“Don’t forget to fall in love with yourself first.”-Carrie Bradshaw

Welcome to 2017! If you’re reading this, you have officially survived 2016, and are alive to witness another fantastic year! Congrats! From this point forward you can officially start fresh and begin a new chapter in your life. Whether it be graduating from college, starting your new job, or planning your dream wedding, this year should be all about YOU! Now, while there is a fine line between being utterly selfish and caring for yourself, I want to make a pact with you that this year will be all about treating yo' self! Not yourself…yo' self. If you say it the other way, it doesn’t really have as much power behind it.

2016 was an interesting year filled with adventure, experiencing new things, growth, and learning all about myself. At times, I found myself at a dead end, or having to take an unwanted detour, but in the end those times in my life have helped mold me into who and I am today. This year is all about building atop those foundations and staring to enjoy life. For many years I focused too much on what others thought of me and spent countless hours trying to ensure their needs were met. I had my sights set on making sure everyone was happy and that everyone was happy with me. I was ashamed when I made someone upset and I tiptoed around other people’s feelings while damaging my own. 2016 helped me find who I was and helped me understand just exactly I wanted in life. Now that 2017 has arrived my “Treat yo' self” mentality is in full force.

For Christmas, my friend gave me a gift full of things used to pamper myself because she was convinced I really needed to start loving myself again. She emphasized that this next year should really be about treating myself with care; to be honest that was probably one of the most thoughtful gifts I think I have ever received. After her sweet gift, the idea of this “Treat Yo' Self” mentality started to kick in. This new year is all about taking what I learned in 2016 and using those lessons to motive and propel me into and throughout 2017. I want to stop and actually smell the roses, I want to stop planning and start living. I want to enjoy what a day without worrying feels like and I want to love and treat myself much better than I used to. This new year I have promised myself to start learning to love me and start treating me with the same effort and care as I did others. This past year I dabbled a little into treating myself and it was an incredible feeling. The times when I decided to not worry about anyone else and truly put my feelings and emotions first were some of the most liberating decisions I made in 2016, and I hope you can make those exact same decisions in 2017 as well.

This year I challenge you to start treating yo' self. Not yourself…remember it’s yo' self. Take some time for yourself to truly do what YOU want to do, don’t worry about what others have to say, and stand up for yourself. Never let someone run all over you because you’re too nice to speak your mind. You are entitled to be treated properly and you are entitled to let others know when you aren’t. Take this year to grow upon what you have learned about yourself and start building on the foundation that is already set. Take risks, challenge yourself, and start living. This year is all about YOU.YOU.YOU. Embrace it and learn to love yourself. Because in the end, the only person that truly can take care of you, is you.

Honey, just treat yo' self.