a great idea at the time, but it usually doesn’t last past January. This year, for me, I don’t want to change who I am as a person, or start anew, I just want to make a few changes in my life and focus on myself. I want to be a better version of myself.

I’m beginning to realize that I have exactly one year left of college before I graduate and move into the “real world.” Have I spent the last 3 ½ years living this experience to the fullest? Have I put myself out there and experienced new life-changing things that play a part in shaping who I am? I don’t think so. Not that I haven’t had some really important experiences or challenges that have changed me, but I don’t think I have taken a ton of risks or had as many experiences as everyone portrays college as holding. Sure, my journey has been anything but traditional with a year as a student-athlete and a transfer of schools, but I didn’t study abroad, I didn’t join a sorority or any interesting clubs or have a job or make millions of new friends that I’ll always keep in contact with (and that’s not to say I haven’t met some really great people that will always be my friends, either). I just feel like I may have taken more time than the average college student to come out of my shell and make it count. So part one of my New Year’s resolution is about taking chances. I want to say yes to more things, put myself out there, meet people, go places, and enjoy my last year of school. At this time next year, I’ll be going through some intense changes and probably wishing I had another year to postpone the inevitable, but if I start to open myself up now my hope is that I’ll be open to so many incredible possibilities for the future.

Part two of my New Year’s resolution is to write more. Writing is the one thing I can lean on for everything. It gets me through everything and makes me feel creative. But I want to expand my writing. I want to find things that inspire me and use them to write in more ways, through more mediums. I want to build up my blog while still writing for myself. I want to share more and get better and make it a bigger part of my daily life.

Part three is about happiness. I want to find a level of happiness that I haven’t known in a long time. I want to feel better about myself and put my worth at a higher level. I want to get back into working out so I can feel healthier and have a sense of accomplishment every day. I want to be a more positive person and not let negativity get the best of me. I want to stop being passive about things and stand up for myself more. I want to be more honest with myself about things and be more honest with others. I want to do things that make me happy and to find comfort in being out of my element while learning to be ok with change.

Most of all, I want to use my last year of college to grow as a person. I want to take risks, do things I haven’t done, write more, find happiness, and prepare myself for the changes ahead. I’m going to make these things a priority in my life this year by reminding myself every day. I’m not going to let myself stray because now is the time. Now is the time to be the best version of myself before I leave this chapter of my life behind and start an entirely new journey somewhere else.

So, I welcome 2011 with open arms
and hope to make it one of the best and most memorable years of my life this far.

Happy New Year.