I personally hate new years resolutions. I think that if you really want to better yourself, you'll enact it whenever you want, not just when a new year approaches. You have so much time to achieve what you want to get done, so why wait until January? Do it as soon as you can instead.

That's why I make goals for myself instead of resolutions. I write down things I want to achieve, or even exceed, rather than try to force myself make happen.

Here are five goals I'm gonna push myself to achieve in 2019:

1. Travel to a different country

Hannah McAleenon

More specifically, Ireland. This is my ultimate goal. My best friend Hannah lives there, and ever since she and I became friends, I knew I wanted to travel over there and explore that beautiful country. I've never been outside of America either, so this would be an amazing opportunity for me to step outside of my comfort zone (literally) and see more of the world. I've been saving up for what feels like forever to afford this trip, and I really want to make it happen this summer.

2. Be more sustainable

Rachel Neal

It actually scares me just how much waste and detrimental things are released into the Earth each day, even each minute. In 2019 I would love to help contribute to lessen that amount. I have a reusable Starbucks cup that I use every time I get coffee, I bought stainless steel straws to carry around with me, and I'm starting to bring around a tote bag for whenever I go shopping to reduce the amount of plastic bags I get. Everything helps, and I want to be a part of that.

3. Get back in touch with my creative side

Rachel Neal

Photography is something I've done my whole life. It's actually what I wanted to go to college for before my plans changed. I still love it, but I haven't taken pictures in what feels like forever. I completely lost my creativity and motivation to produce art. This year I would like to push myself to bring my camera with me everywhere I go in case there's an opportunity to create something on the spot.

4. Get my articles more "out there"

Rachel Neal

While I do write for my own benefit, I think it would be amazing to see one of my articles here on Odyssey to reach 1k views or more or to even have Odyssey share it on their Facebook. I love to read others they share, and everyone on this platform is so creative and inspiring. I'd love to see myself grow as a writer over the new year and get noticed at least once!

5. Attend a music festival

Rachel Neal

I LOVE going to concerts, but I actually have never been to a proper festival. So many amazing lineups have come out this year (such as Firefly, Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, etc) and the one that stood out the most to me was Governor's Ball in NYC. I've always wanted to go, and this year would be perfect since I'll be done school and can get there on my own. The cost is what's setting me back but I wanna at least attend a festival at least once in 2019, whether it be on a smaller scale or bigger scale.

6. Take better care of myself

Rachel Neal

I work extremely hard, and sometimes take on more priorities than necessary. This year I want to make sure I'm taking time for myself and doing more things to benefit me and help me to relax such as having a set skincare routine, taking mental health days from school occasionally, eating healthier, etc. This will help me to be happier and more productive overall this year.

I hope you have some goals set for yourself this year too, and if you do, let's work hard together to achieve them!

Happy New Year everyone!