"New year, new me" - a phrase I'm sure many of us have uttered over the past few weeks, whether ironically or in complete seriousness. I know I've said it a few times, and I was mostly serious when I did.

If you're like me, you made your cliche resolutions of going to the gym, exercising more, and eating healthier, and you were finally ready to make your life better. Then the new year came and you procrastinated. You said, "I'll get around to working out" and "Oh, just one more day and then I'll do it."

You'll probably go on like this for a while before you eventually decided it just isn't worth your time anymore. You'll shrug it off and say, "I'll get around to that resolution next year", but why wait?

You should never wait to make a resolution! A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. The only difference between a resolution and a new year's resolution is that one has a long-standing tradition of being made on January 1st and the other can be made whenever you choose to make it. Of course, the idea of new year's resolution is pleasing because of the symbolism that the new year brings. Don't get me wrong, I love the feeling of a fresh start too! You feel like there's a blank slate ahead of you, like each day is a new blank page waiting to be written.

Despite the fresh feeling that the new year brings, you get to a point where you feel like you're kidding yourself with your resolutions, where you feel like they're never going to happen. Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: you need to make that new year's resolution happen! It's never too late to start changing things in your life, so don't think that just because the new year is over that you can't make resolutions anymore. There is always time for you to make and follow through with your new year's resolutions. Trust me, I'm no stranger to making resolutions that are inevitably not kept. I've made all of the cliche resolutions that hardly anyone keeps, and even though I've tried to keep them I just become otherwise occupied.

And it's okay to be occupied by something else, just as long as you try to make your resolution again. I've had a hard time keeping my resolution to go to the gym and exercise more, but I've already made plans to go to the gym with my friend once we're back at school. You might feel bad that you broke your new year's resolution, and yeah it sucks that you couldn't keep it, but don't let that feeling keep you down. It's now or never! Tomorrow is a new day, and you can always start over.

You don't have to follow through with your resolutions all at once. Get help from your friends, and start out small. Set goals for yourself each day that will help you carry out your resolutions. Write your goals down and put them somewhere where you'll see them everyday! It's never too late for you to make the changes that you want to make to better your life.

Don't give up on your resolution because you missed a day of it or you messed up a little bit. Keep making that resolution until you succeed. Keep making that resolution until you see the change you desire. Keep making that resolution until your skin glows. Keep making that resolution until you feel at peace with yourself and with the universe. I know you can do this, and deep down you know you can too.