1. Lose Weight/ Excercise Mor

It is the epitome of a New Year’s resolution, the most commonly mocked goal of the New Year. This is what many people say when they can’t think of anything else to aspire to. But maybe this year will be your year. Maybe you have been working on your weight since August and you know that you can meet your goal by December 31, 2017. Or maybe you just want to feel more comfortable with yourself. Whatever the reason, I hope you meet your goal.

2. Get A New Pet

Most people love the comforting cuddle time that our furry (or scaly or feathery) friends love to dish out. If you are one of these people, you may desire a new child to love, nurture, and fall in love with. If so, the best and easiest (let’s not forget cheapest) way to find your new friend is to visit your local shelters! You won’t regret opening your heart to, yet another, fur baby. Probably.

You may find your new furry friend here: http://vetranch.org/ or

http://www.abandonedpetproject.org/ or https://www.petfinder.com/

Or your local shelter! http://rivercitiescats.org/ or http://www.bayoudogs.org/

3. Participate In More Volunteer Opportunities

As a way to serve your community, you simply can’t go wrong with volunteer work. There are so many nonprofit organizations that need help, and you could be just the person they need. If you have the desire to be fantastically rewarded for some heart-warming and hard work then volunteering is for you. Whether you’re 2 or 92, you can enjoy giving back to your community, as it can be as easy as filling up a shoe box with soap and trinkets. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

4. Better Grades

Do you want to stop disappointing your parents? Do you want to be the coolest one in town? Do you want a job? Yes? Then you want better grades! Beware: this offer is only valid if you attend school.

Break out your pencils and find your calculator because you’re are going to need them. School is hard and good grades are rewards to people who work hard and try harder in their education, but they are by no means impossible to achieve. All you need to do is pay attention, take notes, ask questions, and practice. I make it sound so easy right? That’s because it is. Most the time, the grade a person receives is directly proportional to how much effort he or she put in. I wish you the best.

5. Better Study/Work Habits

Similar to the last one except that this time we are focusing on studying and overachieving, the primary forces behind all grades and promotions. Some people do more than we mere mortals can even imagine, while others… don’t quite understand the concept. In my high school career, I have seen both. Find your perfect study method by researching others and molding theirs to fit you. And trust me, going on an all-nighter is not the solution.

6. Stay Up-To-Date With World Events

It’s always nice to stay in the loop, especially when it could potentially affect you and your family. Some people may not be as good as others in this particular area. I know it’s hard not hitting your head at the stupidity of humanity, but we need to know what is happening in our communities. Maybe your New Year’s resolution will be to stay up-to-date on all the latest news, from fashion trends to potential wars.

7. Read A Certain Number Of Books

To all my fellow bookworms, you may want to set a new goal for yourself this New Year! For those aspiring readers – welcome – that want to start slowly, yall may want to build your love for books by setting a goal for your year. Whatever your reason, try setting a goal that you feel will challenge you, and you just might finish your to-read pile! (right like that’s ever going to happen)

8. Create A New Habit Or Start A New Hobby

Sometimes, enough is enough, and we just need to try new things. If that’s how you’ve felt at any time this year, you should probably think about trying anything you’ve ever thought you might enjoy. Take a long, hard look at your everyday life and then decide how to bend your routine. Learn how to crochet; it’s more fun than you think. Take art classes; you can bring friends, food, and beverages if you find the right place. Find the perfect people-watching bench; it isn’t creepy at all. Even changing into pajamas before dinner instead of after could make you happier. Try to do something fun and unusual every once in a blue moon, you’ll find that you have so much left to explore.

9. Learn To Love Learning

As parts of today’s society, our brains have to constantly evolve and process new information, but many of us don’t like the process. Well, we better learn to love it, because I have a feeling that we will be doing this for quite a while. Try learning a new word a day with Dictionary’s Word of the Day email service: http://blog.dictionary.com/subscribe-wotd-quiz-blog/ You can also buy or borrow ‘How To’ books that make learning fun. Most importantly, start with learning things you want to learn and don’t force yourself.

10. Earn A Better Social Media Following

Social Media. It is the bane of our existence, and the easiest way to have contact with the world. Some people can even make money using social media. I know it sure is thrilling to see that someone “liked” my newest article, “retweeted” my joke, or “double-tapped” that drawing of my cat. If you want to build your following on social media, just be patient, be smart and be yourself. If you are patient, you are less likely to become annoyed that your latest blog post hasn’t gotten any comments yet. If you are smart you will know that research is key to learning everything you need to be successful. If you remain true to yourself, your following is more likely to respect you as a true human being and not just a figure on their phones.

11. Form A Closer Relationship With God/ Family

Whether or not you are religious this can probably apply to you. In this day and age, families – worldly and spiritual – are being so easily torn apart by simple problems, and you may want to attempt to cross a chasm that has formed. As a Christian, I would like to become closer to God and my family, and I plan to follow the same steps for both. I hope that by listening more than speaking, giving more than taking and researching more than assuming will allow me to form better relationships with both my family and my God. I wish you the best of luck with whatever relationship you want to make better.

12. Become More Independent

If you are a new adult or are about to enter that stage of your life, you’re probably wondering how you will ever live without your mom and dad there to help you everything. If so you also probably would like to learn how to become more independent. As I will be going through this transition soon, this will be one of my New Year’s resolutions! You know what they say, “with age comes wisdom.” Does this mean we need to actually listen to our parents?! They might have some good tips for your new life as an adult. REMEMBER: you learn from your mistakes.

13. Get Out More

If you’re an introvert, you know that going outside is physically draining, but maybe you want to ween yourself off the solitude and fictional characters (gasp!). Now, now, we don’t need to get too crazy so you could start by joining your friends for a night on the town, but make sure you can leave whenever you want. Just try stepping out of your comfort zone with tiny, tiny steps. Trust me, I feel you, this may be too hard for me to put as a resolution, but all we can do is try right? Your friends will probably just be happy to see you.

14. Treat Other People Better

I have a terribly dry sense of humor, this causes many problems for me, and I'm sure for others as well. People take my jokes as being mean, and sometimes I can't even tell if I'm joking or not. Others may feel the same, and they may want to start treating others better, which is such an admirable ambition. Simple smiles and waves can make a huge difference, so can apologizing for your mistakes. We don’t have to be nice to everybody, but we shouldn’t be rude to anybody.

15. Bond With Friends

Life is hard. Taking time to hang out with friends is even harder. So maybe this New Year, you should try to put time away specifically for your friends. I promise you won’t regret it.

16. Open Up To New People

Even introverts get lonely, and extroverts need the extra friends. We need friends and some of us tend to close ourselves off from humanity, but they aren’t all bad, and we should try a few out. Start a conversation with a stranger or someone you know but not well. This could allow you to meet your best friend or maybe even your future spouse.

17. Rule Your Own World

Everybody should have this on their list of resolutions. Make sure that you stay true to yourself and you will never be sorry for anything you may have done. Make your own laws because other people will try to manipulate you into giving them everything you have. Don’t negotiate in treaty meetings, it will only assure that the offense will continue to take place. Be proud of who you are, and stand strong for not only yourself but also those who cannot and you will be amazed at how much you love yourself by the end of next year. Make next year special and change your world.