I'm not usually one for New Year's resolutions, but this year I'm really thinking of making some. 2016 has been a game changing year for me and I know it could've been even bigger if I'd given myself a bigger leash and done some of the things I was too afraid to do or quit doing. So as the new year approaches and upon some reflection of the year, I've come up with 5 different resolutions that I will do every day to build them into habits. As I attempt to fulfill these resolutions, I challenge you to embark on these with me, or find your own resolutions that you can fulfill every single day.

1. Go To The Gym/Exercise

I figure I'll start with a pretty generic one, but nonetheless an important one. New Years is famous for people hitting the gym for a couple weeks and then stopping. I've done this at least twice since school started, and both times I've quit going a couple weeks later. I've been getting better, but it has never been a priority, and I think I've finally found the motivation I need to actually keep going to the gym. I don't hate the gym, I don't hate exercise, I just enjoy many things much more. Anyway, struggling with body image for years has made me fed up with just accepting the way I look. I want to look better and take pride in myself for a change. Plus, the health benefits should be incredible too. Along with this goes healthy eating, which means I should also probably try to start tracking my diet, but that might need a little work. Either way, this is a basic, easily attainable goal.

2. Take a Photo of Yourself Every Day

I don't mean to promote vanity, but I think it's incredible watching the videos people make of their kids growing up day by day for years. I've actually considered that idea long before I ever knew other people were doing it and posting videos of it, but I just think it would be super cool to take a picture of myself every day for a year, put them back to back, and look at them. I could watch my hair grow, maybe change color, see how my body changes if I carry through with the first goal, and anything else. I think it will be truly fascinating to watch how I change within the year.

3. Take a "Normal" Photo

To compliment your daily selfies, take a picture (or many) every day. For me, there's a beautiful mountain right next to my school that is great for photos. Take a picture of anything that impresses you in any way. A couple holding hands on the sidewalk (careful with that one though), something in nature, your pet, anything out of the ordinary for you or that catches your attention. Remember that. You'll never know when you need it. I have my desktop background set to shuffle through every photo I've ever taken or has been ever taken of me, and even the boring, low quality pictures bring me memories. Over the course of the year, you'll assemble a collection of really neat photos that will capture your year perfectly.

4. Write Down One Good Thing and One Bad Thing

I always encourage to do more than the bare minimum, but just to start off, write down one good thing and one bad thing that happened to you that day. This will help you remember your year even better than photos because you can describe events that are good and bad. Obviously, we need more positivity in our lives, so writing the good things makes sense, but why the bad things? Well, I'm a believer in balance, and that the bad times make us appreciate the good. The bad times are the things that will change us and mold us into who we are, so why would we want to forget them? I just asked my mom about this the other day because she wants to get rid of pictures with her exes, but I said she shouldn't because they're part of who she is and a part of her history. She should remember them for that reason. It's why our history books aren't filled with just our greatest accomplishments, but also our greatest failures. So keep track of the good and bad throughout your day and put things in perspective for yourself.

5. Give One Person a Compliment

Quick tribute to Leslie Knope, the queen of compliments. I wrote a post a while back about the need for positivity and giving people compliments. We are all suffering from low self-esteem in one way or another and we all seem embarrassed to tell people that they're good at something, like it might devalue ourselves in some way. I am a victim of this too. Sometimes I hate to admit that someone is good at something, especially if I'm not good at it. Or if we're both good at something, I wanna pretend I'm the best. I don't think I'm alone though. Why are we so scared of giving someone an authentic compliment? "I like your dress" doesn't count. I know you can do better than that. I could qualify this and say "compliment all your friends once a day" or "every day compliment someone new," but that's not as important as simply starting to compliment people. Anyone and everyone you see. Just do it. They'll appreciate it.

6. Stop Caring What People Think

The world lost an icon this past week with the loss of Carrie Fisher. I'll be honest; I didn't follow her life. I didn't know anything about her and my world is not affected by her death. I was shocked and I'm saddened by the loss, but my world will carry on. That being said, with all the tributes going around, I've done some very light research on her and she seems to have meant a lot to a lot of people. In my brief time looking at her life (like REALLY brief), I've come to admire her, though. She lived a life seemingly without shame or censorship. She spoke what she felt and went about living her life. This greatly inspires me now. I know there's not really a way to quantify this as a resolution that can be done daily, but I want to start following her example. I want to stop living my life like I owe something to others. This doesn't mean I'm going to seek to offend others and that I'm going to recklessly pursue controversial things, but I'm going to attempt to stop letting others control the way I live my life. No more walking on eggshells and hiding what I feel or think. A truly honest life... I wonder what that looks like. Carrie Fisher was close to that, and it's really devastating to lose her so early. Here's to you.