1. To let go of the toxic people/habits in my life

It’s hard to admit when a situation, habit, or even person has become a toxic presence in your life, but I promise to acknowledge them and then cut those ties from my life- because there is no reason to make this life any harder than it needs to be.

2. To not waste time on “almosts”

Because there is always possibility to be found if you know how to look at things a certain way, yet I know I’ve wasted too much time waiting on an almost to become a reality- and this year I need my time open for the things and people who are truly planning on sticking around.

3. To chase my dreams and goals to the fullest extent

Because I’ve spent so long making excuses on why I can’t achieve these things when the truth is I know I haven’t tried as hard as I could have- and that changes now.

4. To push myself to be better than last year

Because there are so many things I look back on and feel I could’ve handled better, or pursued harder. I can’t change my past, but I can let it affect my future- I can let it shape me into a better version of myself.

5. To give myself grace/forgiveness when I make mistakes

Because I am human, and despite my best efforts I will say and do things I desperately wish I could take back. Yet rather than berate and tear myself down, I will extend forgiveness to myself when I need to, because I would do the same for someone else I cared for.

6. To not carry everything from 2018 into 2019

Because there are some memories and lessons that will benefit me next year, and years to come, to remember- but there are also a lot of things that deserve to stay in the past, where they belong. I won’t drag everything from last year into the new one, simply because there’s no reason to.

7. To tell people I care for them, without worrying it will make me seem like too much

Because this life is too short to pretend I don’t have feelings, that I don’t care, or that I’m emotionally unavailable- and I promise to do myself a favor and tell people I love that I love them (romantic or otherwise) whenever I have the opportunity- because I refuse to look back and regret not letting someone know how much I cared for them simply because I was worried I would be “too much.”

8. To care for myself the way I do for others

Because I spend so much time pouring myself into other people, and while this is a great thing, I tend to feel bad whenever I start taking care of myself- almost as if I’m being selfish by doing so. Yet that is not the case, and this year I plan finally give some of the time and care that I consistently pour out on others back to myself.

9. To take risks/opportunities presented to me

Because it’s easy to list all the reason why I shouldn’t do something- and most of them will most likely be based out of some kind of fear that I’ll fail. Yet I’ll never get any closer to where I want to go if I stay in my comfort zone, and this year I’ll take more chances and honestly believe in my ability to do it- and I know I’ll have others supporting me along the way.

10. To believe in myself, the way everyone else around me continues to do

Because despite how often my loved ones may tell me how talented, incredible, or wonderful I am, I have a hard time believing it myself. Yet this year, I will try to see myself the way my friends and family see me- because they just might be right after all.

11. To be present in the moment rather than always stressing about the future or living in the past

Because it’s so easy to stay hung up on things that happened years ago or to constantly worry about what needs to be done now to help the future go as planned- and to miss out on so many things happening in the present. It’s time I pause and really take in what’s happening around me because it will be gone all too soon.

12. To ask for help when I need it

Because asking for help doesn’t mean I’m weak or a burden- it means that sometimes life is overwhelming me and I need to a shoulder to lean on. It’s okay to reach out to my loved ones, because I know they care for me and want to help me- and I need to stop acting otherwise.

13. To admit when I’m wrong

Because regardless of how many excuses or reasons I have for saying/doing the thing I did, it doesn’t make me any less wrong, nor does it remove the hurt that I may have caused in the process. Yet rather than stubbornly refusing to admit my mistakes, I need to take ownership of them- for my own sake as well as for those around me.

14. To listen to my gut instinct without feeling foolish

Because sometimes, that instinct or voice inside your head honestly knows what it’s talking about- and it’s okay to listen to it, especially if the situation could be dangerous.

15. To stop telling myself I’m not good enough

Because it’s easy to make comparisons and hold up my accomplishments beside others and claim that I’m not good enough- and that’s simply not true. I may not be the same as others around me, but I don’t have to be- and I need to remind myself that I’m still good enough regardless of how different my path may look alongside another person’s.

16. To say “no” without having to justify it

Because in life we are constantly told to say yes and to keep the peace by going along with things we never wanted to, and when we do finally say no, we feel as though we owe some kind of explanation- but I don’t. I don’t have to justify my reasoning with someone else- my “no” should be enough, and this year, it will be,

17. To stay true to my boundaries

Because I set them for a reason, and despite any person who might believe they are an exception, I’ll stay true to boundaries I’ve set in place- I know when I need to protect myself and caring for myself is just as vital as caring for anyone else.

18. To guard my heart without closing it off completely

Because it is easy to close myself off from love and all its possibility, never allowing anyone to come close because of how often I’ve been hurt before. It would also be just as easy to go the opposite end- recklessly falling in and out of love with no discernment whatsoever. Yet this year, I will take my time with love, not chasing after it full force with no restraint, but allowing my walls to come down piece by piece- because it’s okay to remember the lessons I learned before and to take them to heart, without completely cutting myself off to someone else.

19. To remember that I’m human- in all its messy glory

Because sometimes I tend to think I have to be perfect or have everything figured out, and the truth is I don’t. Life isn’t picture perfect, it’s chaotic and messy, and so am I- and it’s perfectly okay to accept that and learn to make the most of it.

And this year, that’s exactly what I promise to do.