18 was not the best to me. I did amazing things, but mentally..I wasn't in the best place. A lot of the things I did where revenge fueled, taking the joy out of them. Someone once told me I couldn't, then broke my heart, so I spent the next 11 months proving them I could. This year I am making promises to myself, promises that everything I do will be for me.

I promise to spend less money on quick thrills and save more to have the adventures of a life time with the people I love more than anything in the world. I promise to see more concerts and feel the sand between my toes a little more, instead of buying that really cute shirt when I have one just like it at home.

I promise to actually get up when my alarm goes off in the morning, even when I want nothing more than to sleep in. I promise to wake up every day with a sense of adventure and an open mind. I promise to drink my coffee and think of what I want to accomplish every single day. I promise to dedicate time to my school work and give it my all, not simply throw together rushed projects and scatter brained essays.

I promise to commit more time to my self, despite my busy schedule. I promise to dedicate one day a week to shutting off my screens and reading a book, writing, taking a bath, exploring somewhere new or just spending the day in my room cleaning/organizing my things.

I promise to not let small people stand in the way of my big dreams. I promise to stop holding my personality back. I promise to stop being afraid to take pictures in public, or sing with my friends while others are around. I promise to let my full self explode into this beautiful world and take charge of my dreams. I promise to do everything I can to mentally, physically and spiritually be the best version of myself possible.

I promise to not get upset when I stumble and break one of these promises. I promise to not beat myself up over things I have no control over and I promise to be understanding of things. I promise to understand I will not always be perfect, I will be late for work, I will forget my student ID, I will forget my wallet/rain jacket and I will stumble up the stairs on my way to drop some papers with accounting. It is okay. Why is it okay? Because I am growing, I am learning and I am becoming a better version of myself every single day.

Most of all, I promise not to do it for anyone but myself. I promise to be the most beautifully self driven young woman you have ever seen. This world is mine for the taking.