Living life on the periphery is boring. No day is promised to us. Although one should always be cautious and safe, it never hurts to take a risk once in a blue moon. Here are a few things for those who want to live a little more fearlessly without the consequential possibility of jail time or public shame.
1. Get a piercing
Maybe it's time to get that cute nose ring you've always wanted and that your parents adamantly rejected. It doesn't have to be dramatic, but if it's something that you've always wanted, chances are, you're going to get it sooner or later, so why not now?
2. Get a dramatically different haircut
Repeat after me, hair grows back. Don't let the fear of a bad haircut deter you from doing something dramatic with your locks. With the right amount of skill, practically any haircut can be salvageable. Cut off a few inches, dye it purple, or even get a buzzcut. Endless possibilities!
3. Purge your social media accounts
Feel like shit each time you scroll through Instagram? Is that pesky kid from high school still spewing ignorance on your timeline? Then it's probably time for a social media purge. Cut out the superficial empty celebrity accounts and the people who make you question the continuity of the human race. Because, quite frankly, you don't need that.
4. Buy a gym membership, workout clothes, or new Nikes
Perhaps a hefty price tag can be the ultimate motivator to get active and work off the endless tamales and pie consumed during the season. No shame.
5. Wear makeup or don't.
Buy the new Anastasia palette with your hard-earned money, or don't wear any makeup at all. Just don't shame people if they do or don't. Makeup boosts people's self-esteem in many different ways, and you can't be a confidence detective. Remember, you can't hide an ugly attitude with or without makeup.
6. Finally let go
It's important to feel unadulterated pain before letting something go, so cry your eyes out, make a trip to 7/11 before if you have to load up on junk food, but for the love of everything that is holy, get rid of the stuff he/she bought you, the photos, the letters, etc. 2016 is a new year, a new chapter that necessitates a blank page, not tattered memories of what once was.
7. Put yourself out there
There's no shame in downloading a dating app or approaching an attractive stranger, boy or girl, in the year 2016. Do your thang. Kiss a girl, kiss a boy. Time to abolish the restrictive laws of heteronormative dating. Simply, you do you.
8. Take yourself out there
Ever feel the frustration of not having someone to understand, accompany you, or talk about something with? It might be because you yourself are the one who understands you the most. Don't wait on people to do, see, taste, smell, or experience places, people, and things that are on your mental bucket list. If your favorite band is in town, dammit, go see them! Dress up, and take yourself out to eat. Splurge on the best steak or steak fries in town. You limit yourself when center your desires around other people who just don't seem to understand your weird passions or questionable quirks. If they can't join you, beat 'em! Or go by yourself.
