For years I have watched the beautifully lit, sparkling ball slowly descend on its 60 second journey to signify the new year and with each second that ticked by, I let all the memories from the ending year flow through my mind until the last second ticks and the new year begins. I cheered and stared in awe at the display of fireworks bursting through the night sky. All of this I hold dear to me. It's a tradition with my family as it is with many others.

However, I feel like the only person that truly enjoys New Year's Eve. I love reflecting on the past and cleaning the slate so I can write new memories on. I love the idea of a cleansing. There have been memes and jokes about the "New Year, new me," and yeah, it's pretty funny, but the saying holds some truth: We are given an opportunity each day that we wake with breath in our lungs and life in our bodies to start over and do the things we've always wanted to do, to do the things we know we need to.

Each day of this New Year is a gift given to us and we have the opportunity to make this year anything that we want. The idea of celebrating something that hasn't happened yet, the knowledge that we have 365 new days ahead of us, completely untouched and untainted by hate and unhappiness, that is something to celebrate. It's motivational. It's a rebirth. You can make 2017 anything you want You're alive. You're here to live your life the way you've always dreamed and you've been granted another year to achieve those things close to your heart. So welcome 2017 with open arms, because this year is what you make it.