I have always found January to be a rather cold and dreary month. And that is not just talking about the weather. New Year’s Day marks the end of the holiday season. No more celebrating, no more festivities, no more seasonal Starbucks drinks. We must now return to our normal everyday lives that we live with the other nine months of the year. Except there is now a twist. Almost everyone is trying to improve themselves in some way.

According to proactivechange.com, 40-45% of adults make New Year’s resolutions. The most popular goal by far is weight loss. Possibly this is because we eat so much between October and December, by the time January rolls around, we are not at our healthiest. Others include quitting smoking, life/self-improvements, saving money and even finding the love of your life. Unfortunately, over half of these resolves end up failing by February.

When it comes to resolutions, I try to keep mine as realistic as possible and hopefully I will achieve them. I like to strive for making good grades, spending time with my friends and family, and going on adventures. The past two years I have fallen into the lure of wanting to lose weight…and it has predictably fallen through. I owe that to Piedmont’s caf, Taco Bell, and Chikfila. Maybe third time’s the charm.

I went into 2017 with a fresh outlook. After the train wreck of 2016, I felt like it was what I needed. And for the most part, I had a good year. I fulfilled my resolution of spending time with family and friends. I went to new places, like Asheville and Myrtle Beach. I went hiking and did late night fast food runs with my best friends (another reason why I failed at the whole losing weight goal). I had my bumps in the road, I had to go through a lot of negativity and I often found myself surrounded by it. But I still pushed on and left 2017 feeling good about myself.

My hope for myself and everyone in 2018 is to take care of themselves. It does not necessarily have to be weight loss and healthy eating. I am talking about staying positive. I am talking about cutting out toxic people and situations. I am talking about spending time with the people who make you happy and make you feel good about yourself. Let us start the New Year off right by trying to stay as positive and open as possible. Happy New Years, everyone. Let us have a good year.