I hope that with 2016's end we think about what this coming year will be. I want so much from 2017, though, not just for myself but for everyone. I know 2017 will only be a better year if we choose to at least try and be a better version of ourselves. I don’t want us to let it down. We have the opportunity to change this coming year.

Now, I know I can’t control what others do; however, I can control what I do. I want this year to be when things change, but I can’t control how other people act. I can’t make people be nicer or kinder humans. I can only control how I act and how I respond. I can only decide how I choose to treat people in 2017. What I choose to say.

I wish that in 2017 people would think before they speak especially before they type. I wish we’d really think about the impact our words have on others. That we’d make sure we have all the facts and have looked at every side before stating an opinion. We need to learn to be more careful. A word said in the heat of a moment doesn’t just last for that moment but forever. I’m tired of the mean, hateful, unnecessary words used only to make others feel bad, and I hope others will feel this way too in 2017.

I wish we’d be kinder and not make our lives solely about ourselves and the bubble of people around us. That we’d extend ourselves to those who really need it. Being nice is far easier than being mean or catty. Being nice isn’t something you just do when it’s easy but something you should do all the time. No matter how someone else is acting, in 2017 we should remember to respond with kindness.

I hope 2017 is the year that squads and cliques stop being so exclusive. I wish 2017 is the year where we start being more inclusive. That we stop measuring our worth by being exclusive and trying to lift ourselves up by putting others down. We should remember that we don’t have to make others feel small in order to feel good about ourselves.

In 2017, I choose to be kind, to think before I speak, and to put others before myself. My new year’s resolutions are to surround myself with the people who make my heart happy. It’s to say goodbye to those who try to be negative and pull everyone else down to their level. And to stop the complaining because I am tired of it. It’s exhausting and unnecessary. I hope that 2017 isn’t just the year of change but the year where we each decide to change.