Preparing for the New Year

As 2017 quickly comes to an end, a few things have been on my mind;

• Has this been a good year?

• Am I proud of the decisions I made and the things I accomplished?

• How can I be even better next year?

• Or better yet, what things can I begin to do that will help me to grow more efficiently in the coming year?

It has, in fact, been a very good year. Graduating high school, having an wonderful summer full of priceless memories and a rocky but successful transition into college have all made my 2017 one for the books. I exceeded the expectations I once placed on myself, achieving much more this first semester of college than I was ever aware I was capable of. For the longest time, I feared having to be fully independent, with no one to help me make decisions for myself. All of my actions were now purely up to me. And I think I can safely say, I am accustomed and enjoying the independence this stage in my life has granted me with. This semester I also decided to veer away from the Pre-Med track, something I did not expect to happen, but then again, most Pre-Med dropouts never do :) . When I overthink it, it is pretty scary. I could've had a stable career and future planned out for me, but I'm happier now. Thinking about the interesting classes (not Chemistry and Biology), I will be taking next semester gives me butterflies in my stomach. I am truly so excited to love learning again! I have only really found this love for learning in my Spanish class. Although I didn't get the best of grades in Spanish this semester, I am determined to persevere and continue to work hard.

As far as emotional and mental growth are concerned, I think that in the past few months, I have grown more than ever before. Being away from home, my comfort zone, has forced me to adapt and change to my surroundings. Not change myself, but change the way I live. Getting used to living practically in the middle of nowhere, with no car or public transportation, was very strange to me. Also, being surrounded by such little diversity was a huge "reverse culture shock" for me. When at school, I long for culture of any kind, and soak up every single drop of what I can find of it. I have come to appreciate the extremely diverse area that I grew up in, and when I'm home, I never take it for granted anymore.

One thing I would like to work on in the coming year is worrying less about things that are not under my control. I have been doing a great job at this recently, but know that I can always continue to improve. I need to focus more on the things that I can control and leave alone the things I cannot. Not only that, but stress makes me break out and I am tired of having bad skin because of worrying!

I have become very independent this year, and although I am certainly still growing and finding myself, I think I have a 10% grasp on who I am/ who I am meant to be. That's much better compared to the 5% I had the years before. I am not phased much by what those around me think about my personality, decisions or beliefs. I am proud to say that I have always been very strong willed and firmly grounded in my beliefs, and have never been one to change for someone else. I wish others would be able to experience this earlier in life, and I feel lucky that at such an early age I have this ability and strength.

Along with emotionally/mentally, I would also like to focus on my physical health a bit more. I want to continue to attempt to drink more water; it seems to be a never ending battle between me, myself and I. I am also going to try and start drinking more green tea, and apple cider vinegar. Oil-pulling is another thing I will be trying to attempt every morning, and I will write a later article about this in a few months time. I want to begin living a more pure life, using gentler products on my body, and taking more vitamins.

One thing that I think is very important to remember when it comes to New Year's resolutions, is that you must be realistic and true to yourself. Trying to start an extreme diet and exercise routine after never being a physically active individual is not very feasible. Choose small goals, things that you can work up to, and If you have a big goal, take small steps to get there. No one ever achieved anything big and great in the matter of one night. As cliche as it sounds, "GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME!" So don't rush things that aren't meant to be rushed.

The new year is a time for improvement and growth. Don't get caught up in the chaos of the Holidays and let yourself live in the moment, for there will never be another 2017 again, so savor it while you can!

-ECM