A new year is right around the corner and we're just about ready to kiss 2018 goodbye. It's unrealistic to categorize an entire year as one of the best or one of the worst, but I certainly had many experiences this year that resembled both.

In this new year, I've decided to take my experiences, both good and bad, and develop a mindset that will promote the healthy lifestyle I've been wanting to lead.

Just because something does not work out now, does not mean that better things are not yet to come.

It's so easy to focus on the downside of a situation when it seems as though all could go wrong. Facing a loss, whether it be a romantic relationship, the death of a family member, or losing your best friend, may seem insufferable, but there is always happiness to come.

And trust me, I know, in the brink of the darkness it's hard to see any hope of light, but that doesn't mean you will never be happy again. Some of the best moments I have had in these past few months have happened due to some of the most painful losses.

As one person exits your life, another person will enter. I met my two lifelong best friends here at Syracuse at the cost of losing someone who meant the world to me. Heartbreak is an unwelcomed pain at any point in time, especially during the adjustment to college, but it would not have been possible without Trevor and Angelina.

Without having faced that loss, I would have not found the positive side of things. I learned that life will never throw something at me that I cannot handle. There is a reason for every event that occurs in our lives and after this year I truly believe that every hardship we face only builds us up to become stronger people.

Live in the moment and stop focusing on the past.

Focusing on the past, only prevents the potential for future growth.

I have a bad habit of opening up my camera roll or Snapchat memories and looking back at how things were a year ago. While looking back on memories may bring up feelings of nostalgia, it isn't healthy to focus on what was.

2019 is a time for what is. College is a privilege and opportunity. It may bring about hardships and adjustments since there are growing pains to any change throughout life, but the past is the past for a reason and the only beneficial thing to do is learn from it.

Hold onto the true friends in your life.

This one is for my hometown BFFs, you know who you are.

In high school, I had friends in various friend groups and had never been the type of person who liked to stick to one group of people as that's how stereotypes, drama, and sometimes negative reputations start to form. Every person that I have come across in high school has impacted my life in a different way, but these girls are absolutely ride or die.

We each became close at different points in high school, but now on holiday breaks and through the daily bullshit, I don't know what I would do without them. I have never met eight girls so loyal to each other through every ridiculous situation. Our group chat is an absolute no judgment zone and nothing is an off-limits discussion.

Looking back on this year, I see the people who came and went, and I am so grateful for these girls being a constant in my life. If you have the same type of people in your life, never let them go.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

I remind myself of this one on the daily. So the guy you like is posting up with his girlfriends or someone made a rude comment behind your back; in the grand scheme of things, it isn't worth wasting your time or breath.

Putting life into perspective helps to understand what should be prioritized and what should be let go of. It may seem like the end of the world when someone insults you, but it truly isn't. I think back to six months ago about the menial drama I dealt with and how each person involved in certain situations hold no relevance in my life now.

As soon as I stepped foot on my college campus, my life change. The people who you once walked the halls with will only be a mere memory and the same goes for the petty drama in college.

Coming from someone who cares deeply about their reputation, I found it to be exhausting to have to confront every little snide comment or rude remark on behalf of a mistake or personal opinion. As they say, lions don't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep.

I am heading into a new year unconcerned with unprecedented opinions and focusing on what really matters.

Guard your heart.

This one, above all else, will be mantra throughout 2019.

Whether it be a new love interest or even new friends, sometimes it's important to be a little skeptical before opening yourself up to someone. This isn't to say put up walls and never let anyone in, but often times you find yourself trusting the wrong people and end up screwed over when all is said and done.

Finding the right people in your life is a different journey for everyone, but with this new year approaching it's important to know for yourself the type of energy you surround yourself with.

As the door to 2018 is being closed, I am welcoming 2019 with open arms. It's time to exhale the bullshit 2018 so lovingly provided and start new with true friends and a better mindset.