2016 for many people was a bad year, but also a great year for many others. With 2016 filled with death, hardship, and war it is important to remember things that are more important than what the media presents. While finishing up, or even starting your new year resolutions, here are 17 things to keep in mind.

1. Have Hope

If you go into 2017 thinking that it is going to be a bad year, it is going to be a bad year. Keep your head up and tell yourself that it is going to be the best year yet. Take each day as it comes. Yes, bad things may happen but it should not define your year.

2. Cherish The Little Things In Life

From stopping and smelling the roses to jamming out to your favorite song in the car, make 2017 the year to focus and realize how important the little things really are. By spending a few more seconds, or even minutes, you will be able to take a closer look at things that everyone from time to time takes for granted.

3. Make Memories

As silly as this sounds, you need to go out there and live life rather than spend all of your time working or studying. Yes, studying for your big test matters but you need to go out and experience life because five years from now, you are going to look back at your life today and regret not going on random road trips with your friends or even going to a game.

4. Focus On Yourself

Everyone from time to time forgets to take care of themselves due to things like stress from work, family, or even school. Take a moment to focus on yourself, your life’s wellbeing will increase immensely by doing things as simple as watching your favorite movie on Netflix, going to yoga, or even going for a walk to clear your mind, the stress in your life will decrease making you happier overall.

5. Spend Less Time On Your Phone, And More Time With Family And Friends

Social media and phones in general can be very distracting because of the fact that many millennials always want to know what is going on in the world around them and what their friends are up too. By leaving your phone in your pocket when you go out to lunch with your family or even to a football game with your friends, you are able to live in the moment more, allowing yourself not to miss any real-life moments.

6. Write

Just like how people read, take a drive, or even go for a run, writing has been proven to help with stress and anxiety in someone’s life. If it is writing privately in a journal for only your eyes to see or writing for the Odyssey for the whole world to see, it is something that is therapeutic due to the fact that you aren’t bottling everything up inside.

7. Cut Out Toxic People

From personal experience, cutting toxic people out of your life is a lot easier said than done. Even though it is a very difficult thing to do, doing it will be such a relief. Not only would you feel better about yourself, but you would also realize that you grow so much because of the fact that they are no longer holding you down.

8. Focus On The Future

The past is the past for a reason, by holding onto the past you aren’t doing anything besides holding yourself back. By constantly thinking “what if” or dwelling on something you have no control over, it doesn’t do anything for you. By letting go, and learning from your mistakes or someone else’s, it allows you to not only grow but also move forward with your life and focus on something that is way more important: your future.

9. Keep An Open Mind

When it comes to trying new things, it can be quite scary. But instead of fearing things like adventure, or even change in general, have an open mind. More often than not, it will teach you life lessons that you will not get any other way. Go out and try new things this year, you are only young once and you might as well go try it because you might end up loving something you hated before.

10. Everything Isn't Going To Always Go As Planned

For many people including myself, change and things that go against something I planned tend to cause a lot of unneeded stress and anxiety in my life. If you are like me, try in 2017 try to remember that it is OK if things don’t always work out the way you wanted too because it gives you a chance to grow, making you a stronger person.

11. Put Yourself First

As simple as this is, many people forget to make time for themselves and focus on what they want in life. If is it is saying no to plans with your friend because you’d rather binge watch your favorite show on Netflix, do things because you want to and that make you happy.

12. Be Appreciative

With everything going on in the world right now, it is hard to remember how fortunate you are when it comes to things like family, schooling, or even having a warm place to sleep at night. At the end of the day, no matter how mad you might get at your parents for not getting you the newest gaming system or phone, be appreciative for what you do have.

13. Take Every Opportunity That Is Presented To You

If you are anything like me, saying no can sometimes be a hard thing to do, but when some opportunities come into your life that seem scary, they can easily be turned down. It doesn't matter how scary they may seem, say yes. By saying yes not only are you pushing yourself out of your comfort zone but you are also experiencing new things that you may not have been exposed to, which allows you to meet new people and even learn more about yourself.

14. Laugh More

Although this seems like a silly thing to remember, this year try to laugh more, laugh to the point you cry or to the point that your stomach hurts. It is important to remember to really enjoy life because at the end of the day it doesn’t last very long.

15. Help Others

2016 for many people around the world has been a tough one. Because of things like wars, attacks, and lack of money, families around the world have been struggling immensely. This year, try giving back to your community and make a difference in someone’s life by doing anything from giving blood or helping build homes.

16. Treat Yourself

Following advice from one of the most notable quotes of "Parks and Recreation", everyone needs to set aside time for themselves every day, week or month. By setting time aside for yourself or even buying something for yourself, will not only make you happier, but it will also help improve your quality of life.

17. Worry less

If you are a worry wart like me, 2017 is the time to start letting things go. Stop worrying about every little thing, especially things that you have no control over. Take a step back and only worry about things that are worth your time because at the end of the day you only have control over how you will react and what you can do to change things.

With that, cheers to 2017 and the new changes this year will bring for you and your life.