New Year, new me. It's a phrase we've heard millions of times, especially during the holiday season. The New Year serves as a reminder to make positive changes in our lives. I previously wrote about some basic resolutions but as we moved towards 2017, I thought of more to add.

It isn't so much a resolution as it is a mission. I tend to be a giver, which believe me, isn't a bad thing. In fact, it is just the opposite. I love taking care of people and knowing that I made a positive impact on someone's life brings me insurmountable joy. For me though, I take it too far. I don't give myself limits and I continue to do more and more for people until I physically cannot do another thing.

I am the person that will stay up all night giving you advice. I like to check in on the people I love. And I bend over backwards to make other people happy. And while I usually don't mind, there comes a point where it becomes draining. I spend so much time focusing on other people and what is best for them, that there is no time left for me. I put myself at the bottom of my priority list and by the time I get to me, I am out of ambition and energy.

It is so easy to let this happen. We all have friends and family members going through a difficult time at one point or another. It is so easy to consume ourselves in their tribulations that we forget to breathe.

When I reach this level of exhaustion and, let's be honest, frustration, I find it hard to be the loving and kind person.

So my mission for this coming year and hopefully every year after that is to be kinder to myself. Still do as much as possible for others, but reserving time to take care of myself too. I'll save time to do things that I love, to workout, and get enough sleep. And in turn, I'll have more energy and enthusiasm to help the world around me.