With the new year ringing in, there are always pressures to succumb to the ever so popular 'New Years resolution.' However, I am not one to really participate in typical or cliche things, such as this tradition, but this year I feel extremely different. This year in 2019, I wanted to specifically devote to myself. And although this may sound extremely selfish and self-centered to many people, I have been wanting to do this type of thing for quite some time. I have always vowed that I would put some time away for myself in the near future, but I had never gotten around to it. But this year, 2019 is the year that I stick to my promise.

My New Years resolution is to spend more time making myself happy and less time about worrying about everything else in the entire universe. As I said above, that may sound very selfish to many people reading this, but it's truly not. For the entirety of my life, I have learned to always put others needs above my own. In fact, I had always been taught that putting others needs before your own was an extremely noble and courageous thing to take part in, and although I still believe a part of that to be true, it is not specifically true (and unfortunately I had to learn that the hard way).

I would never take out the sadness, hurt, and other misfortunes I have had to deal with in the past few years, I honestly look at some of the things I have put myself through because of this complex I led life by, and I understood I could never be my happiest self if I didn't learn to make myself as important as I make others. I had never met people that were alright with the idea of putting themselves first until very recently. I realized that even authentically good people have to really take a step back and put themselves first before they are able to take care of others. I have understood this and am so happy that I am able to see the goodness and happiness I can truly achieve when I put myself first.

To destroy all other false concepts, putting yourself first does NOT mean disregarding others feelings and livelihoods. It simply means that in order to truly love others to your full and highest capacity, you have to be able to love yourself to your full and highest capacity. I was always unable to give my own self the appropriate amount of love and self-care because I had always put others before myself, and I decided that this year was the year that I was done with this ideal.

I have only started implementing small ideas of promoting self-love and self-care within my lifestyle and daily routine and I already see some drastic results. Understanding that I can love myself to the highest capacity and to the capacity that I deserve while loving others just as much as I did before, makes me feel like I can conquer the world and take on even more than I ever could of before this realization. I will never look back putting myself first and I hope and encourage anyone else to do so as well!