It's a new year! With a new year here, that means it's a new "me" - right? For the first time, I say no. It is not a "new me."

A new year brings a fresh wave of hope, experiences, and resolutions. This is all true. It's a clean slate to almost begin again. However, I have grown to realize that hoping for a "new me" is all wrong.

Why do I want to become a whole new person?

We have spent all these years growing and developing confidence and finding out our true selves. This sounds very cliché, but isn't it true? In the past year, I have gone through so much that has matured in ways I would never imagine. I don't want to lose what I have gained because a new year has finally rung.

In addition to that, for so many years, I set resolutions on the January 1st, to become an improved person and do better things. However, it seems that I always set myself up for failure. Not a single year have I followed through with something, such as exercising everyday or going to the library daily to study. Why make hard resolutions when it's unachievable?

So this year, I decided for the first time ever to not make resolutions. I have made a bulk of resolutions every new year. However, our motivation to improve should be a monthly, weekly, and a daily thing. We need to constantly be setting goals to better ourselves -- yes, every day of the year, not just the first.

With every year, the exciting thrill of New Year's Eve, birthdays, and holidays fade. We become too experienced to see the sparkle in what we once saw as magical. However, with each year, we grow into individuals we are proud to be.

People who shine because we grow to love ourselves from how strong and caring we have become from, not only hard times, but also the great times we have with friends and loved ones.

A new year, like everything else in this world, is bittersweet. Each year has difficulties that contrast the heartwarming moments we also enjoy. It's shocking to see how much I have grown in the past years and I am so excited for what is to come this new year.

Happy New Year!