"I will lose weight"

"I will use my phone less"

"I will find a boyfriend"

These statements are all very common New Year's resolutions in the modern world. Everyone wants to look pretty and have some Ken doll on their arm as they walk into the New Year, so they decide to work on these goals for next year. They diet, go out, put on makeup, put the phone down, or do another million things to make themselves more attractive to the general population.

Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator

The thing that all these resolutions have in common is that they are all materialistic and fake. All these resolutions have to do with what you see or what you will do with a material object. Never does anyone say "This year I want to be a good person" or "This year I will do 10 nice things" because no one ever makes these goals for themselves. Rather, we focus on looking attractive and finding Mr. Right, but honestly, can we ever accomplish these goals without being a good person too?

Sure, you can be a trophy wife or look pretty and secretly be an airhead, but the truth is that most people aren't looking for this. Most people want friends and family that have substance. I know that I look to surround myself with genuine, kind people rather than popular, pretty people because these are the people who will always be there for me. So, why would I ever want to be one of those popular, pretty people? I want to be the person whom others can relate to and go to for help. I want to be a good person.

My resolution this year is to be an overall good person. I am not positive what this encompasses yet, but I imagine this will include being a good friend, an awesome sister, an advocate, a writer, and a compassionate person. I will open doors for strangers, do nice things for friends, and smile at everyone I see. I will be who I want to associate myself with.

The truth is that this is a very difficult resolution to achieve. There is no scale to tell how nice I am in the same way you watch the pounds fall off, there is no way to gauge how many people have enjoyed your presence, but you can see your impact on the world. You can assess your life and find the genuine people to stick with. You can advocate for yourself and others and watch the responses roll in. You can speak out for what you believe in.

I encourage anyone reading this to take on a resolution similar to mine. Choose to think outside the box and become a more genuine person. Don't opt for the easy, material resolution, but challenge yourself to better the world around you. Be who you want to be this year because you are amazing.