As I entered 2017 this past week surrounded by friends, I couldn’t help but think about all the great things that happened in 2016. However, it seems that the rest of the world did not feel the same. Scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram… you name it, I found that they were all filled with negative memes regarding the past year, with reference to how great this coming year would be. Why is it that year after year we are so caught up in the negative outcomes rather than the positive? I’d like to think it’s because we are a society that likes to push ourselves.

The thing is, we talk about how this year is going to be so much better, but how do we actually anticipate making it better? The only way to truly implement greater prosperity in this coming year is to formulate a plan by which we are determined to follow through with. Casey Neistat once said that “the trouble with success is that it makes you very comfortable.” While we all want 2017 to be better than 2016, regardless of whether or not we enjoyed the year, we may start by asking ourselves if we are too comfortable in the positions we find ourselves in day to day. While 2016 may have been a year of rise for you, you cannot stop there. The key is to keep growing, and pushing to be a better version of whatever it is that you do. This is where success is made.

Maybe you felt as though you declined in the past year, if this is the case 2017 is your year. You have nothing to lose. It is your year to focus on what it is you are going to succeed in. When you do find whatever it is that’s going to make this year great for you, please do not ever settle.

We settle because we are happy, comfortable, satisfied maybe. But then we look back and wish for more. This is the danger with success. We set a goal, we succeed, and get stuck there, sometimes not even realizing it. In 2017 we need to get out of this mentality. At the very least, we can all start with one goal. As the year progresses, we will reach these goals at different speeds, however, when you do get there, set a new goal. If we continue this process, success is imminent. Although it is great to push yourself, all you can do is your best.

While most of us have already made a list of New Years’ Resolutions I’m sure, we can start today by asking ourselves how we are going to be better at whatever it is that we do, but more importantly better human beings.

So, for today we may start by simply smiling a little brighter at the people who need it most, you may just make someone’s day.