Hello everyone! Sunday was New Year’s Day and I hope you all have had a great time ringing in the new year. Now I’m sure that you all have been asked certain questions by now.

“What’s your new year’s resolution?” “Is it to lose weight and exercise more?” Umm I’m fabulous and running is stupid.

“Are you cutting down on fast food?” Umm, and ruining my long term relationship with McDonald’s? No thanks.

Let’s be real New Year’s resolutions are usually overly idealistic and often hard to maintain for the long term. So instead I’m giving myself some New Year’s goals; ones that I may not accomplish every day, but are definitely worth striving for.

Be as confident as Donna Meagle

In case you don’t know, Donna Meagle is the sassy, confident, and fabulous character of Parks and Rec. She never apologizes for who she is. Does she like Twilight? Heck yes! Does she want to find lube you can eat? You know it! She always speaks her mind and knows when it’s time to relax and treat yo self. And in the men department? She’s not afraid to go after who she wants. And what’s more impressive, she’s not afraid to tell them when to buzz off and get out of her perfect bubble. She’s honest, fun, and ultimately an inspiration for any girl who wishes she could be more out there. So this year, I’m going to ask myself, “What would Donna do?”

Give A Genuine Compliment Each Day

This is even better if you give it to a stranger. As a society I think we could stand to be a little nicer to each other. Genuine compliments are few and far between, which is a shame. They are absolutely amazing. One kind phrase can literally lift up a person’s entire day. And how hard is it just to say, “I like your top“ or “Your shoes are awesome” ? Recently I told my cashier that she was a really pretty person, and her smile got so wide, and I realized that’s probably just what she needed after a long day of checking people out at whole foods. The best thing about compliments is that the result is always positive. You may feel awkward at first, but your good opinion of someone does no good if it stays in your thoughts. Share the love everybody!

Stop Apologizing for Being You

This is perhaps going to be the biggest challenge for me in the new year. I apologize for things that don’t need apologizing for. I apologize for how I sound, the things I like, for my opinions. It needs to stop. Apologizing is for when you massively mess up or hurt another person. Other than that…it’s unnecessary. Also, stop apologizing after someone has said “I forgive you.” Apologizing too much makes you appear guilty, weak, or as having low self-esteem; and I’m completely guilty of this. From now on, I refuse to apologize for being myself, and I will learn to accept someone’s forgiveness.

While none of these resolutions are extremely philosophical, I believe that they will lead me to a much more positive 2017. Thanks for reading everyone, and stay safe in the new year.