Every year, we see people all around us preparing to ring in a new year with major steps forward in their goals and relationships. When we do this, it is all too often just for show, though we may not always admit it. Why is this? Are we so lazy that we allow ourselves to maintain our old routine with no room for change, or are we too scared to step up? It's an important discussion, one that tends to pop up annually.

What's holding us back from change?

The answer here is quite simple: ourselves. The first step of action always comes down to you. If you've discovered a flaw within yourself and your behavior you're serious about improving on, talk to someone about it. Start looking into possible resources for getting help, and do so sooner rather than later. The future is coming faster than you think, and it can overcome you if you don't properly prepare yourself. The new year is a perfect time to commit to personal change. Whether or not that process gets off the ground begins and ends with you.

Why push to change now?

Again, this is pretty simple. If you don't keep yourself from dancing around the issue, you might just ignore it altogether. Procrastination is a hell of a thing, something that will come back to bite you sooner than you might think. Do you really want to better yourself? If so, there truly is no better time than the present. The timing couldn't be better, and the longer you wait, the more of your mental health you put at risk. Is that a chance you are legitimately willing to take?

What if we actually followed through on our promises?

The future isn't necessarily a path that is simply laid out for us, waiting for us to take its hand and follow. In reality, the future is constantly changing based on the decisions you make in your life each day. There's no guarantee you'll ever get what you want, but you can't sit on your butt and pretend like your chances are nonexistent.

Everything that makes the future exciting (and terrifying) is the idea of the unknown. It's never too late to work on yourself, and you can achieve most any goal you set yourself to if you take advantage of the resources you're given. There's people all around you that you likely don't even notice as you go about your life, many of whom could absolutely provide you with some kind of wisdom or support you didn't know you were missing.

New Year's is a time for celebration. It's a time to look forward and anticipate what comes next. But just as importantly, it is also a time for self-reflection. New Year's is a time to reminisce on the past year and an opportunity to compare that to where you are now. If you think about it, you will notice that there are years where you can't exactly say you're better off at the year's end compared to when it began. Maybe you know what caused it, or maybe you don't. However, the important question is: looking forward from here, do you really want to continue reflecting on years where you did not work hard to improve yourself to your fullest capability?

We're coming up on 2020 now, marking the end of not only this long year, but the finale of an even longer decade. You've had some severe setbacks during this time for sure -- that's just how life is -- but chances are, you've made some serious strides forward as well. There's never been a better time to continue with that streak.

The start of this new decade can also be a promising beginning for a new you. Take care with your New Year's resolutions. Take your time with them, and put serious effort into keeping up with them through all the highs and lows 2020 has to offer. Believe it or not, you will come out on the other side, and when you do, what kind of view are you hoping to look back on?