When did we stop hoping? When did we find it okay for an entire year to pass by and for us not to aspire to any sort of change for the new year? In reflection of 2016, I know that this year has brought on different things for different people. But for better or worse, we all have changed in ways that we didn’t anticipate. 2015 was a milestone for me, having graduated from high school and began undergrad. And 2016, well.. it has mostly been a blur. Rarely did I observe and live within each and every moment that the year had brought on. What I’ve realized over this year is how I have treated time and I’m sure many people can relate to this. Letting the days go by without not even an idea of where I’ve been. As millennials we don’t know a thing about slowing down. We live to get by as fast as we can. Joel of Osteen Ministries stated that, “when we recognize the value of time and start to see every day as a gift, it helps us keep the right perspective”. Many of us lost someone special to us in 2016 and I’m sure we all know how short life is. With that being said, the most valuable lesson I have learned over the course of this year is to be both careful and cognizant of what I am dedicating my time towards. Time cannot be taken back and it waits for no one.

I want you to think long and hard about what the significance of an old year and new incoming year means to you. And, to think about why it even means that to you, if it means anything at all? What have you learned about yourself over the course of two thousand and sixteen? Do not let 2017 be just another year on the calendar. Do not take your existence in 2017 lightly. 2017 is an opportunity for you to finish what you started in 2016, a chance for you to surprise yourself and achieve what you never thought you could, and just like any other year a milestone, so make it count. Often, we alone hold ourselves back from our own greatness. Make sure that all the decisions you make, time that you spend, and that the person that you are becoming is not doing more harm than good. So take some time to self-reflect and re-evaluate because you won’t be granted a second 2017. 

I asked some friends of mine to describe 2016 in a few words and things like “pain, lessons, success, and faith came up”. You have got to learn to take the good with the bad. If this past year has not made you uncomfortable, vulnerable, disappointed, broken, patient, etc.. then what exactly have you learned? Do not hope for an EASY 2017, because I guarantee you that it won’t be. Believe in a successful one with the courage to navigate any obstacle that it brings. I’m not saying to wait for a new year to change. And, I am in no way crediting the “new year, new me” mantra but as one of my friends told me “people don’t realize that they don’t have to be a new person but they have a chance to be a better person” (Shainae Anthony). So be better. Spend time with those who you love. Try something new. Take lots of pictures. Take care of yourself. Set goals and achieve them. And stay prayed up. I plan to laugh more in 2017. To live more. To pray more. To hope more. To do more. 

What do you plan to do?