If 2017 has taught us anything, it's that life flies fast before us. Here we are in 2018, once again starting a new year with a fresh attitude about our life and what's to come ahead of our next 365 days of journey. With such limited time, we have to make sure that we are spending every month, every day, every moment living our life to the fullest, enjoying ourselves and not letting life's obstacles block the path to success — whether that's finally owning a dream item or reaching that level of self confidence within yourself. Before 2018 flies past alike last year, here are 18 activities to make this year your year.
1. Visit an animal sanctuary.
Zoos are often very crowded, both for the visiting families and for the animals. Inside their cages, they are gawked at within all hours of the day, trapped and sometimes abused. One instance is SeaWorld's tanks being too small for their housed Orca whales, that are forced to swim around in circles to compensate for the hundreds of miles a day they would swim in the wild. In sanctuaries, you are able to be within the animal's habitats —walking, feeding and playing with the animals and with trainers that care for and protect them.
2. Travel internationally!
Whether it's through using your extra vacation days or deciding to study abroad in college, getting to see the world this year is one of the most beneficial activities to open your mind, experience new cultures and nudge the boundaries of your comfort box. Make use of your spare time and spare change to save up for a great vacation to somewhere foreign, and begin to fill the stamp page of your passport.
3. Go open-ocean scuba diving.
The next time you visit a beach, find a nearby scuba diving service that will take you into the ocean to find what's under its deep blue waves. The ocean is only barely discovered, millions of found and unknown species to man still existing. Seeing all of them interact together and swimming within its depths is a new experience and a great activity to do with best friends and family.
4. Redecorate your living space.
Sometimes, a little change can make a great difference in your life and one being a change in where you live. A change could be anything as great as moving homes to something as little as moving around furniture. By sparking your internal creative light, you can make your home more personalized with activities such as painting your walls yourself or adding items meaningful to you. A change of scenery can go a long way.
5. Ride in a hot air balloon!
It's a great date for friends and significant others and an activity for vacationing. It's perfect if you want to see the world from a new angle. Some services even offer meals in the air, and it's necessary to watch either the sunrise or sunset within the clouds.
6. Hike a nature trail.
Besides the feeling of accomplishment from finishing a long hike or trail, you are also left with mind-blowing sights of nature's beauty and the reward of the hike's destination: a lake with a massive waterfall, a great mountain or perhaps a canyon. Great for families with kids of all ages and an activity to clear your mind or relieve stress.
7. Get a tattoo.
Life is one giant roller coaster, always traveling too fast and twisting and turning before you can anticipate it. A sense of permanence, a hold, can be placed within a tattoo. It can be big and bold or simply small and minimalistic and still be able to make a big impact. Whether it stands for something important or not, it is on your body, and it is a choice that was made by you. It's now your identity; therefore, it's unintentionally great.
8. Learn to roller skate.
Learning to do this with friends is a great bonding experience that will produce a night filled with laughs and (a lot of) falling, but it's a meaningful experience overall. For the exercise fanatics, it's also a great way to mix up your normal routine, as it challenges many of the body's muscles and helps you find internal and external balance.
9. Learn how to ice skate.
This activity tests the body's limit just as rollerskating does, but it can be done within any frozen rink or a solid frozen lake. You learn to think quickly and adapt quickly, and being able to move upon the slick surface of smooth ice is a rush that can't be equaled.
10. Take part in a mission trip.
This 2018, if you're looking to find your religious self, a great activity to do this is by taking a mission trip to a third world country. Using yourself as a way to find God by helping others, you are able to experience living in foreign destinations while also becoming closer with your religious beliefs through promoting it, helping the less fortunate and volunteering to better their lives through simply donating to building large projects, such as water wells and schools.
11. See your favorite singer at a concert!
Instead of waiting impatiently for your favorite singer's new album to come out, experience the new feeling of listening to them in person. Being around your motivator, it can help you experience a new type of happiness and make new memories from being around people with a similar taste as you.
12. Take an aerial silk class.
Instead of the normal yoga class, you can channel your inner self by switching to an aerial silk class, where yoga is performed through the strength and flexibility of your body tied in silk. It's a great mind clearer and pastime activity that can be done with a friend or a sibling.
13. Try a Soul Cycle class.
A great problem these days is the common theme of insecurity and self-hatred running within our generations. Negative body image is especially rampant, as society promotes such skinny, hard-to-achieve images to teenagers and young adults who are learning to fit in. Soul Cycle is a modern cycling class that promotes internal strength, self happiness and encouragement. Not only will you feel achieved for finishing a tough workout, but you will feel achieved within yourself.
14. Dye your hair a cool color.
The great thing about hair is its ability to be dyed any color of the rainbow, be in any style that we want and be any length, since it can be grown back. Changing yourself to hold a new look is a great way to give mixture to your normal routine and fashion style and emphasize your personality. Finding a color that promotes you can be difficult, but rocking it becomes simple.
15. Go skydiving!
Finally, for the adventurers, to break boundaries and seek adventure, go skydiving. Feeling the euphoria of seeing the world's curve thousands of feet within the air (or perhaps accomplishing a fear) becomes a great memory and accomplishment in the moment and for life. Amazing pictures come out from it, and it's a great bonding experience as well as an excellent way to make your 2018 dreams come true.
16. Try a virtual reality video game.
Technology's advancement is a force that continues to grow more powerful and advanced as time goes on. The invention of being able to experience video games within a three dimensional setting is an experience one must have in order to truly know and realize the extent of mankind's achievements.
17. Participate in a color run.
As a fun activity for families and friends, Color Runs are great ways to change your routine cardio exercises to something more fun and out-of-the-box. In these runs, you're able to run great trails with running enthusiasts around you and take part in their mission statement: to spread happiness and promote a healthier earth.
18. Re-watch the ball drop in NYC.
Finally, to close out 2017, there's nothing like finishing an entire year of treasured moments and meaningful memories than with a significant other or best friend in Times Square, counting down until 2018. Celebrate the ending of 2018 and the beginning of a new year correctly by participating in this worldwide party with your favorite people and celebrities. And if you couldn't be there for it... relive the moment through the video!
At the end of the day, it's our life and our memories. What we choose to do with our moments is a choice dedicated to only ourselves. It's up to us to make the most of it.
