Is it really a new year and new you?

When the new year arrives each year, many people promise themselves they will change for the better.

Eat better. Dress better. Work harder. Do more. Get off their couch and stop being lazy.

Promises and resolutions are carved in stone, yet most will be broken and thrown away by the time February rolls around. Drastic changes are forced at our bodies by our excited brains, but the body is screaming, "What are you doing to me?!"

What are we doing? Are we trying to change ourselves to prove something to someone else or are we truly doing it for ourselves? Big changes and ideas all come at once during the first of the year, and it can be overwhelming. Maybe the solution is to make tiny changes here and there to work towards an ultimate goal.

Slow down.

I think the best advice for year 2017 is to take a step back and not run ourselves ragged. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so pace yourself as this year progresses. Want to create a new you? Let's first look at what you learned from the past year.

It might be cringe-worthy, but think about the mistakes made in 2016 and try to learn from them in 2017. If you keep doing something over and over, and keep receiving the same result over and over that you do not crave, then PLEASE make that change and try something new.

So find something new, lose yourself and come back, add the change, and keep on going.

If you are ready for a change because you feel stuck, then be active and make a change. Cut your hair. Try a new style if it appeals to you. Attempt something you always wanted to do. Try new things and make the changes that suit you best.

Losing yourself isn't necessarily a bad thing if the outcome is the discovery of something new that you didn't know before adventuring into the unknown. Go as far as you want, but be careful not to go so far to where you lose everything, including who you truly are.

Change can be good, but you don't have to create a whole new you. You are the original and you can make changes to improve yourself. As each new year arrives, you may be improved from the year before, but you will always be you.