Obviously it's a brand new year (hopefully you knew this information), and that means goodbye 2016, hello 2017. Out with the old, in with the new, right? What makes the new year special? What makes it exciting? I've been seeing a few different lists and articles around about what to be excited for this year. "Technology that's coming in 2017" " Why you should be excited for movies this year" "How this year will be unlike any other" and the list goes on an on. It's so easy to let these lists catch our attention because, well, obviously it's exciting to hear about what new devices we'll get or what new movies are going to come out, but why are we letting other posts and other people's excitement map out the excitement we could be making ourselves?

It's a brand new year. That is 365 days that we get to dive into blindly. Why should we be letting some lists online decide what's exciting and worth that time and what's not? Each and every single on of us has been given another year to do what we want. To cut to the chase, MAKE. YOUR. OWN. LIST. Who's going to give another look at the newest 2017 technology only two months after it comes out? Who's going to care about the big blockbusters after they've been seen? Don't let your 2017 be exciting by someone else's opinions or standards.

By making my own list, I decide what's exciting and what to look forward to. I make my own plans instead of being exciting by someone else's and that is all the more rewarding. I realized that it's a hundred times better to make my own plans and to be excited for my own personal life that to let some articles pick and chose what I should do. You should too. Right now, go and plan some crazy adventure you want to take with your friends for sometime this year. Go make a bucket list of things that interest you. Explore a new city, try a new food, dramatically change part of you that you wish were different, your options are endless, really. Yeah I'm sure the technology will be awesome and the movies will be five-star quality, but they don't mean much. Memories you make this year will stick with you forever. For many of us, this will be our last year together with the same people we've been living our entire lives with. Make the most out of every day with them, make the memories you want to hold on to forever, forget the internet and its articles, forget what the mainstream says will be fun and cool and exciting this year. Forget all of that. Focus on YOU. Keep your focus on what you want to do and accomplish this year. It's so much more rewarding to live your own way than to follow the crowd.

Happy new year! I wish nothing but the best for each and every single one of you. I hope you take 2017 and grab it by the neck and make it yours. May you find happiness and joy and life-lasting memories.