2016

Although hungover days generally lack clarity and often cause me to postpone my to-do lists, they are also some of my favorite.

Why?

Because I typically spend them re-evaluating my life. You know — what I want, what I don’t want, how I can be better (than my decisions the night before).

So, here we are.

And, with the new year coming up, it seems like the perfect time (my inner nerd is happy, actually I guess it’s not really inner but whatever).

So let’s talk about new years resolutions and 2016.

Here are my tips for your goals, and mostly my advice for myself.

Balance.

That is what life is about. And that is what I plan on making 2016 about. I have a tendency to make extreme goals that generally end in self-sabotage and a massive backfire (for example, “wasn’t going to drink alcohol or go out all of December,” goes out last night and loses phone).

The lesson here is to set yourself up for success.

Don’t make goals that go against things you enjoy, your way of life, or that you know are going to be too much.

Make realistic goals, and give yourself leeway if you fail a couple of times. This is so important.

Next, incorporate gratitude.

If you don’t already, you need to make going through the things you are grateful for a daily thing.

Not only does practicing gratitude make you happier, healthier, and a better person all around — it is also the foundation needed to attain what you want. And I believe that whole-heartedly.

Think about it.

Want to eat healthier? Realize how amazing food is. Realize how lucky you are to have the resources needed to make healthy choices. Realize how awesome the vegetables are that THE EARTH IS ABLE TO GROW. Guys, this is cool.

Want to read more? Realize how grateful you are to even have that option… like you’re reading a code that people use to communicate that was invented hundreds of years ago that is typed up with a machine and printed on paper from a tree, do you understand how cool that is? And THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH THERE IS TO LEARN. It’s awesome.

I guess my main points are balance and gratitude. Set yourself up for success and be grateful that you are here to be able to do that. This is the formula for success and this is what will make 2016 not just another year, but THE year you actually did what you wanted.

My goals? Eat healthy, practice fitness, read/dance/write more, snowboard more, practice my passions, be grateful, and create a balanced life. Oh, and save money. After I get a new phone of course…

*Oh, also tell people you love them. That never gets old.