In case you haven’t noticed, 2016 was very…interesting. There were exciting events that occurred such as the Olympics, but also very heart-braking events. Multiple celebrity deaths, shootings across the country, terrorism and so on. We will walk into this new year with a new Presidential candidate, which can be a positive or a negative to some people. Out of all the things that have happened this year, we are forgetting to improve on one thing: ourselves. There are plenty of college students just wanting to be done with school, there are graduates who just want to find a decent job, and adults who just want to make their lives better than they seem. If you’re anything like the rest of the world, you’ll make New Year’s Resolutions that sometimes aren’t realistic. However, if you start small, you’ll eventually create so many goals for yourself that you never you could make. Here are some suggestions of goals and ways to achieve them:

If you stop holding grudges, you will have a different perspective on life. You will learn that letting things go is something you should’ve started a long time ago. It’s the little things that can bother us, but if I’ve learned anything in 2016 is that it’s NOT WORTH IT. Life is too short to worry about if someone angered you over something so small. Take a breath and just accept what is to come.

If you let go of the old relationship you once had, your heart will learn to grow and how to love the right person for the next time. 2017 is going to be full of new beginnings, so it is very possible to enter a new friendship that hopefully turns into something so much more. Remember what you deserve and what you don’t. Remember to also treat that special person the same way in which you want to.

If you let go of laziness, you will gain so much strength. We all have so many plans about what we want to do with our lives. We say that we’ll workout everyday, maintain a healthy diet, and be productive. So many minutes have been wasted due to our failure of setting goals we can’t achieve. Face it; life gets in the way, which is something not under our control. Even though that is something we can’t change, it does not mean we can’t improve our decisions. It takes one action to start a productive and wonderful day. It all depends on what you put first. Wake up and say “Today is going to be great,” then tackle the to-do list like there’s no tomorrow.

If you let go of your insecurities, you’ll learn to love yourself more. In 2017, forget the lies that you hear or unfortunately may be told everyday. Don’t believe you aren’t good enough, or that you’re ugly, or that you don’t have what others have. I can assure you that none of that is true. Learn to love the way you look in the mirror, take care of your body, and make sure your heart is happy. That’s what matters the most.

And lastly, if you let go of your doubts, you can gain so much confidence and faith for what happens in your life. Forget about the idea of everything that go wrong, or having the fear of failure. Being confident can turn your life around by having positive thoughts about what you want to accomplish.

So, don’t just make stereotypical goals for 2017. Focus on yourself, your body, your health, and your faith. 2017 is your year; make it something worthwhile.